Beaten by a Naked Woman

It is seldom a reason to celebrate when one's mother is strung up in public and beaten by a naked woman. However, in this instance I'll celebrate with a clear concience. My mom's portrait was hung in the open exhibition at "Ink Spot", Cardiff and I've just found out the painting won second prize in the people's vote! If I don't say so myself, the standard of entry was very high.

And the naked woman? Well, the first prize went to a very respectable painting of a nude.

Spot at Inkspot

October 2012 is a busy month indeed. My favorite art cavern, Inkspot (in a re-used church on Newport Road, Cardiff) is holding an art competition to coincide with the Made in Roath event. Entries will be diplayed in the first floor fine art materials shop, between 13th and 20th October. Entries are subject to a public vote, with the winner getting a prize.

I've entered my orange portrait, The Fig Tree, into the event. If you're passing by, do drop in and cast your vote. Preferably vote for mwah!!

At the Beech

Submitted, almost before the paint was dry, to the Made in Roath open art exhibition at The Gate Arts Centre, Cardiff (opens October 10th). This painting is more 'chocolate box-y' than I normally prefer, but I thought it would prove a good contrast to Closing Down Sale (also submitted).

The copper beech tree in the background is an amazing specimen which I've always loved, located in a picturesque South Oxfordshire village.

At the Beech
acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 x 3 cm

Closing Down Sale

Meanwhile, back in the provinces, my latest painting rolled off the production line last week. It is of another corner shop, Meeks, in Roath, Cardiff. Its rare original frontage may soon be no more, because the landlord is reclaiming the building for 'development'. The shop has been open for 100 years, another victim of 'progress'.

Closing Down Sale
acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 x 3 cm

Open Art House

Blechynden Studios, W10

My annual pilgrimage to the London Open House took place this weekend. These days I have a foot in both architecture and art... and I found myself visiting a purpose-built block of artists studios, an Arts Centre and an art gallery.

Blechynden Studios, on the edge of Notting Hill, claim to be the first purpose-built block of artists studios in London, completed in 1999. They looked the part, but the resident artists complained that the opaque glass walls let out too much heat, made worse by the fact the landlord ran out of money during construction and didn't install heating of any kind!

There was a wide mixture of locally produced art on display. My favorites were the colourful paintings of Gabrielle Seymour, of course. Much of the remainder did not appeal, though with my fascination for graveyards I was drawn to Clare Burnett's set of vibrant aluminium grave 'silhouettes', created for an installation at West Norwood Cemetery.

Next was the brand new "Yaa Centre" by Foster Wilson Architects, creatively hidden behind Victorian mews in Maida Hill. Beside the clever and rugged architecture, the visit was an unexpected introduction to the resident Caribbean steelpan orchestra. Downstairs yet another surprise was the Artist-in-Residence, a trained engineer and photographer, who created impressive carnival masks on intricate wire frames.

Lee Jiyen 'Wherever you will go'

My final stop, conveniently close to the coach station, was the famous Saatchi Gallery. The building combined a vast classical portico'd frontage with a modern, multi-level extension to the rear. An oily smell pervaded the ground floor, filtering up from Richard Wilson's intriguing "20:50", a ...erm ...whole basement gallery half filled with a confusing mirror lake of black sump oil!

Throughout many of the remaining galleries were works by a number of Korean painters, sculptors and installation artists. Top of my favorites were Lee Jiyen and her incredible people-infested photographic montages. Equally enthralling were the clever 3D painted images by Hong Sung Chul, painted on taught string.

After all that, I needed a good snooze in a darkened National Express bus!

Multicolour Sweet Shop

Cornershop
Acrylic paint on canvas
25 x 25 x 3.5cm


One of my favorite views in Cardiff, a small shop on a very acute corner in what used to be called Cardiff Docks. It's not the most salubrious area, somewhere architecture students will go to study 'urban grain', so a multicolour makeover was a reasonably difficult challenge.

The result seems to be quite successful, if I don't say so myself. The red car and the passers-by help to add a bit of scale. For the fans of clutter there is street furniture, posters, fire alarms and a satellite dish...

Buildings have faces and characters so I guess you can describe this as another portrait. In that case it's a fusion of my many black & white pen & ink street scenes and my technicolour painted heads!!

Burel Bath

A few days ago I came across Richard Burel, a self-taught mixed media artist, in Bath. Bath is one of the most attractive cities you can find, generally built from the warm yellow bath stone, which makes it a particularly attractive subject to paint.

Burel's paintings were gorgeously rich and detailed, every one of them a colourful graphic creation. They particularly appealed to my architect-trained sensibilities! In my view, the various numbers and lettering incorporated into the composition are well suited to a city-scape. After all, even a city as rarified as Bath is buzzing with shoppers, commerce and graphic information. I have to say, I admire an artist who portrays modern life 'warts and all', with vehicles, shopping bags and other debris.

One of my next projects will be a city-scape painting or, at least, a recognisable detail of my home city.

Burel's website can be found at http://www.richardburelart.com/