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English Art News

  • Allen Jones Exhibition

    Royal Academy, London

    December 2014

    This is a wonderful exhibition, tracing Jones’s development from the late 1950’s through to the present and showing us his amazing versatility.

    I’ve always particularly loved Allen Jones paintings and it’s a shame that they tend to get overshadowed by his iconic controversial sculptures. The paintings are exuberant, joyful, sensual and drenched in colour.

    Here are some of my favourite paintings and sculptures.

    Thinking About Women, Allen Jones 1961-62 Tumble, Allen Jones 2008 Sun Plane, Allen Jones 1963 Waiting on Table, Allen Jones

  • Stones Project

    A change of subject and medium for my next project. This piece is going into an exhibition of KAOS artists work at the Kingston Museum in early December. Each artwork will be something to do with Kingston upon Thames and will use stone as a base.

    My concept involves the history of Kingston and it’s symbolic location. Kingston lay on the boundary between the ancient kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia until in the early tenth century King AEthelstan was crowned there and united both to create the kingdom of England. Two more kings were crowned in Kingston in the tenth century – Eadred and AEthelred. The original coronation stone is still in the town in the grounds of the guildhall.

    So my three stones represent AEthelstan, Eadred and AEthelred and the images are inspired by ancient illustrations of these kings.

    Three King Stones

  • Life drawing

    I try to find time to do some life drawing regularly. I get together with a group of local artists to share the cost of room hire and model. Here are a few of Charlotte done a few days ago….IMG_1039

  • Paintings in private collections

    I’m delighted that over the last few weeks four of my paintings have sold to private collectors. One has gone to North Yorkshire and three sold at the Landmark Art Fair, which was a very enjoyable experience.
    Garricks Temple Riverscape 2Riverscape 1IMG_0922small

  • Landmark Art Fair

    I’ve just finished setting up my stand at the Landmark Art Fair, Teddington. Thankfully I managed to get all eight paintings into the small space without it looking cramped. I’m looking forward to the weekend and hoping lots of people turn up!

    Landmark Oct2014 02 Landmark Oct2014 01

  • Mantua: Historic city

    Mantua is an overlooked Renaissance gem; a mini-Florence, rich with art. Where Florence had the Medicis, Mantua had the Gonzagas. Unlike Florence it isn’t bursting at the seams with tourists and so immensely pleasurable to stroll around the medieval streets, such as Piazza Erbe…
    Piazza Erbe, Mantua

    I came across this wonderful painted house façade, ascribed to Andrea Mantegna’s workshop. The decoration begun in 1495, has only partially survived and was restored between 1992 and 2001.

    Mantua facade 01

    Basilica di Sant’Andrea –  Lodovico ll Gonzaga hired the Florentine architect Alberti to design this beautiful example of early Renaissance architecture which contains the tomb of Mantegna. Once again, not many tourists inside and I managed to take a couple of photos.

    At Andrew's Basilica, Mantua

     

     

  • Chiesa Santa Maria del Giglio, Venice

    I’ve just spent a wonderful week in NE Italy, visiting Verona, Venice, Mantua and several small towns on the shores of Lake Garda.

    In Venice there was the usual long queue to enter the Basilica di San Marco, so instead I walked around the back streets and came across this small Baroque church – Chiesa Santa Maria del Giglio. Inside were paintings by, Tintoretto, Veronese, Zanchi and Rubens (the only one in Venice apparently). There were only three or four other people in the church – such a contrast to the crowds in the Basilica and so nice to enjoy the atmosphere in peace.

    Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to take photos inside but here is one of the exterior….

    Chiesa Santa Maria del Giglio

  • Nebula

    My series of abstracts continues with ‘Nebula’ and ‘Elements’ …..

    IMG_0921small

    IMG_0922small

  • Lyrical Abstract 1

    Here is the first painting from my latest project – a series of lyrical abstracts inspired by nature.

    Lyrical Abstract 1

  • Henri Matisse The Cut-Outs

    Tate Modern June 2014

    I’ve just been to the wonderfully uplifting Matisse Cut-Outs exhibition at Tate Modern.

    These works are so intensely colourful, exuberant and bursting with life that walking through the galleries is quite overwhelming. As you move through the 14 galleries the scale of the cut-outs gets bigger and bigger – just wonderful and you leave feeling happy and high! Worth every penny of the entrance fee.

    I tried to convey a sense of the scale in these photos – excuse the rather wobbly iphone pics…..

    IMG_0175IMG_0174IMG_0171IMG_0176