All Things Considered

Stony Track
Posted by Angie Lewin

Here's one of the new prints that will be exhibited at my show with Rob Ryan in Cambridge which opens this week.

Stony Track is a screenprint inspired by time spent during my residency at Cortijada Los Gázquez in June.

The wild flowers in the Andalucian mountains were amazing. Beside a track lined with pines I spotted these purple-blue tassel hyacinths growing with phlomis in the stony earth.

The exhibition opens at 6.30pm on Friday 28th October at Cambridge Contemporary Art and runs until 20th November 2011.

Further copies of the edition will be available online from St. Jude's soon after.

Posted by Angie Lewin on October 25th, 2011

Edward Burra
Posted by Simon Lewin

A new exhibition opens at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, West Sussex tonight, presenting the first major show for over 25 years of the work of Edward Burra (1905 – 1976), one of the most individual and celebrated British artists of the twentieth century. 

The show will feature Burra’s iconic images of everyday people at leisure in bars and clubs, the black culture of 1930's Harlem, the sub-culture of harbours and ports, his macabre dancing skeletons and stunning late landscapes. The exhibition will also explore the influence of jazz music and cinema, and his forays into the darker sides of humanity.

Simon Martin, Head of Curatorial Services at Pallant House Gallery, and curator of the exhibition says: ‘Burra deserves to be considered as one of the greatest British artists of the twentieth century: utterly unique, and to be celebrated for his extraordinary individuality. It is a real coup for Pallant House Gallery not only to be introducing Burra’s work to a new generation of gallery visitors, but also to present recently rediscovered works to Burra’s many admirers.’

The exhibition runs from 22nd October 2011 until 19th February 2012 at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. For full details visit the gallery's website. 

Simon Martin has also edited this forthcoming book on Burra's work, published for the exhibition.

Simon will also be contributing to our forthcoming journal, Random Spectacular.

Posted by Simon Lewin on October 21st, 2011

A Sky Full of Kindness
Posted by Simon Lewin

We couldn't get back from the Highlands in time for the launch of Rob Ryan's new book in London tonight - instead we've been up here enjoying the copy Rob sent us.

Here are a few snaps of A Sky Full Of Kindness, available for purchase from Amazon.

Posted by Simon Lewin on October 6th, 2011

Xerox – A Celebration Of Fanzine Culture
Posted by Simon Lewin

Caught By The River are hosting an event at Rough Trade East on October 12th celebrating fanzine culture from the 70s up to the present day.

Robin Turner explains...

"Time and again, we’ve found ourselves saying that Caught By The River is like a fanzine. As longtime fanzine readers, writers and buyers, it makes total sense that there would be something lo-fi and DIY deep inside us; an ever present and excitable urgency to pass on newly learnt information to as many people as possible.

Earlier this year, we decided to join the dots between our site and some of the grassroots mags that had been inspirational to us by holding Tales From The Typographic Ocean, a symposium at Port Eliot Festival to discuss the roots of the UK’s underground press. Our very good friend Emma Warren (formerly of Jockey Slut) hosted a panel that featured Rough Trade’s Geoff Travis, Elektra record’s biographer Mick Houghton and ZigZag man Andy Childs. Tripping back to the late 60s, the talk moved onto punk rock and beyond, painting a kaleidoscopic picture of a time before today’s heavily sponsored, focus grouped music press.

Back in the Smoke, we thought it was something worth revisiting. On Weds October 12th, we’re staging a second fanzine panel. We’re calling it Xerox. This time it’ll go beyond punk, taking in C86 acid house and a whole bunch more. The line up on the night will feature Caught By The River contributors Andy Childs (ZigZag), Andrew Weatherall (Boy’s Own), Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne) and Geoff Travis (Rough Trade), all in conversation again with Emma Warren."

The event is free and runs from 6.30pm until 8.00pm on Wednesday 12th October 2011 at Rough Trade East, 'Dray Walk', Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL.

Posted by Simon Lewin on October 3rd, 2011

British Design Awards 2011
Posted by Simon Lewin

We took a call yesterday with the brilliant news that Emily Sutton's Curiosity Shop has won the 'Best British Pattern Design' category in The British Design Awards 2011 - in association with Elle Decoration and The Daily Telegraph.

We look forward to finding out who won in the other categories in the December issue of Elle Decoration (we'd initially though we might have to keep our news secret but have been told to spread the word!).

We'd like to thank everyone that took the time to vote - it is genuinely appreciated.

We'll have news soon of Emily's follow up fabric, a new design entitled 'Deep Sea' (sign up to our newsletter for details).

In the meantime, 'Curiosity Shop' is available both by the metre and as ready made cushion covers.

Posted by Simon Lewin on September 30th, 2011

Words on Water
Posted by Simon Lewin

A quick mention for our friends over at Caught By The River whose social club is presenting this night of 'Words on Water' featuring John Andrews, Luke Jennings, Charles Rangeley-Wilson and Chris Yates.

The event takes place on Tuesday October 4th between 7-11pm at The Stag, 67 Fleet Road, London NW3 2QU. You can purchase tickets online.

Posted by Simon Lewin on September 29th, 2011

Aguazero – a visual arts award
Posted by Simon Lewin

We're pleased to be involved in this new visual arts award from Cortijada Los Gázquez, the creative retreat where Angie was artist-in-residence earlier this year as part of their Joya: arte + ecología program.

Submissions in water-based medium on or with paper are invited in this competition which has an environmental agenda, referencing the contrary character of climate change.

The prize is a two week residency at Cortijada Los Gázquez, including travel costs within Europe, plus the sole use of a studio and 20 hectares of land for the duration.

The selectors are:

Ana García López (Vice Dean for Institutional Relations and Professor at the Drawing Department. Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Granada - Spain)

Rebecca Fortnum (Artist - Reader in Fine Art, University of the Arts - London,  UK)

Louise Short (Artist - Bristol, UK)

David Crawforth (Artist -  Director at Beaconsfield - London,  UK)

Molly Hogg (Collector - London, UK)

Melissa Marks (Artist - NYC, USA)

Angie Lewin (Artist - Norfolk and Scotland, UK)

Simon Lewin (Proprietor - St Jude’s - Norfolk and Scotland,  UK)

Gonzaga Gómez-Cortázar Romero (Communications co-ordinator for Joya: arte + ecología - Spain)

Simon and Donna Beckmann (Founders of Joya: arte + ecología - Spain)

The closing date for submission is 31st December 2011. For full details visit the Cortijada Los Gázquez blog.

Posted by Simon Lewin on September 23rd, 2011

Return To Essex
Posted by Simon Lewin

Return to Essex is a new exhibition of illustration, printmaking and watercolour by artist Chloe Cheese at The Fry Art Gallery, Saffron Walden. The artist was brought up in Essex and has returned to the county in recent months to create the pieces especially for this exhibition.

In her preparation Chloe explains “I did not want to draw a series of “views”, more a collection of work which reflects my memory of living in Essex.” In the work, full of vitality and colour she has focussed on the town of Saffron Walden where she grew up as well as venturing further afield to paint watercolours of Debden and Clacton, and a lithograph of a Great Bardfield cat.

The artist Mark Hearld says of Chloe’s work:

“In the fluent spontaneity characteristic of Chloe's work, watercolour washes or lithographic tone provide the perfect foil for her own beautiful line, at times precise or spindly, elegant or unfettered in its expression. Line brings terrific vitality to her image making (so that) the impression of energy and movement is present.

"If line brings vitality, colour brings richness of depth, place, season or a sense of the time of day… the urge to list colour combinations is tempting, but so much richer the impact of seeing them on paper.”

Chloe Cheese RCA MA was born in 1952. She studied at Cambridge Art School and then at the Royal College of Art. She has exhibited at galleries worldwide and has work in public collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Arts Council of Great Britain. Chloe has also worked as a freelance illustrator with clients including The Sunday Times, Terence Conran at Habitat and Comme des Garcons, Japan.

Chloe lived for some of her early years in Great Bardfield, Essex, where her family were close friends of Edward Bawden, a friendship which was maintained until Bawden's death in 1989. Chloe is represented in the Fry Art Gallery's North West Essex Collection alongside her parents, Bernard Cheese and Sheila Robinson.

The exhibition runs from 24th September until 30th October 2011 at The Fry Art Gallery, Castle Street, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 1BD. Open Tues, Fri, Sun (and Bank Holidays) 2-5pm; Saturdays 11am-5pm Tel: 01799 513779

Posted by Simon Lewin on September 20th, 2011

Ed Kluz’s Painswick
Posted by Simon Lewin

Launching at Ed Kluz's exhibition in Ripon tonight is Painswick -  his first fabric for St. Jude's.

Ed is fascinated by the objects of our cultural heritage. He seeks out the eccentric, the lost and the overlooked. Follies, curiosities, vanished buildings and folk lore inspire artworks which explore themes of renewal and reinvention.

His exhibition at Hornseys in Ripon, entitled Northern Arcadia, will define the beauty and harmony to be found amongst great northern houses and their correspondent gardens and will include views of follies and buildings around Studley Park, Castle Howard, Duncombe Park, Bramham Park and other great estates.

Two examples of the work being exhibited are shown here, beneath the images of Painswick.

Posted by Simon Lewin on September 16th, 2011

Curiosity Shop
Posted by Simon Lewin

We had some great news earlier this week.

Emily Sutton's Curiosity Shop has been selected as one of the six shortlisted designs in the Best British Pattern Design category in The British Design Awards 2011.

Update: Emily has won the category!

Posted by Simon Lewin on September 7th, 2011