I’m delighted to be exhibiting at Gallery Above and Beyond in Linton, Cambridgeshire again. I created a number of new works for the show and also included some recent pieces in the browser.
Galaxy 1, 2023, original woodcut print, 19x19cm, sold on the opening night. This is one of two original abstracts inspired by distant worlds and the vast, almost unimaginable, events that are continuously evolving in the cosmos, unseen and unrecorded, much like the internal workings of our minds. Galaxy 2 is availalbe and can be can be viewed in my Original Woodcut gallery – see the link above.
It was particularly exciting to arrive at the show for the private view and find a red dot already in situ. I have sold 3 more pieces since. All 4 are published on this page.
Les Calanques 1, 2023, original woodcut print, 19.5×44.5cm, SOLD, ‘Les Calanques’ are limestone rock inlets along the Mediterranean coast of France. We sailed that coast many times in days gone by, and their strange and remote beauty, and the fierce sunlight which intensified the colours, imprinted on my mind. This is one of a pair of woodcut prints based on those impressions. The other, which can be viewed in the Original Woodcut gallery, is still available .
Blaze: The Attraction of Abstraction includes a number of my abstract artworks, as well as those created by a handful of other talented artists. The exhibition runs at Gallery Above until the 23rd September.
Any Way Up, an original mixed media collage with cutouts, 9.5x14cm
For those of you who aren’t able to visit, there’s a very short video documenting ‘my wall’ at the exhibition on Armadillo Central’s YouTube page. It’s not professionally filmed, just a little snapshot:
Abstract artworks on show at Gallery Above and Beyond August/September 2023
I really enjoyed creating the 8 interlinked abstract works entitled Concatenation (1-8) below. They’re original watercolours in Indian ink and white body colour on handmade Indian rag paper and measure 20x25cm framed (12x16cm unframed) each. This particular paper is generally rough and unruly. It won’t lie flat and the edges are wavy.
I divided the one large sheet into 8 panels, using heavy black ink, and then, using the same palette throughout, I created a suite of individual paintings that evoked my feelings. My son was suffering from schizophrenia and it was a very difficult and emotional time for the whole family. Anyone who has dealt with mental health issues will understand. They’re dated 2023 as this is when I finally completed the presentation of this series. The original panel was however created a few years ago.
Concatenation 5
They can be hung individually of course, but look particularly dramatic in a group. The image that heads up this blog shows them together, in the context of all the artworks that I exhibited.
Treescape, 2023, Original woodcut print, 14.5x9cm, SOLD
As with the Treescape above, some of my exhibits were bordering on figurative. This is because the show was originally entitled Towards Abstraction (later changed to Blaze) which encouraged me to look at crossover works, like the painting and original woodcut print below.
Florida, 2017, original watercolour with body colour, 66x57cm framed (artwork 43x35cm). In Florida, some years ago, I was sketching a rare palm tree (there are 12 varieties of palm native to Florida), near the water’s edge. I noticed a large log moving in my direction. Grabbing my things, I rose and beat a hasty retreat before what was in fact an alligator got too close.
Palm trees away from water were safer subjects. They were noisy, their dried fronds clacking and rattling in the warm breeze. I usually saw, and heard crows. Loud cawing seems to be their language wherever you are in the world.
Sadly, it seems that little of this magic world in Florida still exists, having given way to golf courses and condominiums.
Preparations are already underway for the next show, so check back soon for details of that and thank you for your visit!
Solitude 1, 2023, original woodcut print (ab) 40x30cm framed (artwork 27×16.5cm). This is one of two prints which move from the figurative towards abstraction. The idea came from a trip to Northumberland where the panorama was of a tidal flood plain leading out to open sea, and the immense sky above. They evoke reflection and solitude.
You can contact me via the website or message me direct on Instagram if you’re interested in any of the works or just want to be in touch. I’m also setting up some new Galleries which will feature an ever-increasing number of artworks for sale.
Inferno, 2023, original mixed media on Arches paper
37x29cm (artwork 27×17.5cm)
