Exercise in Objectification

I’ve started work on a series of headless nudes. It’s a development of some figure studies I have been working on. I was interested in seeing to what extent a sense of the sitter’s identity could be conveyed if, first, they were stripped of their clothes, and then, as in the case with this painting, their heads were cropped from the painting.

exercise in objectification

Update: Headless Nudes

preparatory studies for paintings of headless nudes
work in progress – headless nudes

I recently found the photo above showing preliminary work on the four paintings from this series. The completed middle two paintings are shown below.

unnamed portraits, headless nude paintings
Unnamed Portraits, on display at the London Ultra exhibition

I had great ambitions for this series of paintings, but in the end the project did not proceed beyond the four paintings shown above.  I have since thought about why this project petered out in the way it did. I was always uneasy about the idea of objectifying the models, but I suspect the main reason may have just been bad timing – I moved into a studio where it wasn’t easy to arrange sittings with models, and by the time I found somewhere more suitable, I had moved onto the next big project.


Looking for models for collaborations

Although the main focus of my work is now portrait painting, I am always open to collaborating on interesting projects with people who are interested in art and the creative process. I am happy to collaborate with models, artists or photographers. It would be nice to find a long term collaborator – someone interested in exploring themes or ideas over a number of sittings.
I have a portfolio on PurplePort.com with references from models I have worked with.
If you are interested in the headless nudes project, or if you have any ideas about projects that you would like to develop, then please get in touch. My email address is on my Contact Page.

Angel Christmas Fair

I have three recent paintings on show at the Angel Christmas Fair this year.

The Angel Christmas Fair is an annual affordable art and design fair featuring the work of various artists and designers. The event will take place in December 2016 and will comprise all creative disciplines; painting, photography, illustration, fashion, textiles, jewellery, glass, ceramics and furniture.

Islington Art and Design Fair

Screen Shot 2016-08-19 at 15.24.28

I will be exhibiting a couple of painting at the Islington Art and Design Fair, held at Candid Arts Trust in central London. Below is a detail from one of the paintings.

 

The Islington Art and Design Fair is an established showcase for Artists and Designers to promote and sell their work in one of the largest independent contemporary art spaces in central London.

Preview night is on Friday 25th November, 5-9pm, open 26-27th November 11-6pm. Candid Arts Trust, 3 Torrens Street, London EC1V 1NQ

“The Nude” Exhibition

feast of venus

I will be showing five paintings at the forthcoming “The Nude” exhibition, at Candid Arts Trust. Amongst them will be my “Feast of Venus – A Re-imagining”, for its first excursion outside of my studio. It will be interesting to get some feedback on this particular piece, having worked on it for so long.

I’m looking forward to seeing them all on display together. Four of these paintings are the major works that I have been working on over the past year. Hanging them together, in a gallery environment, will help give me a clearer view of how my work has evolved.

Candid Arts have their gallery at 3 Torrens Street, London EC1V 1NQ. Preview night is on Thursday 29th September, 6-9pm. The exhibition is on from 30th September-9th October, open every day from 12-6pm.

24WA Studio Show

I shall be showing a couple of paintings at the forthcoming 24WA Studio Show in Southend on Sea, which opens at the end of May. Being an Estuary Fringe event, it will be free, and there is sure to be some live entertainment for the opening night.
Since moving into my London studio, I’ve mainly been using the studios at 24WA for my life drawing sittings, as it’s more comfortable for the models than a draughty Fish Island warehouse. But I worked on these two paintings there over the Christmas period, when I first moved in. They were started over a year ago, and I think they mark a defining moment in my art, when I set out to explore different ideas in my compositions, and introduced some classical elements into a few of them. The photos below just show details.

detail from arrangement on red carpet
detail – arrangement on red carpet

detail - the three graces

detail from maxine - the three graces oil on canvas
detail from Maxine – The Three Graces

The 24WA Studio Show is an Estuary Fringe event.

“The Estuary Fringe was created with the aim of taking art back from the pretentious art elites who have somehow insinuated themselves into the borough, and hand it back to the local community, to everyone, where it belongs.

The first festival in June 2013 was incredibly successful. Organised in just 7 weeks with no money and no idea what we were letting ourselves in for, we were blown away by just how well it all went, so we have decided to keep doing it.”