The Blue years Exhibition

Thanks to everyone who came along, it was lovely to see you. I hope you enjoyed the show.
Here are some photos so you can get a taste of the exhibition. 

 

I gave a little talk explaining the process. How, as Blue and I worked together over the four years it allowed me to look further than the likeness. 

I made large gestural paintings to explore expression, texture,  intention, emotion. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some series were about the space and composition,

 

                          and some about the paint marks, the drips.

 

 

with some I went with the flow, what happens against black backgrounds, aginst ochre, blue... and some were purely decorative, to give pleasure and please the eye.

 

  

I am so pleased to have looked at this work again. I intend to revisit the things I found with these figure studies in my interior paintings, to play with the surface of the painting, to pull more energy and expression from the surface, to intensify  the contrasts of dark and light. to merge the figurs with the backgrounds... stir things up again. mmmm.

A conversation with Blue King and Annabel Mednick

Exhibition of Paintings 'The Blue Years'

 I have always worked from the model as part of my practice. I use the tiny observations to build the drawing or painting; I look at the subtle changes of light bouncing off the skin, the delicacy of tone. I enjoy the rapid marks that capture the immediacy and dynamic form of gestural poses.

  For over four years I worked every week with one model, Blue. Sometimes we worked on the same pose for week after week which allowed me to work more deeply than just getting a likeness. In one series I explored the emotion, in another the composition, the humanity. Blue understands what I am trying to evoke in my painting, it has become a two- way exploration with paint and shape. This symbiosis continues in our life drawing classes with, we work as a team.

On Saturday evening, 21st November 6.00 -9.00pm I am having an exhibition of the paintings in my Studio, 'The Blue Years' to which you are very welcome.

Intensive Gecko workshop

Last week I went on an Intensive weeks workshop with Gecko, http://geckotheatre.com/ (a physical theatre company,) to find out how they devise their pieces. and when I say intensive that's exactly what they were.
from 9.30 in the morning finishing at 5, for a whole week.... we couldn't get enough of it.
Here is a taster of their stuff.http://geckotheatre.com/missing/
People had come from far away, London, France, Germany Scotland, Italy...  I was the only one fortunate to live locally...
It was soooo fantastic. I found I was fit enough and didn't collapse in a heap after the first day, thanks to yoga.
and I wasn't the only older person...phew!

Amit Lahav is the founder of Gecko and he facilitated the workshops. He was so generous with his ideas and skill. He lead us gently through the week, building with exercises and techniques both physical and  emotional so we learn to recognise and tap into our basic human instincts and breath that is the starting point  for Geckos work. I found strong echos in the way I build my own work, my paintings. How I literally breath the brush strokes and mark making, so the seemingly banal everyday subject matter has , (I hope ) a truth and energy that is the stuff of life. 

Exhibition at Byard Art

I've been very busy over the last few months preparing 8 new paintings.

If you are in and around Cambridge please pop into Byard Art to see them. the link to the gallery is below or
exhibition opens on 15th October and continues for a month.

                                           'Bistro Lunch', 90cm x 90 cm oil on canvas

                                           'Country Pub' 90cm x 90cm oil on canvas,

                                          'Dreaming of Spring' 100cm x100cm oil on canvas

                                          'The Italian Coffeemaker' 100cmx100cm oil on canvas

                                       Quick cut then off to Hip Hop' 100cm x 100cm oil on canvas,

                                           'Dreaming of Spring' 100cm x100cm oil on canvas

                                          'Cooking the Paella' 100cm x 100cm oil on canvas,

                                           'Working on the Essay' 100cm x 100cm oil on canvas

A Descent into Glamour

Looking forward to Giovanna Maria Cassetta opening Firstsite Colchester  
tonight performing her 'A Descent into Glamour'





Photo Kerry Brown

Follow the link below to hear her talking about it at the Spill Festival in Ipswich.
http://spillfestival.com/show/a-descent-into-glamour/

Under the Skin project.

Today I started working with a young man on the project.
He approached me on New Years day interested in working with an artist.
He has cerebral palsy and he tends to move a lot.
Here is a link to his blog, take a look you will find it interesting.
http://disabledtransman.tumblr.com/

I thought my Under the Skin project could be an interesting way to work together.
We got together and chatted about how to move forward and this afternoon he came and sat for me- the first of a series of sittings where we will explore with paint.

I showed him some work I had done a few years ago exploring the figure and movement.

                                                     I showed him Aubach and Bacon

 As I work we can chat...  

What does he want from this. 

He wants to show other people like him, that disability is not a barrier to explore life.

For me, I want to continue to look at identity, who we are on the inside and how difficult that is to capture as painting is about surface and what we see.... the qualities inside.

How do you capture someone’s sense of humour for example, or their kindness, or determination....?

What unites us…

Too often we see gender, age, physical appearance on which we make our judgements.

Artworks P.V. tomorow evening!

Exhibition Saturday 5th - Sunday 27th September 2015
10.00 am - 5.00pm daily.
at Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 9HZ

I'm putting in these three paintings,

                                    Writing the diary, oil on canvas, 100cm x 100cm

                                     Balcony View, oil on canvas 120cm x 70cm

                                  Orange Sarong, oil on canvas, 90cm x 90 cm

Gestural Drawings by Annabel Mednick of Andi Hopgood at the Pump and Grind in Ipswich, on August 2nd 2015

I
Sorry, its not the best video ever... but you get the idea... 
The gestural drawings are on a long piece of wall paper like a scroll. As it unrolls the event unfolds, documenting Andi Hopgood as she has her head shaved to
raise money to support two charities – SANE which works to improve the quality
of life for people affected by mental illness, and SOBS which exists to meet the
needs and break the isolation of those bereaved by the suicide of a close relative
or friend.

Artworks Exhibition

I'm going to be exhibiting with Artworks this year at Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham, near Bury st Edmunds, Suffolk. 5th - 27th September 2015. 10am - 5pm daily. if your around this way, do pop in...

Drawing Andi's charity headshave

This Sunday (2nd August) Jazz singer Andi Hopgood is performing a lunchtime charity gig in Ipswich followed by shaving off her luscious locks. I am going to document the occasion with my trusty pencil..... I have plans to create a scroll so that afterwards the event can unfold before your eyes. Please come along if you are in Ipswich it would be great to see you there!

new paintings

Here are the new paintings...

 

                                 Mountain lagoon swim, 90cm x 90 cm oil on canvas

                                Mountain lagoon dive, 90cm x 90 cm oil on canvas

Just finished the paintings for Byard Art in Cambridge for the Summer show.

They are big versions of the studies I sold at Arlingtons before Christmas. I have enjoyed painting all those jars and plates, and of course the lovely light.

                                   Washing the Muslin, 100cm x 100cm, oil on canvas

                                   Kitchen with Yellow, 100cm x 100cm, oil on canvas

Exhibition at Arlingtons Brasserie

Here are the drawings I am exhibiting;

 

                                  Figure with arm over the chair, charcoal on paper, £150

                                  Figure with cheek resting on hand, charcoal on paper, £150

                                   Figure with crossed legs, charcoal on paper, £175

                                          The striped top, charcoal on paper, £150

Under the skin demo at Warwick uni

http://philosophybirmingham.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/changing-understandings-of-body-image.html#more

April Wednesday Night Life Drawing

Hi everyone,

Wednesday Life Drawing is still on over Easter, remember you can drop in if you can't make the whole for weeks.... please tell your friends.

Here are the paintings that will be at Byard Art

  Here are the paintings that will be at Byard Art in Cambridge for their Figurative Exhibition

 - Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes- Opens 26 February 2015.

They will also be showing some of them at the AAF - Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, March 12th- 15th. Byard Art will be on stand H14.

 

Afternoon Nap oil on canvas, 100cm x100cm

Orange Sarong oil on canvas, 90cm x90cm

                                            Breakfast Conversation oil on canvas, 100cm x100cm

                                           Blue Sarong and Sunlight oil on canvas, 100cm x100cm

 

Birthday lunch oil on canvas, 100cm x100cm

 

Arranging the Oranges oil on canvas, 100cm x100cm

                                            Dreaming of Spring oil on canvas, 100cm x100cm

  

  

Tryst  oil on canvas, 90cm x 90cm

Light Stream oil on canvas, 90cm x 90cm

 

  

Serenade oil on canvas, 90cm x 90cm