Brendan Hansbro - Animals

4- 27 September 2014

Brendan Hansbro presents a playful new collection of animal wood engravings. The collection is a menagerie of quirky illustrations coloured with the artist’s characteristic mischievous humour. They are impish and cheeky whilst at the same time retaining a timeless, archetypal quality. In a similar way to Hansbro’s own personality, these prints appear irreverent whilst simultaneously alluding to more profound ideas.

Octopus, wood engraving 20 x 23.5cm, £95 (framed)

Penguin, wood engraving, 23.5 x 20 cm, £95 (framed)

Each animal is in possession of a unique symbolic character and inhabits a common universe. When discussing these characters with Hansbro it became apparent that they are in fact parts of his own personality, wearing his expressions and often looking like him. They are elements of his psyche dressed up as caricatures and, if given further attention, are likely to evolve into elements of a personal myth.

Although at first glance they look “cute” these prints reflect a lot about the artist. They are far more meaningful than he would likely be comfortable admitting. In a first meeting to discuss the show he mentioned that the penguin was “depressed” and that the frog had a “personality disorder,” suggesting that Hansbro is fairly aware of what these characters get up to in his head when he is pretending not to look.

Dinosaur, wood engraving, 23.5 x 20 cm, £95 (framed)

These works may be a surprise to fans of his more recent gothic drawings (shown in his last show with Curwen Gallery, Pugin’s Dream in 2012) as they are quite a departure from his instantly recognisable style. These wood engravings continue an earlier trajectory begun in the 90s with his popular series of birds. In “Animals” Hansbro shows a refinement in his skills as a printmaker and expands upon the characterisation of his subjects to create a more comprehensive world of new characters

Meerkat, wood engraving, 23.5 x 20 cm, £95 (framed)

Interestingly, for Hansbro, he feels this is the most formal work he has done, mentioning that wood engraving is “the final resolution of drawing.” These works follow a tradition of popular wood engraving pioneered by 18^th Century printmaker Thomas Bewick who also favoured the natural world as his subject matter. Hansbro’s new work reinvigorates the tradition of popular wood engraving with a whimsical contemporary slant.

Owl, wood engraving, 23.5 x 20 cm, £95 (framed)

Visit http://www.curwengallery.co.uk/gallery/hansbro14/title.htm to see a full online catalogue of this exhibition

Camden New Journal Article on Curwen Gallery Auctions

See the auction catalogues here

MARKING THE CENTENARY OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

ILLUSTRATIONS BY

ALBANY WISEMAN
AS FEATURED IN

TOMMY ATKINS IN THE GREAT WAR

A BOOK BY ROBIN OLLINGTON

WITH SCULPTURE AND DRAWINGS BY JAMES BUTLER RA

AND MILITARY CARTOONS BY ROBIN OLLINGTON

4-17 JUNE 2014

Private View Tuesday 3^rd June 6-8pm

Albany Wiseman, illustration from Tommy Atkins, watercolour, 23 x 35cm (image size)

‘Tommy Atkins In the Great War’ was published in 2006, a book devised by Robin Olllington with illustrations by Albany Wiseman. This story outlines the tragic events of World War I, but maintains a lightness which makes the story accessible and suitable for young children. 

The ultimate message from the story of this solider Tommy Atkins, is one of remembrance of those who died in the war. 2014 is a time for great reflection on the First World War, this year being the Centenary of the war’s beginning. The original watercolour illustrations from the book are showcased in this exhibition along with sculpture and drawings by James Butler RA and military cartoons by Robin Ollington.

Albany Wiseman, illustration from Tommy Atkins in the Great War

Albany Wiseman studied at St. Albans College of Art and has worked as a professional artist since 1952. His career has covered many aspects of art, from book illustration, poster design, limited edition lithographs, watercolour and oil painting. He has wide experience in teaching, both as a lecturer in art colleges and as an instructor on numerous painting courses in France, Portugal, Spain and the UK. He has exhibited widely - at one man and mixed shows in Britain and abroad - and also from his studio in London. Many of his prints have been produced to help fund-raising projects for schools, hospitals, universities and the Prince of Wales Business Trust. He has had various art books published along with a number of children’s books.

Robin Ollington began his career teaching graphic and exhibition design. He produced advertising and design work for a wide range of clients including the Daily Telegraph, Spectator and the City of Rochester, Kent and postage stamps design for Guernsey, Gibraltar and Poland. Exhibition and museum design have included the Beatrix Potter exhibition at Tate Britain, National Trust Great Storm Appeal and various others at the V&A as well as RIBA Drawings Collections for SAVE Britain’s Heritage. Since retirement, he has worked on various book projects and is currently involved with several military based charities including The Royal Hospital, Not Forgotten Association and Poppy Factory Gardening Leave. Robin Ollington’s cartoons shown here are the result of observation during involvement with some of these organisations and have appeared in various publications.

Over the course of his career, James Butler RA has produced several large monumental figurative sculptures to commemorate the war, including the ‘Rainbow Division Memorial’, which is at the site of the Battle of the Croix Rouge Farm in Fère-en-Tardenois, France. His ‘Memorial to the Fleet Air Arm’, is situated at Embankment Gardens in London and the ‘Memorial to the Green Howards’ are amongst some of his most moving war memorials. A member of the Royal Academy since 1964, he is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and a Member of the Royal West of England Academy. His work can be seen in locations across London and in other UK cities and other countries such as Kenya, Zambia, Saudi Arabia, France, Singapore, Madeira and the USA. His smaller works feature in many private collections.

A donation from artwork sale profits will be made to The Not Forgotten Association.

The Not Forgotten Association, ‘Providing entertainment and recreation for the serving wounded and the

ex-service community with disabilities’.

Images of the show appear on the gallery website: http://www.curwengallery.co.uk/gallery/wiseman14/title.htm

Tommy Atkins in The Great War, devised by Robin Ollington, illustrated by Albany Wiseman, developed and designed by David Edgell and Duncan Youel. Published by Tommy Atkins productions Ltd, 2006. Available for sale at the exhibition for £9.99

Rob Olins with Douglas Benford and Lee Berwick

New work in support of the House of Mirrors Acoustic Experience

Sounds by Douglas Benford and Lee Berwick

01-31 May 2014

Private View Wed 30 April 6-8pm

‘Sound Mirror’ installation

 This exhibition at Curwen Gallery during May includes multi-sensory works that have been developed by artist Rob Olins in partnership with Sound Artists Lee Berwick and Douglas Benford with support from Drake Music, CEDA and Falmouth University Academy for Innovation & Research (AIR). These installations use sound “mirrors” which reflect and focus sound to certain points marked by dots on the floor. These installations are to tour special schools in Wales and the South West of England during 2014-2015.

The large ‘Sound Mirrors’ are arranged so that people can pass between or around them. The variety of different ways the work can be experienced makes this highly engaging for those with disabilities. Those with limited or no vision can listen to the sound elements, others with hearing difficulties can appreciate the bright colours and vibrations. The ‘mirrors’ are constructed from a variety of surfaces which can be touched and moved around by the viewer, changing the pathways between the pieces. Walking through the installation between the ‘mirrors’, each different sound pool can be discovered. 

 

Rob Olins, Message 3
rare earth magnets, hand blown glass, length 31cm

Douglas Benford’s audio employs a collage of discovered sounds, recorded by him, from churches and cathedrals - interiors and exteriors – located across the UK, the Baltic states and Netherlands.

Lee Berwick is a sonic artist, producing sound design, composing sound scores, making sound installations and works with a range of collaborators internationally on different projects.

 

Rob Olins, Wave 2
rare earth magnets, painted steel, length 47cm

Also exhibited in the gallery exhibition are Rob Olins’ latest works which use magnets in glass and steel environments. These are also pieces informed by his work with people with special needs. These works reflect on the challenges and possibilities of communication and our desire to achieve this in different ways.

Gravure prints by Rob Olins and Douglas Benford (pictured below) will also be showing. The images show a heightened and adapted view everyday reality, a visual representation of the acoustic experience.

Rob Olins and Douglas Benford,Sound 3
gravure prints, edition of 20, 16 x 16cm

For further information on the project visit http://www.drakemusic.org/news/house-mirrors-sensory-experience

For more information on the exhibition see http://www.curwengallery.co.uk/gallery/olins14/title.htm  

For further information on Douglas Benford visit www.douglasbenford.org.uk and for information on Lee Berwick visit www.leeberwick.com

Katharine Holmes

KATHARINE HOLMES

01-31 May 2014

Private View Wednesday 30 April 6-8pm

Malham Limestone, Hazy Warmth, oil on linen, 50 x 70cm

Katharine Holmes is an artist who has become known for her paintings of the Northern British Landscape, predominantly her native Yorkshire Dales.
She often paints outside, braving all weathers all year round. She frequently incorporates elements of the landscape such as grasses and gravels found on site into her paintings, adding natural texture to these works. Holmes’s dedication to painting out in the elements is rewarded; the sense of actually being in the landscape is beautifully captured with in the finished painting.

There is a feeling these paintings have been torn from a giant sketchbook, their rough and irregular edges, allowing the viewer a glimpse of a moment spent out walking on the Dales.

Swaledale,a Hazy Day, watercolour, acrylic, ink and pastel and collage on paper, 56 x 76cm

Following training in Fine Art at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Katharine returned to Yorkshire in 1990. She exhibits her work nationally and internationally and her paintings are in many private and corporate collections including that of Leeds University where she held her first major solo exhibition in 1999. In the last decade Katharine has travelled widely and painted in Japan, Kenya, New England, Italy and Greece, each time returning not just with paintings but with a renewed appreciation of the landscape of home.

For enquiries please email Natalie@curwengallery.com or tel 0207 323 4700. For more information, including the online catalogue for the exhibition see www.curwengallery.co.uk/gallery/holmes14/title.htm