We’ve published photos on our Facebook pages.

Congratulations to Kristian Fletcher who followed up his recent drawing award with some sales in his first ever exhibition with View (one to watch for the future?)

All the work for this exhibition is commissioned by View and we’ve challenged 10 artists to express themselves, inspired by one or more of the amazing tales. We are delighted to discover that these most creative of artists have responded magnificently in their own unique way.

Here is a snapshot of the stories that captivated us:

• William Whatts had a recurring surreal dream when, during a walk in Hotwells, he was caught in a heavy shower. Instead of drops of water falling from the clouds, molten lead fell in a perfectly globular form. He put his dream to the test, which resulted in the building of the Sheldon Bush Shot Tower.

• At the end of the 18th century, at Dowry Square in Hotwells, Humphrey Davy (of lamp fame) introduced Nitrous Oxide to his infamous high society lavish ‘laughing gas’ parties.

• About 200 years ago, Jenkin Protheroe, a dwarf with long, powerful arms, a twisted body and a hideous face would lie down groaning on The Downs and when a kindly traveler went to help him he would catch him by the throat and rob him. His ghost continued to frighten people on The Downs for many years.

• In 1817 Mary Baker captivated Bristol society in the guise of the exotic Princess Caraboo of Javasu. She managed to convey that she had been kidnapped from her island home in the Indian Ocean and jumped ship in the Bristol Channel. She was eventually exposed as an impostor and ended up in Bedminster as a leech breeder.

• Irish giant, Patrick Cotter, was over 8 feet tall and could be seen in Clifton after dark lighting a pipe from the street lamps. Although harmless, his size frightened locals and so he remained nocturnal until his premature death in 1806.

• In May 1885, Sarah Henley climbed over the railings of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and threw herself off. Witnesses claimed that a billowing effect created by an updraft of air beneath her skirt slowed the pace of her fall, misdirecting her away from the water and instead safely toward the muddy banks of the river. Our own Mary Poppins then lived to the age of 85.

• Two hundred years ago, Dr Thomas Beddoes thought that he had found a cure for tuberculosis. From his clinics in Hope Square and Dowry Square he used to try to persuade landlords and landladies who were letting rooms to sick visitors to have cows in their bedrooms breathing on the sick patients. His experiments were unsurprisingly not a success.

• Long ago, two giants inhabited Bristol. Vincent was industrious and hard working whilst his brother was gluttonous and lazy. While building a wonderful channel for a river, Vincent hurled their shared pickaxe to his sleeping brother, which accidentally hit him in the head and split his skull, killing him. A remorseful Vincent worked hard to complete the channel, the Avon Gorge, in memory of his brother.

• Fredrick Bartram Hiles was just eight years old when he fell under a Bristol tram and lost both of his arms. He taught himself to paint using a brush in his mouth and earned a scholarship in Paris followed by regular exhibitions. In 1927 Hiles died a celebrated artist at the age of 55 at his home in Constitution Hill, Clifton.

• ‘The Battle with the Boys in Blue’ occurred last year during the riots in Stokes Croft. The incidents have become a vehicle for political debate as well as inspiring creativity in the production of 12 pieces of connected artwork.

I cant say I plan paintings. I kind of brew them in my head. I am always putting ingredients in there. Books, movies, news stories, research. I don’t know how they will find there way into paintings; I am just interested in learning.

Then there is a gestation period. Its just time really waiting until I feel like there is something solid enough to go at. Even when I have started there are periods of just waiting for things to fall into place. I make false starts when I try to rush. I try and not paint in a prescriptive style. It gets tempting to show off sometimes but its not about making a slick visual thing its about making something authentic.

Then I just try things out. I sometimes draw, sometimes play with images in photoshop and then I sit in the dark and try projecting images to see how they scale up.

Seeing them in this way helps me see what the opportunity to edit, select and transform really is. I cant always tell when images are small. The images even when I have played around with them only make a start. They never go where I expect.

Do you always use the same medium?

Not always but I have had a period of being a bit more disciplined about working through a consistent process. Oils on paper seems to work for me and my subject. They can have a translucence like watercolour at times, which I like and then can have solidity when required. I like the balance and the result are paintings that seem to fall between norms.

You currently have a painting called the Thaumaturgist in our veiled Voyages show. Tell us about the title and how the painting evolved?

Thaumaturgy is the ability of saints to perform miracles. In Islam the phrase “Tay al-Ard” or Folding the World describes the ability to teleport by folding two points of the world together and stepping through.

I discovered this idea when I was researching around the idea of a shaman or a magician to feature in another painting. I already had a painting of this character that seemed to fit and these ideas seemed to knit together

The painting actually evolved out of a desire to reference my enjoyment of wild swimming. I found an image of a wild swimmer stood in a fallen tree. I had all this stuff in my head and it found its way into the picture form that start.

What was the last exhibition you visited and did it make an impact on your work?

The last exhibition that I saw and had a major impact was Graham Sutherland at Oxford Modern curated by George Shaw. It was a show of works on paper made in Pembrokeshire most of which were not meant for exhibition. It felt like a real honour to see them.

There is a real rawness about them something that would have you believe that it was all instinct but he was such a master of his craft. I took away that you can make something really intense from simple observations. I think his influence will come through over the next couple of years. It will take time to find it’s way in.

Do you have expectations that you wish your viewers to experience when looking at you work?

No expectations, maybe hopes. I hope that they are drawn to spend some time. To really engage with it and be present in its company. I guess that’s what all artists want really. I hope that there is something that feels a little similar to reading.  Maybe something that happens which is more than just visual. That they’re left with an atmosphere.

Who are your main inspirations with in the art world?

I think I feel an affinity to a period of painting that was just pre abstraction. I think that there might be unfinished business there. And my influences continue to evolve. I am more and more excited by British painting of the first half of  the 20^th Century. Graham Sutherland being one. I am romantic about painting and painters. I would probably say that Bonnard is my most consistent inspiration. There is just so much there to discover. I am also becoming a bit obsessed with Casper David Friedrich at the moment. Such theatre and epic scale as apposed to Bonnard intricate pattern and detail

If you had the chance to paint a portrait of anybody alive or dead in a one to one sitting, who would it be and why would you choose them?

I don’t really have a desire to paint people in that sense. There are places I would love to paint. There would be many people I would dearly love to have painted alongside.

So I’m going to cheat a bit and say I would paint with Bonnard at his house in Le Cannet just after lunch. Maybe I would pop him in the picture!

What ambitions do you have for your future art carrier?

I look forward to continuing to mature as a painter. I don’t think that you can fake the affect that years of experience has on the work. I hope to move towards painting full time in the near future.

I am really excited by the prospect of exhibiting beyond the UK. 

What 7 songs would be on your desert island disc?

This is a tricky question. Music means such a lot to me in the studio and this list could be endless

My One and Only you – Chet Baker

Any of Chopin’s Nocturnes

Ko-Ko – Charlie Parker

Wicked Game – Chris Isaak

Nocturn – Kate Bush

I want a forest  - Editors

Maybeline – Chuck Berry

Thank You

Last month, we at View spent an exciting week exhibiting at the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park. As it was our first time here we were unsure of what to expect, although from the onset it was clear that this was an extremely well oiled operation.

We’ve published photos on our new look Facebook pages.

Congratulations to Hannah Lewis Davies who sold all of her beautiful paintings of childhood memories in the first few days.

The West Coast of Scotland is a place I have frequently visited and it’s a place that I think has influenced my seascapes the most. The untouched, rugged shores with the backdrop of quick changing and unpredictable weather, with its haunting skies, low sun, long shadows and wild clouds. The still air is devoid of sound apart from the waves hitting the beach. Winding rock pools and resting on the horizon are distant isles coming in and out of view, fighting their way through the mist and rain. The bleak is balanced with the wild.

Your aim is for people to recollect something when viewing your work, what kind of things?

I think it’s easier for people viewing my paintings to see in them a place they have once visited or experienced. This is helped by the works being abstracted and not actually fixed to any specific place or time. Hopefully in the way a random smell or a piece of music that you hear again after a few years of playing it can transport you to a place or time.

Emotion is a key part of your process, why do you believe landscapes/seascapes are the best subjects to capture/provoke emotion in viewers?

Evoking emotion from another through art is probably the ultimate goal. I hope that my Seascapes/Landscapes can stir some emotion and be enjoyed in the viewers own personal way.

What are the traditional techniques and more unconventional painting methods that you use to create your images?

I rely heavily on intuition and instinct when painting. I try not to over think my next move but on the whole my technique is fairly conventional.

If you had to pick one response to your work in particular as your favourite what would it be and why?

I try not to get too caught up in the responses of other people towards my work. It’s all too easy to then be influenced on what others think you should be doing. It’s important to me to capture, on canvas, what I need to see.

If you weren’t an artist what would you be?

I’d still be me.

As an artist how would you define success?

Should an artist see success differently from others? If I had to define it, then I’d say that where I am now professionally is successful. I now live in the Lake District, I have time to be with my family and friends and I have my health. I get to work on what interests me and excites me. Every day is discovering something new. Not sure I’d want more than this.

How do you know when your painting is finished?

It’s probably 100% finished once it’s been purchased and hanging on a wall.

Thank you

At the fair there will be 120 galleries exhibiting affordable contemporary art ranging from £40 to £4,000.  What initially drew us to this particular fair was their ethos and philosophy as it is very much in keeping with ours: their overall aim is to make art accessible to everyone and to create “a relaxed, unstuffy environment and lots of good quality contemporary art.”

The event this year has something on offer for everyone to enjoy. There will be lots of arty activities going on throughout the duration of the fair, such as: Sum of Substance, an emerging artist exhibition which features the work of recent graduates, talks on collecting art and printmaking and even a chance to create you own prints and murals. There will also be a strong emphasis on family orientated activities, so all in all a great day out for everyone.

We decided to embrace the change in season for our stand and ask our artists to create works with a spring like and dreamy feel to them.  With a combination of Diggy, Damian Daly, Fran Williams, Clare Ferguson-Walker, Hannah Lewis Davies, Cedric Laquieze and Adele Underwood on display, we cant wait to get our stand up and ready!

We have been very lucky that four of our artists: Damian, Fran, Hannah and Diggy have created brand new works just for Battersea, making it an even more exciting event for View. As you can see already from the sneak previews of Diggy and Hannah’s new paintings (available on our Facebook page), with their bright colours and charming subject matters, we are on track for an impactful stand full of emotion.

The fair runs until Sunday 18^th and we have lots of half price invitations and a select number of free ones for the Private View on Wednesday 14^th, so for anyone interested in coming, please contact georgie@viewartgallery.co.uk

Hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Looking back, I’d say I was always destined to do something creative with my life. As a child I was constantly doodling or making something, so I never saw myself having a 9-5 office job. For me school was simply somewhere to pass time until I could get into Art College and that’s where I stayed for 5 years. I had a brief stint studying fashion design, but soon found that wasn’t for me and transferred to study Fine Art.  This was absolutely the best decision of my life and that’s where my love affair with paint and colour began. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else besides painting now.

You have a very distinct style of painting in your technique and palette. Would you say this is a product of natural progression or has it been a conscious journey to get to this point?

I’ve definitely been on a journey and my paintings have changed massively from when I started out. I never imagined or even wanted to make paintings like mine when I started my degree. Many of my early works were very flat and had a graphic quality to them. I feel I was very lucky to have been taught by some very painterly painters at Art College who valued the importance of process and technique. They opened me up to the possibilities of paint and mark making and through them I think I developed my current style.

Vulnerability, escapism and optimism are projected from your work. Is this a response to personal experience and is this what you want your viewer to experience when looking at you work?

My paintings are far from literal but each is loosely inspired by fragmented memories of my own childhood. As a child I had a vivid imagination and spent many a happy hour wandering off into my own imaginary worlds, creating places which only existed to me. When I paint, I try to remember what it felt like to be a child, full of wonder and unrestricted by mere reality. I hope that my paintings remind the viewer of the innocence and contentment of childhood and that I can temporarily transport the viewer into these imaginary spaces with me.

What was the last exhibition you went to?

The last big exhibition I went to was the Summer Show at the Royal Academy. I’m really bad at getting myself motivated to make the trip to London to see exhibitions but I always enjoy it once I’m there. The Summer Show is always special as there’s so much to see, with such a diverse range of work.

Who would you say the main influences are in your work?

I’m much more influenced by the process of painting and the physicality of paint, so I’m always attracted to very painterly painters rather than conceptual ones.  I was introduced to the works of Bonnard and Vuillard at university and they continue to influence my work, as well as more contemporary painters like Peter Doig, Daniel Richter, Fiona Rae and David Hockney. I’m continually influenced by their use of mark, materials and processes rather than the subject matter.

Do you have any rituals or routines that you do before settling down to a days painting?

When I go into my studio in the morning I usually need to have a clear up. I am a naturally messy person so the floor is always strewn with random pots of paint and brushes. It’s a bit of an assault course to manoeuvre my way in most days, so I always have to clear a bit of space before I can begin. I then like to take a bit of time to sit and reflect on the work I have on the go. Often I will leave a piece of work in the evening, feeling quite happy with it and return in the morning hating it; so a bit of time spent looking and thinking is very useful for me to be able to fix the wrongs and recognise the positives in the piece.

What music if any do you have on in your studio whilst painting and is this influential to how you work?

I don’t usually have any music playing in my studio whilst I paint. I’ve always quite liked the sound of silence and I am more than happy to work for hours with only my own thoughts for company. I know people who can’t work without their radio on, but for me it’s just a distraction. I live in a bustling house which is always full of people so I actually enjoy the quietness of painting and having time to myself to think.

Who do you look to for inspiration on a personal and creative level?

Both my personal and creative inspiration is intertwined in my family, my surroundings and memories of my childhood; each of these sources assist my creativity and influence my paintings on a daily basis.

Do you have a favourite place that you have travelled to?

A few years ago I went on a painting trip to the Dordogne and stayed in the most beautiful 13^th century monastery. The tranquillity and traditional way of life in rural France is amazing to me and definitely somewhere I’d love to live. The wonderful light and warm weather is also so inspiring, you can’t help but want to leap out of bed and begin creating. It’s a little tougher to get motivated on a dark wet January morning in Wales. I also recently went to San Francisco and it blew me away. It’s such a vibrant creative city. It seemed every second person was involved in the arts there and I loved being in a hub of like minded people. I found the laid back way of life and creative culture out there very inspiring.

What are your hopes and plans for 2012?

Having only graduated in 2010, I have been surprised by how quickly my career has developed and I’m just hoping it continues to grow. This year I hope to continue pushing and developing my creative practice. I’m very conscious of the pitfalls of becoming stagnant and stuck in one style of work, so I want to challenge myself to create new and visually exciting work this year. I feel really blessed to be able to do a job which I love and realise many people aren’t so lucky, so my biggest hope for 2012 is to be able to continue to do what I love.

Thank you 

On Thursday 16^th February I went to the 20/21 International Art Fair at the Royal College of Art. Having just visited the London Art Fair in January, 20/21 provided a rather more refreshing experience of our capital’s art fairs.

From the onset 20/21 claimed that the cosmopolitanism of the UK can now be found in its art scene and they intended to reflect this diversity at the fair. I therefore set out to see if this was true.

It was Jeffery Archer who officially opened the fair and, attempting to set the tone of the event was reported to brazenly chant, buy buy buy! at the visitors.  Significantly he also remarked that London, with its range of art fairs and current exhibitions by artists such as Lucien Freud, David Hockney and Picasso, is presently the premier location for buyers and lovers of art.

The fair boasted about sixty galleries with art from across the globe ranging from Britain to Serbia, the Ukraine, Japan, Russia, Poland, China and India and showcased art from 1900 to the present day.  With China being heralded now as the world’s number one market for art and the Russian art market described as one of the most active, fruitful and worthy of attention, it was not surprising to see such a heavy influx and attention on art from these countries.  According to the World Wealth Report, an emerging class of wealthy Russians is on the increase by a rate of 15% each year, therefore, drawing Russian collectors and art lovers to 20/21 was certainly an astute idea.

Whilst the usual names were on show; Damien Hirst, Banksy and Picasso, it was possible to find some unfamiliar gems amidst all the fame. The range of prices also varied enormously, whilst many galleries had prints for sale for under £50, others housed extremely expensive pieces such as a delightful Modigliani for a mere £160,000.

On entering the fair I was immediately struck by its relaxed and welcoming feel. Whilst at the London Art Fair everything and everyone seemed a bit stilted and staged, here people were wiling and eager to engage you in conversation about their art regardless of your age or wealth.  There were a comfortable number of people wandering around to create a sparky ambience, ideal for the galleries hoping to sell. One had enough room to be able to enjoy and appreciate the art on display without being too crowded whilst simultaneously becoming encompassed in the jolly atmosphere.  It was also interesting to note that even in this time of austerity where people are having to tighten their belts, cultural events such as 20/21 are still very well supported and visited. I also felt there was an unmistakable crowd of people visiting who had the intention of buying.

The layout was, although obviously intentional, one of my criticisms of the event. It was divided into sections which I felt was perhaps not as effective as they had hoped. At the entrance you were met with a jampacked wall full of prints. The display reminded me of the crowded appearance of the Summer Exhibition at the RA where pictures jostle for space.  For the less discerning viewer, it wouldn’t have been difficult to miss the Emins, Banksys and Hirsts hung here.

I also found the placement of some of the galleries rather too obvious. There were two floors, the first of which seemed to house the more exclusive galleries, showcasing the “masters” such as Miro, whereas the ones positioned in the basement seemed to be for the emerging, less renowned galleries and artists. Whilst this perhaps made it easier for the serious collector interested only in the “big names” I think it would have made the experience more inspiring to mix the galleries together.

Incidentally I found my favourite artist: Sam Toft, someone I had never heard of before, in a corner next to some stairs. Despite the heavy oriental influence, I was taken with Toft’s depiction of the tale of Mr Mustard and his loyal dog Doris. Stereotypically English and full of nostalgia I was completely engrossed by the sentimentality of this series and the intended narrative. Whilst perhaps not the most artistically talented artist on display at 20/21, Toft fulfilled what I view as the purpose of art; to connect emotionally with the viewer.

I also now see it as part of my duty when reviewing these art fairs to try and report back on the coffee and cake on offer. I went for a simple cappuccino and large slab of chocolate cake and unfortunately have to say 20/21 was lacking in a good baker.

Despite my criticisms of the layout (and the cake) overall I found 20/21 a very pleasant and interesting experience, one which I would like to repeat next year.  The oriental feel to the fair was, as intended by the fair organisers, strongly exhibited throughout, so perhaps it is ironic that my favourite artist was quintessentially English.

Last week the old Chelsea Town Hall on the fashionable Kings Road housed the third edition of the international Parallax Art Fair.

Proclaiming themselves to be a curated “boutique” art fair Parallax is the largest curated international art fair in terms of exhibitor numbers in Europe. The fair showcased the work of  200 emerging and established artists from around the world including eastern Europe, Turkey, UAE, Japan and the Ukraine to name a few and housed a range of media from painting, sculpture and ceramics to photography and totemic art. Unlike 20/21 where all the artists were represented by galleries, at Parallax the majority represented themselves.

Of particular interest to me was the opportunity the weekend allowed to compare the differing manner artists and galleries have of approaching visitors. Although perhaps a generalisation, I felt that the artists at Parallax were more interested in hearing what people had to say about their work rather than trying to push for sales. This was a refreshing change from some of the more assertive gallery styles. The only aggressive experience I had in the whole fair was from a dealer who abruptly asked, ‘what do you like about this work.’ This was more of a statement than a question and unfortunately the art in question wasn’t my cup of tea so I simply mumbled something about the pretty colours and unique use of twisted leather encompassed within the scenic landscape.

The art was ultimately fascinating and truly diverse. Whether you like abstract paintings, photography, small mutilated Barbie dolls, figurative work, seascapes, pretty Venetian scenes, bronze sculptures of extremely flexible humans or pictures of trolleys loaded up with cardboard boxes, there was something for everyone. My perception was that there wasn’t a high degree of sales, but my attendance was limited and maybe not reflective of the whole art fair. It wasn’t particularly busy when I visited and a number of the artists simply looked grateful for the attention and for taking some printed material.

Waistline watching wouldn’t allow cake at this one unfortunately but I did enjoy the experience and would like to return to the next Parallax in May.