Urban Curations

There’s a new website called Urban Curations that showcases work by some rather splendid street/urban and fine artists, photographers and Installation artists. So I feel very privileged to have a couple of my works featured on the site. All works are for sale and Infinity Bunce (founder of the site and a practising artist herself), who has been curating shows in London for some years, will be featuring many of the site’s selected artists for forthcoming events.

The first piece that I have featured on the site is a painting called Kitchen Blue. It is based upon a photograph that I took of a friend, Julia Lister (then known as Joolz Long), standing in my kitchen. The original photo was taken back in our student days in Northampton and as you can see, Julia wasn’t that keen on having her picture taken. A lot of people seem to like this painting and I’m not sure if it’s the ambiguity over the figure’s gender (what with the face being covered, the hair cropped short) or the contrast between the flat graphic nature of the background and the meatiness of the figure's flesh tones. And I assure you all that any confusion over Joolz’s gender if definitely down to my painting style and not her looking like a bloke (which by the way, she definitely doesn’t do).

The second of my paintings featured on the site is this one, The Ambassadors, based upon a photograph that appeared in the British tabloid press a few years ago. It shows a fight between some English and Turkish 'football fans'.
Like the background section in Kitchen Blue, the paint in The Ambassadors is a thick household gloss oil paint that has been applied with a very tiny brush. The paint had to be applied very quickly, before the paint had time to dry (so as to give a smooth finish and not leave any brush marks). With both paintings and others in the series, the white lines that make up the line drawings in the work are actually formed by the exposed and primed surface below. A lot of people asked me if I had somehow masked off these sections before starting the painting process and are surprised when I tell them that I don’t – that I simply paint either side of the lines. This might be a far more labour-intensive way of working but I do like the crisper line that this method produces. With this technique your eye also notices the very slight fluctuation of depth between the paint and the white line when you see the works in person.
The annoying thing about working on The Ambassadors was that about a week into the painting a wrinkled skin started to form on the surface of the paint as it dried so I had to scrap it off, re-prime the board, re-draw the image and start again. I don’t know if it was because of the hot weather or the mix of the paint but this happened four more times before I eventually got it right. It was a some what infuriating experience, during which, toys may have been thrown out of the pram.

Art of England (issue 63)

If you can manage to get hold of a recent issue (well, I say ‘recent’ - it probably came out a couple of months ago) of Art of England magazine you might be able to find an article that features one of my paintings, Kitchen blue. The article starts on page 66 of issue 63 (the one with the new Damien Hurst painting, Skull with Astray and Lemon, on the cover) and celebrates 20 years of Candid Arts – the Islington arts centre set up and run by Duncan Barlow, to promote the work of recent art and design graduates. However, Candid Arts is much more than just that. As well as being an artists’ studio complex it has its own gallery spaces (set over 2 floors) a projection room, a courtyard garden and probably the best chill-out café in London.
Anyway – back to me (‘Yay’ I hear you cry). As well as having one of my pieces featured in the article I get a mention as one of Candid’s exhibiting artists, along with a short biog.
And if you can’t find the article it’s still well worth visiting Candid Arts, if not only for its bohemian style café. Here’s the address – Candid Arts, 3 Torrens Street, Islington, London EC1V 1NQ. Tel. +44 (0) 207 8374 237. www.candidarts.com.

Last Night's Opening Shows

Here are a couple of photos from both of last night's private views ('Botanists of the Asphalt' and 'Tate the Biscuit')- taken by the extraordinary Yoshizen with one of his Heath Robinson-style cameras. To see more of Yoshizen's photos and words of wisdom check out his blog - yoshizen.wordpress.com.

Both shows seemed to go very well and the turn out was fantastic. It was great to see so many familiar faces again. Because I was nipping between the two exhibitions I didn't manage to properly see all the work on show at the Tate the Biscuit exhibition (and there is a lot of it - one of my favourites has to be the print of Big Foot, carrying two Tesco shopping bags) down in the basement of Shoreditch Town Hall so I'll be popping along again on Saturday morning. It's a great show, in an amazingly atmospheric venue, with loads of fantastic (and reasonably priced) art - so I'd strongly advise going along before it closes on Sunday.

Two Shows Opening Thursday

This evening's been a bit hectic, setting things up for both of tomorrow's opening nights but at least everything now seems to be in place. I've hung the two paintings (see photos) for the Tate The Biscuit show down in the basement of Shoreditch Town Hall and I've delivered my City sculpture to The City Arts & Music Project, ready for Botanists of the Asphalt.
It's a shame (or maybe fortunate) that I don't drink vodka as I've just found out that Absolute Vodka are sponsoring the Botanists exhibition.
So if anyone would like to come to either or both events you will be most welcome. However, if you are planning to come to the Botanists of the Asphalt, just remember to RSVP to stephanie@thecamplondon.com first.
Hope to see you there.

Summer Show - Final Tuesday Late View

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it to last night’s late opening at Candid Gallery’s Summer Show as I was busy setting up my work for the next exhibition that I will be involved with – namely, The Brain Unravelled (opening party, Monday 7th Sept – so get your name on the guest list) at The Slade Research Centre, Woburn Square, London.
However, I will be going along to Candid Gallery’s final Tuesday late view for the show on the 8th September. So if you would like to join me there for a drink and come and see what I’ve put in the show, the address is 3-5 Torrens Street (behind Angel Tube Station), Islington, London.
Hopefully see you there.

Candid Gallery – Summer Show

I know this is a bit of a last minute thing but I thought that I had better mention this year’s Candid Gallery Summer Show – especially since it will be featuring 10 of my paintings and 1 of my prints. In fact it looks like my work might be taking over a whole gallery wall. How greedy is that? About half of my paintings in the exhibition have been seen before and half will be exhibition virgins (so please be gentle with them).
For anyone who is unfamiliar with Candid Gallery and for that matter, Candid Café (which has to be one of the best secret chill-out spots in London), they are located at 3-5 Torrens Street, behind Angel Tube Station in Islington, London EC1V 1NQ.The Summer Show runs from 24th August to 13th September and there will be three Tuesday 6-10 pm late views, starting with this Tuesday’s Opening Night (25th August).
So, I hope to see a few familiar faces their and don’t worry – they do have a bar.
For further information check out www.candidarts.com or ring them directly on 020 7837 4237.

Ambassadors @ The Jago

Ambassadors @ The Jago (2), originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.

This is an interior shot of The Jago, the new gallery/bar located half way down Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, London.

At the moment I am showing three of my paintings here, The Ambassadors (as seen at the far end of the bar), Kitchen Blue and Spidey Segments. A few of my signed and editioned Spidey Pods prints (taken from my Spidey Segments painting) are also available from The Jago.

On a slightly different note - the Strychnin Gallery show which featured two of my sculptures, The City and Pelvis, has just come down. However, Pelvis can still be viewed throughout the new exhibition, downstairs in the gallery's permenant collection. The new show is called 'Ugly American' and I'm looking forward to meeting the artist, Chet Zar, at tomorrow's opening (Friday, 13th June, 7pm). If anyone else fancies checking out what looks like being an amazing show then the address for Strychnin is 65 Hanbury Street, off Brick Lane, London E1 5JP.

See ya there.

'Kitchen Blue', Wayne Chisnall

Kitchen Blue, originally uploaded by Wayne Chisnall.