About Me
My Background
Born in the north west of England in a ‘cotton’ and ‘mining’ town - Leigh near Wigan. Studied Foundation Art at Wigan School of Art then studied BA (Hons) Fine Art (Painting) at Manchester University followed by MA studies in Fine Art (Painting) also at Manchester. Amongst the exhibitions I was involved in during this time in the late 70s and 80s was a one-man show at the Turnpike Gallery in Leigh, Greater Manchester; a prestigious, contemporary art gallery. I have exhibited widely across the UK including the Royal Academy
In the course of my early development as an artist I became a semi professional DJ at a time when Northern Soul music was the dominant form of music in the night clubs of the Greater Manchester area - notably Leigh and Wigan. This music informed my paintings and in recent years, in particular, has provided the titles for my paintings.
I left the Northwest in 1984 and joined the Art Department at Millfield School in Somerset – a prestigious private school. A curious decision to make, leaving behind Art lecturing and being a practising artist - for a teaching post.
My Medium
During my time as an artist I have worked in most mediums - oil paints, acrylic paints, inks, watercolour, collage, multi media but these days I prefer (mainly for practical reasons) to work in acrylic paints and mainly on canvas, although I do also work on paper.
My Inspiration
“A painting is an artificial work existing outside of nature and needs as much cunning as the perpetration of a crime” – Degas 1887. I have always been intrigued by this statement by Degas. His work, although figurative, has many abstract qualities, especially in terms of composition – some of his compositions are quite amazing even by 21st century comparisons. My work also attempts to create complex compositions and tries to harness together very disparate elements of art: (drawing) lyrical and gestural abstraction with geometry and structure; spontaneity yet control, order and chaos; colour and form. Eastern Art, particularly Japanese and Chinese Art have always fascinated me, Calligraphy and decorative qualities in Art have also been of great interest to me and have informed my work. The work essentially employs drawing and markmaking activities working together to provide a rhythmic ‘dynamic’ in the work in which colour is dominant. There are ‘accidental’ suggestions of figurative/organic forms which encourage a wider personal engagement with the work and its interpretation; but fundamentally the work is pure abstraction – non referential. Titles of my paintings may conjour up images in the viewers mind but they are for contemplation only rather than a narrative. These titles come from my passion for 1960s Northern Soul music, which has tremendous energy and sense of abandonment in a physical and romantic context, and which reflects my painting style. I was a DJ in Wigan in the 60s and 70s and my immersion in this music provides me with a meaningful reason to identify my work by the title of a particular piece of music and the memories it evokes. The world I invite you to enter begs thought and interpretation as you enter into a personal exploration and understanding of my work. The surface of the painting is kept simple to allow ‘drawing’/expression to be the quintessential feature; and it is in response to the music and energetic dance moves of Northern Soul Music that provide the element of action and dynamism in my work.
Exhibition Installation Photos
Bibliography
Exhibitions
1980 Sainsbury Visual Art Centre, University of East Anglia
1980 ICA Galleries, London
1981 Manchester City Art gallery,
1981 Undercroft Gallery Manchester
1981 Whitworth Art Gallery Manchester
1981 Graves Art gallery Sheffield,
1981 Preston City Art gallery,
1982 Sheffield Polytechnic Gallery
1983 Salford City Art Gallery
1983 Turnpike Gallery, Leigh, Greater Manchester (One Man Show)
2000 Mall Galleries, London
2007 Lewis Gallery, Rugby
2012,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,21,22 Atkinson Gallery, Somerset
2014 Sidcot Galleries, Somerset
2014 Silo Gallery, Brighton Arts Festival
2014 Somerset House, Embankment Galleries, London
2015 Pallant House Galleries, Chichester
2015 Minerva Gallery, Chichester
2017 Royal Academy, London
2018 Sewell Gallery Oxford
2018 Atkinson Gallery, Millfield
2018 Castle Gallery, Exeter
2019 Sidcot Galleries, Sidcot, Bristol
2019 [HERE] Gallery, Bristol
2019 Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2019 Prideaux Gallery, Farnham
2020 Roper Gallery, Bath Artists Studios, Bath
2020 Ace Art Gallery, Somerton, Somerset, Virtual Exhibition
2020 Absent Gallery, Somerset, Lockdown Virtual Exhibition
2021 Absent Gallery, Somerset, Open - Virtual Exhibition
2021 Ace Arts Gallery, Somerton, Somerset
2021 FLUX Exhibition, London, Virtual online
2021 King Street Art Gallery, Lancaster
2021 Deansgate Gallery - Manchester - Manchester VR2020
2021 Songdo Art Fair, Incheon, South Korea
2022 RCA Gallery, Conwy
2022 D31 Gallery, Doncaster
2022 Red Brick Building Gallery, Glastonbury
2022 Fronteer Gallery, Sheffield
2022 Norman Rea Gallery, York
2022 Heart of the Tribe Gallery, Glastonbury
One Man Shows
1983 28 May - 25 June - Turnpike gallery, Leigh, Greater Manchester
2018 7 September – 28 September - Sewell Gallery, Oxford
2018 5 November – 8 December - Atkinson Gallery, Millfield, Street, Somerset
2019 7 January – 25 February - Sidcot Gallery, Sidcot, Bristol, Somerset
2019 26 February - HERE Gallery, Bristol
2019 8 November – 28th - Prideaux Gallery, Lord Wandsworth College, Farnham
2020 6 February - 1 March - Roper Gallery - Bath Artists Studios
2020 28 March - 7 May - Ace Art Gallery - Somerton, Somerset (VIRTUAL)
2021 18 May - 19 June - Ace Art Gallery, Somerton, Somerset
Prizes, awards publications etc
- National Open Art 2014 Featured artist and selected prize-winner for their promotional artwork for the 2014 exhibition at Somerset House
- Reviews of exhibitions in Artscribe magazine and Abstract Critical on line
- International Sculpture Commission by Clarks Shoes International in 2006 to create a sculpture competition (and select a winner from the world’s leading sculptors) to produce a large scale sculpture to ‘front’ the entrance to their main factory in Street, Somerset
- Selector for Allura Malta National Art Exhibition 2018
- Review of One Man Show in Oxford Times - September 2018
- Reviews of One Man Show in The Mancunion magazine - September 2018
- Featured Artist in Somerset Life magazine November 2018
- Review of One Man Show in Galleries Magazine November 2018
- Review of One Man Show in Evolver Magazine by Fiona Robinson November 2018
- Featured Artist in Bath Life magazine - February 2020
- Featured in NNC International Art magazine - November 2021
- Deansgate Gallery VR2020 Magazine
- Featured artists in NNC V International Art Magazine - January 2022
Curatorial Involvement
Curated over 100 EXHIBITIONS
Curation of ONE PERSON SHOWS: - 35
John ATKIN’95; Dianne BARKER’03; Oliver BARRATT’98; Basil BEATTIE’04; Adam BIRTWHISTLE’10; Day BOWMANN’03; Malcolm BOWMAN; Anthony CARO ’01; Lynn CHADWICK’93; Doug COCKER ’07; Barrie COOK’97; Graham CROWLEY’94; Terry DOWSE’07; Elisabeth FRINK; Anthony GREEN’98; Simon HITCHINS; Paul GILDEA’99; Anthony GORMLEY’92; Clyde HOPKINS’96; Bert IRVIN’96; Patrick JONES’02; Sarah MCCONKEY’99; Don MCCULLIN’05; John MONKS’00; Shaun MORRIS; Mauro PERUCHETTI’05; John PLUMB; Michael PORTER’94; Marc QUINN’04; Brian RICE’03; Peter RANDAL PAGE’98; Sophie RYDER’08; Andy WARHOL’03; Glynn WILLIAMS’97; Tom WOOD’99;
Curation of MIXED EXHIBITIONS: - 24
Aboriginal Art’96; At Home with Lionell Philips’04; Best of British (Painting)’95; XXCentury Sculpture’98; Big Time’96; Camberwell Prints’01; Cross Currents’00; Developing Nicely’94; Elms Lesters - Natural Selection’09; Figuratively Speaking’08; First Steps’93; Glastonbury40’10; Jordanian Contemporary Art’95; Natural Selection’09; Raising the Spirits’96; Ready Steady Go’93; Responsibility of Forms’06; South West Textiles’94; Sublime’99; The London Group’95; Zimbabwe Stone Sculpture’94; Kung Art (South Africa)’95; Royal Photographic Society’09
Curation of INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS: - 5
Cross Currents (South African Art), Jordanian Contemporary Art, Zimbabwe Stone Sculpture, Kung Art (South African Art), Natural Selection (Worldwide)
SCULPTURE COMMISSIONS
1989 Tim Harrison (Wood) 1990 Peter Randall-Page (Stone)
1991 Miles Davis (Steel) 1992 Kevin Jordan (Steel)
1993 Fabian Madamombe (Stone) 1994 Maria Marshall (Fibre Glass)
1995 Neville Gabie (Cast Iron) 1996 David Parker (Steel)
1997 Charles Hadcock (Cast Iron) 1998 Chris Booth (Stone)
1999 Seyed Edalatpour (Stone) 2000 Jane Gledhill (Jesmonite)
2001 William Pye (Stainless Steel) 2002 Edward Goolden (Steel)
2003 Marcus Vergette (Aluminium) 2004 Ian Newbury (Marble)
2005 Julian Wild (Steel) 2006 Richard Jack (Steel)
2007 Joanne Berry (Aluminium) 2008 Sarah Moore & Jan Roe
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