Welcome to Art on the Street - Featured Artists Dec 2015

Pitch 73: Sruthi Nair

11/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
My work is vibrant and colourful

When and how did you become an artist?
I have painted most of my life. Developed more interest in style after completing courses through the London art college.My interest is to create illustrative work in acrylics or watercolor with gouache.

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
Michelangelo when I saw his work in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
Someone in the queue for Art on the street said,
" If someone were to run away with your displayed work,you can take it as a compliment!"

To Contact Sruthi:
Email: 73sruthi@gmail.com
Telephone: 07926 367978

Pitch 85: Michael Vicary

11/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
Oil and watercolour landscapes of the Thames Valley and Chilterns

When and how did you become an artist?
I started painting full-time in1974, as an escape route from teaching and after a sketching tour of France & Italy.

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
The fresh and spontaneous joy of painting out of doors and on the spot. Plein air artists British and French have been my models.

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
Unobservant passer-by to artist hunched by riverside: "Have you caught anything?". Artist: "Only a likeness".

To Contact Michael:
Email: michael.vicary@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone: 0118 927 2454

Pitch 1: TOSH Lino-Prints

11/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
Hand-made prints, using lino and a set of sharp knives.

When and how did you become an artist?
My first lino-print, I made in school. I cut myself a lot and wasn’t happy with the result. So, I blamed the lino. Many years later I saw some fabulous lino-prints in an exhibition. Realizing, that it wasn’t the lino’s fault, I bought a set of sharp knives and gave it another go.

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
My main interest are portraits, quite often musicians, as I like the strong contrast the stage light creates. I usually start with a photograph, which I rework and simplify until I get the essence. I like the way this manual process transforms an everyday snapshot, taken within a fraction of a second, into a unique piece of art.

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
Life

To Contact Tosh:
Email: tosh.lino-prints@gmx.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tosh.linoprints

Pitch 46: Mahlia Amatina

11/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
An Abstract Painter inspired by colour and narrative, creating intensely vibrant and striking paintings

When and how did you become an artist?
I was born into this life as a creative spirit and have dedicated my life to connecting with humanity through creativity. Officially, however, I have been given the title of an 'artist' through an unexpected redundancy and deciding that *now* was the time to take control and take a different path, in life. For me, this new passage was like an awakening. A calling to use art as my medium to continue on the quest for meaning. The voyage continues. And it will continue to do so at ‘Art on the Street’ next month, which I am very excited about!

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
I'm a visionary artist with an international background which has helped inspire my passion for painting different stories on canvas. With roots from lands afar, my artistic inspiration stems from the varied landscapes and flavours of my global travels and my general wanderlust and love of the world fuels my mission to strive for understanding and continued kinship with all earthly beings.

I developed my signature style of Abstract Colourism through my search to merge expressive colour with a narrative element. Painting intuitively from a palette of acute emotions, I created storytelling through abstraction that transcends language and can speak to all. This is the beauty of the arts.

I traditionally paint with acrylic paint, though also dabble with oil sticks, Indian ink, and all manner of mixed media on paper and canvas, exploding through traditional boundaries of style.

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
Ha! Love this question! Err, well as it's the festive season and I love a good ol' 'knock-knock' joke, here we go:

Knock! Knock!
Who’s there?
Ho-ho.
Ho-ho who?
You know, your Santa impression could use a little work.

To Contact Mahlia:
Email: mahliaamatina@gmail.com
Website: http://www.mahliaamatina.com/

Pitch 5: Suzy Weston

11/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
Experimental, tactile and for my own pleasure

When and how did you become an artist?
I remember thinking I liked drawing when i was a kid, it felt like something I could do, I realised not all people could do it, the same way i couldn't grasp maths. I liked the escape, the challenge and the freedom of drawing, I liked how it made me feel while I did it, relaxed but alert. In this way, most of what I do is for my own benefit and how it makes me feel. But obviously, if someone says they like my work, it makes me so happy!

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
Depending on what I'm doing, I get inspired by lots of things like graphic novels, scenery in a film, pictures that can tell a story or provoke a feeling, i dont have to understand it. I might take the colour combination of a faded cushion cover and try to reproduce it in pure colour stripes because I liked the colours but not the pattern. I might want to explore a feeling through form, imagining what i would look like under a microscope. I like the uncertainty of how things will turn out, trying to recreate the idea in my minds eye means I will keep doing it.

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
What's brown and sticky?

A stick

To Contact Suzy:
Email: Bodnsuzy@googlemail.com
Telephone: 01628 620090

Pitch 64: Ginny Prentice

11/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
Rat Rods, Rust and Rockabilly Rides (and related stuff that doesn’t alliterate).

When and how did you become an artist?
Well, this is the first time I’ve exhibited my photos. I’ve been taking snaps almost as long as I can remember, but a formal photographic education was part of my BA (Hons) in Graphic Design in the pre-digital days of the mid-’90s. I often feel the tension between living in the moment, enjoying the real-time experience, and the equally-strong drive (compulsion?) to ‘pin it down’ in pictures – and photography is the most immediate way of doing that. Though I do use Photoshop in my regular job, for my own stuff I generally prefer to simply record the raw reality of what I’m actually seeing and the only ‘editing’ involved is how I choose to select and crop my subjects – to my mind that’s what photography is all about. Does that make me an artist?

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
I’m passionate about many kinds of music, but I find the current Rockabilly/Psychobilly scene most exciting, and a very big part of that culture is the cars. They are BEAUTIFUL. So I’ve been snapping away at various rock’n’roll weekenders, gigs, the Ace Cafe, and sundry random locations, trying to capture the rebel spirit of these mobile works of art and their owners/creators. There are loads of different style genres and sub-genres within this loose collection of people who gather together because they love the music – and that goes for their motors too. I find this fascinating. So my photographs range from ‘Fins & Chrome’ (mostly American cars from the 1950s, sometimes maintained in period-perfect condition) – to diverse kinds of ‘Rat Rods’ (individually-built or customized vehicles that go like the Devil); plus shots of the people associated with them (and in some instances, their pets too!). As a garage proprietor’s daughter, I was sent on a motor vehicle maintenance course in my late teens, simply to save my poor Dad the stress of having to teach a woman how to change a wheel. I didn’t get much further than that. Now, I can just about spot a V8, but my interest in the vehicles featured in my photographs is aesthetic, rather than mechanical. But I am impressed and inspired by the sculptural ingenuity of their makers – from the historic architect of the ‘forward look’, Chrysler’s Virgil Exner, and ’59 Caddy stylist, GM’s Harley Earl – to today’s unique individuals; the rat-rodders and racers whose custom creations reflect their personalities, skills, and style allegiances – and need for speed. And, of course, I’m inspired and astounded by the amazing skills of the ‘pin-stripers’ who paint their intricate linear designs on the cars and trucks’ custom-rusted surfaces entirely freehand. Marvellous!

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
I’m rubbish at telling jokes. Actually, I can’t think of any clean ones. Can I tell you my favourite Harry Enfield/Paul Whitehouse sketch instead? It’s called “Women: Know Your Limits” and it’s worth looking up on You Tube for the spoof information graphics and 1940s-style voice-over (‘she cannot take in complicated information: she becomes frantically and absurdly deranged!’). Yep, that’s me. Also, its sister-sketch: “Women: For Pity’s Sake, Don’t Drive” – recognize myself in that one too!

To Contact Ginny:
Email: ginny.prentice@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone: 07737 788448

Pitch 22: Wendy Teng

11/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
Stick & ink drawings and figurative paintings.

When and how did you become an artist?
A couple of years ago I started painting pet portraits and continued from there.

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
The artists’ square in Paris is inspiring. Because I can see that art is a real means of living for the artists there.

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
This is a designer’s joke. “Is that embossing... or are you just glad to see me?”
To Contact Wendy:
Email: wendy@theloveofred.co.uk
Web Address: www.theloveofred.co.uk

Pitch 74: Bev Jones

11/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
Busy, bright scenes from everyday life in the city.

When and how did you become an artist?
I've always drawn but between working full time and living in temporary accommodation I didn't paint for most of my twenties and thirties. When I did settle down I soon found myself painting and now I'm a full time artist.

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
Inspiration tends to come from the busy world around me. I love to paint crowds especially early in the morning and evening or when the weather is bad and the rain creates all sorts of beautiful shine and reflections which most people are too hunkered down to ever notice. I also love to capture the interactions between people in crowds and at the market.

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
I can never remember jokes

To Contact Bev:
Email: bev@bevjonesart.co.uk
Telephone: 07840 531615

Pitch 42: Boo Dillon

11/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
Intricate pencil drawings with an edge

When and how did you become an artist?
I've been drawing all my life but really started concentrating on this style of illustration about 7 years ago.

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
There are SO many people who influence me! From Peter Blake to Kareena Zerefos. Anything that subverts the norm but keeps it beautiful - that's what always catches my eye!

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
Argh!! I don't have one!! The pressure... I give in.

To Contact Boo
Email: info@boodillon.co.uk
Web Address: www.boodillon.co.uk

Pitch 17: Andrew Dunning

5/12/2015

Sum up your work in a sentence:
Eclectic

When and how did you become an artist?
I have always been artistic but only in the last few years have devoted time and patience to working at various media and techniques. I have found that acrylic paint captures the intensity of colour and boldness of image that my imagination sees in the world around me. So I have concentrated on subject-matter close to my heart - my love of the great outdoors, of wildlife, our beautiful landscapes and nature.

I am currently going back to my roots and exploring drawing using pen & ink and coloured biro, which requires no, or little, mastering - just an ability to draw.

My 'Local Pubs' series demonstrates the detail and familiarity that this medium can reflect.

Who or what are your inspirations and why?
My artistic inspirations include all the Impressionists - Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Gaugin, Seurat, Degas, Turner.

Also the Pre-Raphaelites. Their detail, vibrancy and almost photographic representations are a wonder to behold. Not to mention their romantic, poetic subject matter.

I find further inspiration and motivation from all other artists who put their emotions, skills and art on display for people to walk past and ignore.

Tell us your favourite joke... :-D
It's the unsuitable one about the woman who answers the door wrapped in a towel to be greeted by her neighbour who, unknown to her, owes her husband £800. I can't really go into much more detail other than it is shamelessly sexist and voyeuristic. Very funny!

To Contact Andrew:
Email: artyandrewd@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewDunningsArt