Tag Archives: Artist of the Month

Artist of the Month: John Williams

John Williams

Edward Lucie-Smith (2014)

Oil on Canvas, 66 x 50 cm

Hyperrealist painter John Williams began his artistic career in America, graduating with a degree in graphic art and from 2008 continued his studies in London. Since 2010, his paintings have been repeatedly accepted in juried competitions and open exhibitions, winning a Grand Prize Award in 2012. As an artist that is well versed in open exhibitions to boost his career.

“When I started painting I didn’t think that it would be such an emotional journey. I guess it shouldn’t have been a surprise after all the time, thought and even expense that goes into a piece. Maybe that’s why it is always going to be exciting to see an entry short listed or selected to show.

I try and enjoy the suspense and excitement before hand but do have to tell myself not to get emotionally wrapped up in the process, selection or no selection. Exhibitions are obviously a great way to build your CV but I have found that the people you meet and connections you make along the way are equally as valuable. For me it’s all about getting out there.”

As such, it is no surprise that his portrait of art historian, critic and writer, Edward Lucie-Smith was selected this year from a record-breaking 2,000+ entries to be included in one of the most prestigious international portrait painting competitions, BP Portrait Award.

John is also celebrating another significant accomplishment this month, the publication of his first book, Detailed Life, a digital iArtBook available exclusively on iBooks. The digital publication includes interactive features that enable the viewer to view the progression of his work from sketch to finished painting, and videos where both artist and sitter give insight to their relationship to one another and to the process of portraiture itself. It is available to download from iBooks to your iPad or Mac here.

John’s portrait of art critic Edward Lucie-Smith is currently on show until the 21 September at the National Portrait Gallery, London. Admission to the exhibition is free. For more information about the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery click here.

Discover more of John’s stunning, hyper-real portraits and much more via his website: www.johnwilliamsartgallery.com

Artist of the Month: Ben Skea

Ben Skea

My work primarily focuses on my interest in unknown nature. I create mixed media works that explore spatiality and movement. I use the drawn line as an instrument for generating space and architecture. All my projects explore my interest in rational instinct and geometric constructions based on intersecting lines and patterns juxtaposed with photographs and video.

I have used computers for many years, so it feels very intuitive for me to create images directly into a computer screen with the use of a digital pen and tablet. Working this way, has allowed me to develop my own set of virtual brushes and mark-making tools that mimic and expand upon traditional printmaking techniques. I’m also a member of the Glasgow Print Studio, where I can print out digital images directly onto high quality fine art paper. Currently, I am creating a series of digital images that introduce hand-drawn pen and watercolour elements after printing.

‘Distillery’, the digital print shown at this year’s Cork Street Open, was part of a larger body of work called ‘Trace’ that includes a 9 minute video projection. I found the inclusive nature of the Cork Street Open, with its diverse selection of categories, ideally suited to contemporary artists working digitally who wanted to exhibit their work alongside painting and sculpture.

Discover more of Ben’s work here: www.benskea.com

Artist of the Month: Nicki Gwynn-Jones

Nicki Gwynn-Jones

I have entered the Cork Street Open Exhibition three times now and have been successful twice. I very quickly realised that the judges respond to a strong personal style and in my experience the public does too – it is obvious to the viewer when you speak with passion and from the heart. For me entering has been a positive experience, in part because of the professionalism of Kathryn and her team, but also because it has given me the chance to try my luck in the ‘big wide world’, away from the safety net of Open Studios. I’ve had to make sure that my story has been strong and my presentation immaculate – it focusses the mind wonderfully!

My photographic career began in 2007 and stemmed from my obsession with birds. Bewitching in their ‘otherness’, their powers of metaphor have always intrigued me. I have always felt that there was something elemental in their spirit and it was thanks to a couple of ‘happy accidents’ with the camera that I stumbled upon a way to convey this. I realised that by shooting into the light I could distil the subjects down to their purest form, forging an intimate connection with the birds and emphasising their essence. With this method a minimum of post-processing is required.

My impressionistic landscapes are an attempt to transform the scene in front of me into something evocative and poetic, more of a feeling than a seeing. Using slower shutter speeds, intentional camera movement and by allowing the camera to move with my breath I feel that I am able to connect with the landscape on a more powerful level. I use a neutral density filter and apply a contrast boost in post processing, but no other effects are used.

In May this year I was awarded a Fellowship in Visual Art by the Royal Photographic Society.

Discover more here: www.abirdseyeview.co.uk

Artist of the Month: Gaynor Perry

Gaynor Perry

I’m an artist working primarily in photography, painting & music. Entering into competitions and open exhibitions is an excellent way to bring your work to a wider audience and exhibit in galleries you may not ordinarily have access to. Being in a group exhibition can also be a very liberating experience as you are under no pressure to carry the whole thing off, as you might be in a solo show. So you can thoroughly enjoy yourself and meet new people. One thing to watch out for when entering photography competitions is that some simply want to have access and use of your images without having to pay. But there are awards & competitions who are sound and do not exploit artists; the Terry O’Neill Award and the AOP Awards, for example.

I would recommend entering competitions and open exhibitions, the cost of entering is well worth the experience.

To discover more of Gaynor’s work visit: www.gaynorgaynorperry.blogspot.co.uk

Artist of the Month:

Eva Kalpadaki

“What are our expectations from Photography? In my practice, I am not using the photographic medium to produce a record and a document of our world, which is what we usually expect to see in a photograph. I am not following the straight, rigid, parallel lines of conventional approaches to the medium. I am using it to question the nature of photography and to cause a tension in what we are looking at. I am playing between representation and abstraction. Working in a field of tension between photography and painting, between photography and drawing I am exploring the fluidity and endless possibilities of one line in whichever direction it takes me. I am producing photographs that become diachronic objects of aesthetic contemplation.

Cork Street Open Exhibition is the latest of all the open exhibitions I have entered so far. It has been a great experience for me to exhibit in such a prestigious gallery street in London. Open Exhibitions are an excellent opportunity to show my work and get it noticed by curators, art critics, art buyers, collectors and the general public. Either my work is complete or still in progress, open exhibitions can become the platform to test how it is received. Even if I am not selected for the final exhibition, having submitted my work is still useful for me because I know that it has been viewed by a panel of judges and art professionals who might consider it in a different context in the future.”

Discover more of Eva’s work visit: www.evakalpadaki.com

Artist of the Month: Nicky Callaby

Nicky Callaby

“I have been creative throughout my whole life, working in a variety of different and mixed media and tending towards literal representation. I started working with the theme self-injury during my MA (2008-2010) where my current practice became more about the importance of creating understanding and debate than producing commercial art. My work is predominantly textile based although, for the past three years, I have also been working with fused glass.

This is the first year that I have applied to open exhibitions because of the sizing and framing limitations. It was also difficult to decide which category to put my work in and several places that offer prizes only asked for specific media. I found that, just as with applying to any gallery, my subject matter was a bit unnerving for some, and this plus the ‘textile’ element of my work put me into a very select market. Finding the Cork Street Open was a blessing for me, I think, with their links to charities and interest in the diverse they have a more open mind when it comes to selecting work.”

Discover more of Nicky’s work here: www.nickycallaby.co.uk

Artist of the Month: Flora Watson

Flora Watson

“I have spent the last two years studying portraiture at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art. I had been warned on my foundation course that this was perhaps too narrow a subject; however, the more I have investigated the relationship between the human form and psyche the more portraiture has fascinated me. Our awareness of the emotions expressed by body language makes it possible to empathise with a complete stranger. I hope to access this built in understanding to make expressive paintings that anyone can connect with.

I have entered several open exhibitions this year. Some were successful, I was lucky enough to show at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition in May, but other were not. It is inevitably a highly subjective process. The same work which is rejected from one exhibition may well be included in another. I was thrilled to be awarded the Young Artist Prize at the Cork Street Open. It was a really exciting, diverse exhibition and a great privilege to show in such a prestigious location alongside so many talented artists. Thank you and I hope to be back next year!”

Discover more of Flora’s work here: www.florawatson.com

Artist of the Month: John Williams

John Williams

For me it’s all about getting out there.”

Visit John’s website: www.johnwilliamsartgallery.com

Discover more of John’s glorious painting through his digital publication available to download now on iBooks to your iPad or Mac. CLICK HERE to see the free sample. Collected together for the first time, ‘Detailed Life’ presents a selection of John’s visually rich and immensely detailed paintings. John sheds light on the thoughts and processes that go in to the creation of each of the works, through films, galleries of source images, and text. An interactive slider allows you explore the many stages it takes to build up a painting, and to see exactly how a blank canvas can come to life at the hands of this extraordinary artist.

Artist of the Month: Moritz Stragholz

Moritz Stragholz

Also being showcased at the Outside the White Cube exhibition in July is the work of Commercial sport photographer Moritz Stragholz. He developed his fashion and sport photography and combined it with urban landscape often with the use of additional lighting. Now his main focus is on fashion as well as sport action shots.

Artist of the Month: Oleg Tolstoy

Oleg Tolstoy

The first annual Outside The White Cube Exhibition will be showcasing Olympic Opinion, a selection of photographs by guest artist Oleg Tolstoy. Olympic Opinion focuses on the divide between the people of London created by the impending Summer sporting events.

Oleg Tolstoy also has a digital publication available to download in iBooks, documenting the diverse opinions about the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London. Click here for FREE SAMPLE or to buy.

Discover more of Oleg’s work here: www.olegtolstoy.com