4 Women Exhibition

I am currently exhibiting with 3 friends at the EPSAC Gallery in Port Elizabeth, until 13th November. I did not post any new work for the last few months because I didn't want it to be old news by the time the exhibition opened.

First some general shots of the gallery:

These two still life paintings are the very different response of me and my friend Esme to the same subject.

Esme Goosen and I set up a still life, and spent some time in the gallery during the first week, doing a painting each, which will be on silent auction. The winning bid will be revealed on the last day of the exhibition, and the proceeds will be donated to the Community Art Centre.

This is Esme's still life, 600x800mm

... and this is mine 600x500mm

here we are concentrating on our work!

Now for the individual paintings....

still life with lilies 800x900

still ... life is the blues

800x1000mm


From the Africa weeps for her Children Series:

Despite challenging circumstances and bleak prospects for the future, many of Africa’s most impoverished children carry themselves with dignity as they try and find a way through this confusing, and often hostile world. These paintings address the fact that there are so many who seem rudderless, either because they are aids orphans, (in Zimbabwe there are entire “Lord of the Flies” style villages with no adults left alive!) or have absent parents who are struggling to make a living while the kids are left to fend for themselves and establish their own set of values. They raise the important question “who will help to guide this lost generation?”

Adrift 600x600

the lost generation 8 130x180

the lost generation 7 130x180

the lost generation 5 130x180mm

the lost generation 6 130x180mm

at the precipice 300x300mm

what does it all mean? 750x950mm

My Future 900x800mm



The Raindance Series:

It often touches me when I see kids, living in some of the most desperate situations of poverty, war and social meltdown, yet they still have a carefree joyfulness about the way they play. One of the sayings I live by is:

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

In their case, the storm may never pass, and yet they make the best of it… many of us in much better situations could learn from these kids!

Raindance 800x600mm

Raindance 2 1100x900mm

The writing around the edge reads "In some lives the storm may never end, and the only way to survive is by dancing in the rain"

come join the dance 700x200mm

come join the dance 2 300x250mm

raindance 4 250x300mm

raindance 3 300x250mm

come join the dance 3 250x300

Contemplation:

I guess as a reaction to a hectic lifestyle, I am often drawn to images of people relaxing, taking time to just sit and think and enjoy the moment…

contemplation 4 600x400mm

contemplation 5 600x500mm

The Salute to Single Mothers Series:

In this series I put the spotlight on the courage of the huge number of single women who take on the demanding task of earning a living, and at the same time guiding their children through the increasing uncertainty of life. This is a difficult task, even for those in 1st world countries where life is reasonably stable. But to me in Africa, where war, famine, displacement and the need to leave families in remote areas in order to seek work in the big cities are such common conditions, these single mothers are even more amazing. I have enormous respect for these women, who hold their families together against all the odds.

lead me through 2 130x180mm

torn 400x300mm

Lead us through 2 130x180mm

missing you 400x300mm

decisions of motherhood 600x500mm

lead us through 400x500mm

lead me through 400x500mm

decisions of motherhood 2 600x500mm

....and then just for fun...

miss cat on the mat 400x800mm

New works on exhibition in Cape Town.

The VEO Gallery in Capetown is currently holding an exhibition called HOPE IN MOTION: EVERYDAY HEROES. “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

(Christopher Reeve: “Superman” – disabled in a riding accident)

I was delighted to have 10 works accepted for this exhibition.

From the “Salute to single mothers” series:

In this series I have tried to put the spotlight on the courage of the huge number of single women who take on the demanding task of earning a living, and at the same time guiding their children through the increasing uncertainty of life. This is a difficult task, even for those in 1^st world countries where life is reasonably stable. But to me in Africa, where war, famine, displacement and the need to leave families in remote areas in order to seek work in the big cities are such common conditions, these single mothers are even more amazing. I have hopefully managed to express the courage of these women, who hold their families together against the odds. torn

400x300mm

missing you

400x300mm

lead us to safety

250x350mm

Lead me to safety

250x300mm

From the AFRICA WEEPS FOR HER CHILDREN SERIES:

In the Africa Weeps series I look at some of the little waifs around me, whose parents are dying of aids, or who have no hope of finding jobs, and they break my heart as I wonder what the future holds for them. Can we make enough of a difference in this country that we can turn things around for these kids? The series has grown to examine issues relating to the plight of women and children in so many parts of Africa, the so called "lost generation", the spectre of joblessness, and the big divide between 1st world/3rd world, rich/poor in the continent. A recurring theme is the plight of refugees, and those whose next meal depends on someone dropping it out of the sky. The new works are a further exploration of the "Africa Weeping" idea, using running paint to depict the meltdown that is taking place in so many societies and economies on the continent. Many of the children are depicted as faceless, because to the rest of the world they are often seen as faceless hungry masses rather than unique individuals. I also hoped to show the spirit of the children, who, despite facing the bleakest of futures, manage to still be children, and despite the terrible conditions so many live under, they have a dignity and cheerfulness that is a real lesson to many in wealthy societies who seem to do nothing but be dissatisfied with their lot in life. To me these kids are everyday heroes.

children of the shadows 7

300x300mm

children of the shadows 6
300x300mm

children of the shadows 5

250x350mm

who will guide us?

400x400mm

who will guide us? 2

400x400mm

africa's children need shelter 3

250x300mm

the many faces of Basil.

This portrait reminds me of some of the fascinating books and movies dealing with multiple personality that I have seen over the years! A flick of colour here, a highlight or shadow there, and he undergoes a complete character change....

(To see the background, see the post before last....)

It still looks more like a long lost relative than Basil himself, but as a general painting of a guy relaxing it seems to work!

Meanwhile, whilst having all these facelifts on canvas, the real Basil is having a fab holiday in Thailand... hope you are enjoying it!

Musical Trees

800x600 mm mixed media

SOLD

A commision for a health spa, a bit of fun that helps guests to relax and enjoy the environment without laying heavy angst filled social messages on them! I sometimes like the opportunity to break away from the emotional input required when doing paintings such as the Africa Weeps series, and just celebrate beauty for its own sake.

In the same vein, I was asked to paint a very typical port Elizabeth scene, to be presented as a farewell gift to the CEO of a large company, who was going to live in America, and would like happy memories of PE. The client opted for a view of the Shark Rock Pier with the harbour behind it. I did 2, neither of which are the typical "tourist brochure" pics with bright blue skies and sea. One was on a misty moody day, and the other at sunset.

Stroll to the Pier

800x400mm
SOLD

Sunset Stroll to the Pier
800 x 400 mm

On art and friends............

It seems obvious that art culture varies considerably from place to place, just as art itself does. In many cities, it is the norm for artists to gather, debate, paint together, toss around ideas and generally take part in a wonderful "creative soup mix", out of which each is enriched and empowered to find their own unique expression. One just has to think of the camaraderie and fierce debates etc that took place between the impressionists, out of which was birthed a pivotal new direction in 20th Century art.

Many artists from overseas have commented on the lack of this in Port Elizabeth. In fact I have heard of leading artists who had intended to settle here, and left for that very reason. Obviously there are small pockets of exceptions, but as a general rule we seem to be a pretty individualistic and self contained bunch!

In time to come, I hope to turn that around by providing the venue and opportunities at our local community gallery for artists to hang out, work, explore etc together. Obviously it is going to be up to the individual artists to decide whether they want to change their lone-ranger approaches and get into the habit of meeting and interacting in this way.

However, I saw just how well it works at first hand this week, when my friend Esme Goosen, an artist whose work I admire enormously, invited me to paint with her in her studio, as she saw I was struggling to make time with all my other commitments, endless phone calls etc. and was battling to get motivated to paint. (thanks Esme, I owe you one!!)

photo by Basil Brady.

I am eternally grateful, it has been a great experience, and not just one sided. We had another friend, Debbie, joining in on some of the sessions, she has never painted before. It was not about formal lessons, just friends doing their thing at their own level, chatting about all sorts of stuff, swapping opinions and advice, bringing a fresh perspective to each other's work, and just the inspiration provided by being in a creatively charged environment.

photo by Basil Brady

No starving ascetics suffering for their art here, the process was accompanied by copious quantities of coffee, carrot cake and other delightful goodies, with the odd salad roll thrown in to create the illusion that we were taking things a bit seriously!

On Friday, Esme invited our friend Basil Brady along to model for us. Again, getting a sitter would probably be harder to arrange on an individual basis, but where a group of artists shares a model's time, it makes it more practical. In this case, Basil is a friend and art lover, who generously agreed to sit, and we had a delightful day tossing ideas and opinions around, while feverishly trying to capture his likeness, (or, in my case, not, more about that just now!)

I thought it might interest you to get a behind the scenes glimpse at the process of life painting from a model, and how differently it can be approached by different artists. Some of these photos are mine, and some were taken by Basil, who, apart from being a seasoned art connoisseur, also happens to be an accomplished photographer.

While all skills can be learned to some degree, and can definitely be honed by practice and good teaching, I really believe that certain people are 'naturals'. Capturing a likeness is a case in point, and Esme is a natural. In fact I was fascinated watching her paint my portrait some time ago, because at times throughout the process, the likeness comes and goes. (Often a subtle flick of the brush or shift in colour or tone is all that is needed to lose or recapture it.) She would call me back to sit, and I would see what had been done in my absence. Her visual memory is so good that often, the likeness captured during work done in my absence was stronger than when she had me in front of her!

here is a side by side view of Basil and her first portrait of the day...

I am one of the more pedestrian types who needs a visual reference to work from, and even then, I struggle to capture a good likeness. I will always keep challenging myself to work on this, but at the same time, I think one needs to make peace with one's limitations... rather than trying to produce a series of poor portraits that look nothing like the subject, I now make a conscious effort to think of each painting as a piece that is anonymous, but expresses a more universal mood or atmosphere.

As you can see, the head and hands are WAY too big, but the picture is taking on a sort of moodiness that will later result in another piece in a series I am busy with called "pensive people." However, i was getting frustrated with this one, and eventually the paint gets to the point where further work will get muddier and muddier, so after another coffee break, I started on number two....

and Basil sat with the other one for a quick photo, so I could have a comparative reference to continue working on it at home.

By the end of the day, Esme was well on her way with a wonderful and sensitive profile view...

photo by Basil Brady

And I had made some progress on a head and shoulders.

Since I got home, I have worked on it further to add more character. It is still not "Basil" but as an anonymous painting, it seems to have a contented expression and some visual interest.
(the one on the left was taken at the end of the day by Basil at Esme's studio, while I took the one on the right at home with different light, so they are not really as different as this... the truth is somewhere in the middle!)

This one needs a lot more work, as you can see all I have done for now is block out the extra large head and hands, from there, once the paint is dry, I will decide where to go with it... watch this space!

2 new works and the annual

I love a rainy day

1200x1000mm

One man's wealth ...3

900x800mm

another in the Africa weeps for her children series

Both of these were accepted on the adjudicated EPSAC 90th Annual Exhibition.