SAT 15th OCTOBER at 11am

An exhibition of art, illustrations and cartoons to make you smile a bit

MYCHAEL BARRATT, HELEN BATTEY, LINDA COMBI, SAM GARTON,  IAN JACKSON, SOPHIE KEEN, RORY MOTION, WILL VINCENT, NATALIE WARD, NEIL WARD

for the benefit of St. Leonard's Hospice

(half of the gallery normal commission will be donated to St. Leonard's)

with

a raffle of artworks donated by the artists from which all proceeds will go to the charity

 

from 15 Oct until 7 Nov 2011

Please use the TAB key to  scroll these photos

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Will Vincent

photographs AND GREETINGS CARDS

 

 

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Hob - 'Underdressed'

Painted wooden box, £95

by Ian Jackson

 

IAN JACKSON

Ian Jackson is a professional cartoonist and was a regular contributor to 'Punch' magazine before it closed in 2002.  This series of painted works is based on illustrations of rhymes that feature the Yorkshire goblin known as a Hob. The rhymes themselves have come to Ian by chance as he searched the Yorkshire Moors for evidence of the  mythical faerie. He says they were under a stone; preserved and guarded by an elderly pair of agitated yet relentless woodlice (since retired). Of Hobs themselves, Wikipedia tells us that:

'A Hob is a small type of small mythological household spirit found in the north and midlands of England, according to to traditional folklore of those regions. They could live inside the house or outdoors. They are said to work in farmyards and could thus be helpful, but if offended, they could become nuisances. The usual way to dispose of a hob was to give them a set of new clothing, the receiving of which would make the creature leave for ever. It could however be impossible to get rid of the worst hobs. '

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Above, 'Vauxhall Corsa' found objects, lichen, reclaimed floor board and modelling clay, £290

'Hob looked at the hubcap

He thought it was a flying saucer

But as it was by the roadside,

It was probably from a Vauxhall Corsa'        traditional Hob verse circa 2011

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click image above  for  further explanation of Hobs

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GOLDEN VALLEY

PAINTED WOODEN BOX

£95-00

 

RAFFLE

 

the following prizes have been donated by artists for our St. Leonard's Raffle. The prize winners were drawn on Nov 14th and £354 has been handed over to St. Leonard's Hospice

The winners were

Karen Thomas' Picasso Stone silver necklace was won by R. Bingeman

Linda Combi's Lion painting was won by G. Quernna

Mychael Barratt's 'By the Seaside' Etching was won by D. Robinson

Trevor Price's Mother and Child drypoint wasd won by  R. Evernden

Neil Ward's set of 'Flat Life' coasters were won by Perry

Nell's two prizes of prints were won by R. Evernden and E. Brackley

Will Vincent's set of greetings cards were won by L. Charlesworth

Patrick Smiths giclee print was won by J. Sinclair

Ian Jackson's 'Talking Dog' cartoon was won by Andy MacGregor

Ian Jackson's 'Tony the Tiger' cartoon was won by J. Sinclair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LINDA COMBI

“Dancers”

Mixed Media Constructions

'I love watching people dance.  From Gene Kelly singing in the rain to a grandfather doing the twist at a family wedding party – dance offers everyone the opportunity to frolic like 5 year olds.  My favourite dance memory is from a Spanish open-air disco, where a very old, very grand lady entertained us with dramatic Flamenco arm movements from her wheelchair.

Dance offers us the visual display of athleticism, grace, and eroticism. Whether a flirtations Bollywood Wedding Dance, or a raunchy Samba, dancing expresses our joy in being alive – and kicking!

These four pieces form part of the rhythm section of a wider series inspired by music.  I’ve used colour, line, and construction to convey the distinctive movements of each dance.  Thanks to the wonders of You Tube, I’ve enjoyed watching people strut their stuff in Rio, New York, Buenos Aires and Delhi.    I hope these dancers raise a smile. '

Linda Combi York, September 2011

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Tango Pair

Mixed media Collage

 

 

Linda Combi was born in San Francisco, California, but was drawn to Europe in a quest for Art and Romance.  Now a British National and cricket aficionado, she produces artwork for magazines, books, and for exhibitions.  Her fascination with cricket inspired a book of cartoons entitled “A Broad on the Boundary”, which was published (and remaindered) by the Fourth Estate in 1992. (See Amazon for used copies).  Monthly caricatures in the Cricketer Magazine required much ‘research’ at cricket grounds around the country from 1994 to 2004.

Her humorous  illustrations have appeared in The Observer Magazine, The Times, the Independent on Sunday, Tatler Magazine, and Sainsbury’s Magazine, as well as in illustration exhibitions.

She continues to exhibit work in a range of media, from graphic collages to 3D Assemblages.

 

NEIL WARD

Click to enlarge...is a creative response to living alone in a Flat.

The absence of interaction with others, led to exploring ways of relating to domestic space in a way that was emotionally uplifting. Without a creative response, looking at a washing up bowl 3, 4 or five times in a day – every day – becomes tedious!

'Flat Life' is a growing series of illustrations (currently 17) reflecting perspectives of a living environment that are ordinary, mundane and commonplace – but are perspectives of living viewed, by most people, often several times a day for the rest of their lives.

Although commonplace, they are paradoxically also glimpses of experiences that are, strangely enough, often very private i.e., pouring water from a kettle, glancing at a plate of food, seeing clothes lying across a bed.

I hope that by recognising, distilling and presenting them in this slightly 'quirky' way (the geometrical perspective is deliberately altered, the line is knowingly 'childlike' and the colors are intentionally simplified), this series will offer an interesting and amusing way of relating to these experiences.
 

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'Toast'

'Giclee print on paper, Limited Edition, by Neil Ward


 

Click Here

for an amusing video of Neil Ward explaining the concept behind 'Flat Life'.

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NATALIE WARD

Natalie Ward is an Illustration design graduate with a specialization in multi media abstract collage.

Her work is inspired by themes of an imaginary and surreal context.

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'Chimp'

Mixed media collage

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MYCHAEL BARRATT R.E. - artist printmaker

 

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Jackson Pollock's Dog, etching

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Damien Hirst's Dog, etching

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Tracy Emin's Dog, etching

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Rothko's Dog, etching

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Modigliani's Dog, etching

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Henri Rosseau's Cat, etching

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'Monopoly', etching

 

 

  
Mychael was born in Toronto, Canada but thinks of himself as a
Londoner since arriving for what was meant to be a two week stay
twenty years ago. He has that immigrant’s zeal for his adopted
home and includes local settings that have a personal resonance
in much of his work. He is a narrative artist and anecdotal incidents
from his day-to-day life which he gathers like a magpie are at the
heart of his paintings and prints.

Mychael was recently commissioned to write a book on intaglio
printmaking for the publishers A & C Black and decided to try out
all of the techniques that he wrote about. His print O for a muse of fire
based on the work of William Shakespeare is the culmination of those
experiments as he has created a 26 plate etching which includes
every intaglio technique from drypoint and engraving to
mezzotint and aquatint.

 

Education:

 		    
1980-82
1982-84
1989-90
 		 Symposium School of Art,Winnipeg, Canada
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Canada
Central St. Martin's School of Art, London UK		  
Associations:    
Elected Member of The Royal Society of Painter/Printmakers, 1999
Made a Fellow of The Royal Society of Painter/Printmakers, (R.E.), 2002

Selected Exhibitions:

 		    
1993 Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester Two person show
1994 Montpelier Gallery, Cheltenham Solo show
1994 Dales Gallery, Victoria, BC, Canada Solo show
1994 Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge Solo show
1995 Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester Two person show
1996 Chalk Farm Gallery, London Solo show
1999-2007 National Print Exhibitions, Mall Gallery, London Group shows
2001 The Green Line, Gallery K, London; Nicosia, Invited group shows
  Cyprus; Athens, Greece  
2001 Gallery K, Hampstead, London Solo show
2002 Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds, UK Solo show
2002 Gallery K, Nicosia, Cyprus Solo show
2003 Wiseman Gallery, Oxford, UK Two person show
2004 Under the Influence, Bankside Gallery, London Four person show
  and subsequent 6 gallery tour  
2005 Brook Gallery, Budleigh Salterton, UK Solo show
2005 Gallery K, London, UK Solo show
2006 Gallery K, Nicosia, Cyprus Solo show
2006 Grapevine Gallery, Norwich, UK Solo show
2007 Iona House Gallery, Woodstock, UK Solo show
2007 Biscuit Factory, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK Solo show
2008 Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury, UK Solo show
2008 Gallery K, London Solo show
2008 New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, UK Solo show
2008 Biscuit Factory, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK Solo show
2009 Yard Gallery, Holywood, Belfast, N. Ireland Solo show
2009 Cambridge Contemporary Art, Cambridge, UK Solo show
     

Bibliography
 		    
 
Images: The Annual of the Association of Illustrators, 1988
Encyclopedia of Printmaking Techniques, Judy Martin, Headline Publications, 1993
Art Business Today Magazine, Feature, September 2000
Western Standard Magazine, Feature, August, 2004
Artists & Illustrators Magazine, Feature, April 2006
Intaglio: A guide to traditional printmaking techniques, by Mychael Barratt published
by A & C Black in April 2008
 
Awards
 
2006 - Peter Blake Award, Originals ’06, The National Print Exhibition
2006 - Ashmolean Museum Prize, work added to collection
 

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RORY MOTION

artist, poet, comic

  
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'Wicked' pastel painting

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'Clifford Saucers' giclee print

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Rory Motion original pastels on display in Pyramid Gallery 2009

 

 

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'Laptop'

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'Otter and Teddy Toast Consultancy

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''Washing Machine'

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'Recycling'

 

Born in Huddersfield, in 1956, the son of a simple Yorkshire sales executive, Rory now resides in York, having lived variously in South-West France, Mid-Wales and Devon. He has at various times been a Spirograph and Stickleman stock-controller for Denys Fisher Toys, a painter and decorator, forester, oil-rigger, English teacher, balloon modeller, stand-up comic, singer-songwriter, radio broadcaster and poet, and sometimes performs with his backing band, The Travelling Libraries.

 

Angelically tutored, Rory has painted continuously since childhood, and therefore still sees the whole process as play, or ‘re-creation’ in its truest sense.  He first exhibited in 1979 at the spring exhibition at the Ferens Gallery in Hull. Since then he has shown paintings in South West France, Mid-Wales, Devon and Yorkshire and had his first solo exhibition in 2004, at the Lucius gallery in York. In November 2007, Rory combined his appearance at the Aldeburgh poetry festival with a successful exhibition at the Peter Pears gallery.

 

Rory works mainly in oil pastels, producing interiors, landscapes and text-pieces. He says he owes everything to his Mum, and forty quid to his Dad.

 

 

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Sam Garton 

Personal portfolio website: www.iamotter.co.uk 

Job description / art specialism: Childrens books/otter illustration 

Location (Country):London 

Software used:Photoshop/flash/dreamweaver 

40 words about you: I’m sam, I’m 28 and have an office job by day but also work as a freelance illustrator. I graduated from Derby University with a degree in illustration in 2005. I’m obsessed with otters and I enjoy putting sweets in the freezer so they last longer (especially jelly tots)  

 

About your project- 

Name: I am otter 

Web address: www.iamotter.co.uk 

60 words about your project: “I am Otter” is a website dedicated to a modern day domestic otter who lives with her Otter Keeper in the London suburbs. Nobody (not even me) can quite remember the day I became obsessed with an otter and decided to dedicate a rather unhealthy amount of time to her. I have a theory it happened when walking to work one day but you can’t be too sure about these things. 

Tell us about your artwork… 

When did you set up I Am Otter? 

I bought the domain www.iamotter.co.uk about two years ago now. I also bought a domain for my portfolio site. The clever plan was to build my portfolio site and, once finished, have a little mess around with a site for my new otter character.  2 years later I still haven’t got round to building my portfolio. Otter’s site however, now has interactive flash houses/games and regularly updated stories. Don’t do what I did kids – build your portfolio site first, they are important! 

 

What was the inspiration behind the project?  

I wish I knew. I’ve always liked otters (seriously have you seen them? their little furry faces are amazing!) I think my love for them just reached critical mass and something had to happen. Much of the initial development of ideas came from conversations with my all suffering girlfriend on the way to work. Nowadays whenever I go anywhere there is a special part of my brain that’s dedicated to wondering what Otter and Otter Keeper would be doing in this situation. It can be quite nice to live part of your life in the make believe world of an otter, although strangers do look at me in a concerned fashion when I walk down the road laughing to myself 

  

Tell us about Otter’s character and the storyline… 

The main thing about Otter is her perception of her little world. She has innocence about her akin to a child, yet has an eloquence, and sometimes cynical stance in her thinking, which is of a more adult nature. This personality is a breath of fresh air in the context of our modern day hectic society and time spent in Otter’s world is a release from all this stress. 

Otter has two main things in her life. Otter keeper – who looks after her, and Teddy – a lifeless old teddy that Otter creates the personality for on the fly (if Otter does something bad chances are it will have been teddy’s idea).  

What are your plans for the future?  

My plan for the next year is to make the first book. I’ve been putting off approaching publishers because I’m still having too much fun with otter on the net! I promise myself “just one more otter story on the website and then I’ll lock the doors and get down to the book” – then all plans are thwarted because I’ll leave the house and have an idea for a new story on the website that I just HAVE to get out of my system first. But there will soon be a book and in the words of otter “it will be the best book EVER!” 

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