Fine Art Blog

Category: Artists

Artists

  • Gary Hodges Artist – New Release for 2009 ‘Baby Love’ Hippos

    One of Britain’s best loved wildlife artists, Gary Hodges is back with a new release that has been very eagerly awaited.

    (‘Baby Love’ by Gary Hodges)

    Simply called ‘Baby Love,’ this latest release features a mother & baby hippo in the water and it has been beautifully captured by the artist.

    Gary tells us that it was inspired by his trip in 2007 to the Ngorongoro Crater game reserve in Tanzania and his observations of Hippopotamus.

    Undoubtedly Gary is one of the masters of Pencil/Graphite drawing, other great artists that spring to mind being David Shepherd, Mike Sibley & Peter Hildick whose artwork is both loved and collected by art lovers all over the world.

    (‘Family’ featuring Meerkats by Gary Hodges)

    I would say that over the last 20 years, Gary has been one of the consistently best selling artists in the UK, his older limited edition now sell for considerable amounts of money.

    ‘Baby Love’ is a valuable addition to Gary Hodges’s huge range of limited editions and is bound to sell out very quickly.

    Thank you

    James

    Useful links:
    http://ngorongorocrater.com/
    http://www.game-reserve.com/tanzania_ngorongoro.html
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus

  • Govinder Nazran – Washington Green lead the tributes to the artist

    Washington Green, Govinder Nazran’s publisher, have just released a statement regarding the death of the artist and we hear the thoughts of their MD, who worked very closely with him over the years and many people in that company must have had a very similar relationship with Govinder.

    (Photo of the artist)

    “We are deeply saddened to announce that one of country’s most outstanding, award winning contemporary artists – Govinder Nazran – who enjoyed enormous success around the world, tragically died on Tuesday 30 December, after suffering a seizure on Christmas Eve.

    Govinder’s striking, naïve portrayal of the feline and canine form, married with strong oriental overtones, and rich texturing and layering, won him 1000s of fans across the world.

    (Scratch & Sniff – Sculpture by Govinder Nazran)

    As Glyn Washington, MD for Washington Green Fine Art Publishing, said:

    “2009 would have been our tenth anniversary of working with Govinder. It was a 10 years in which we enjoyed the most amazing and creative art from one of the most talented, gentle and innovative artists we have ever had the pleasure of working with. Ironically we were planning a major event in 2009 to celebrate this wonderful 10 year collaboration. It has been said that ‘It is often the brightest star that burns for the shortest time’… never has a truer word been spoken.”

    In 2004 Govinder became the ‘Best Selling Published Artist’ in the industry’s Fine Art Trade Guild Awards and he enjoyed 2 sell-out tours in Japan where his work was highly revered. During his prolific 10 years with Washington Green his work has been collected and admired by thousands of fans from all walks of life, including many well-known collectors world-wide. Unusually Govinder possessed the vision of both artist and creative director, as he innovated and developed the ideas for his ground breaking collections.

    (Flapdoodle by Govinder Nazran)

    A naturally warm and witty man of enormous integrity, Govinder’s shyness made it challenging for him to articulate his thoughts verbally. “My true personality reveals itself through my paintings,” he once said. His cats and dogs reached far deeper than a cute, naïve cliché of a ‘four legged friend’ with many of his paintings dedicated to the fight between good and evil. “I leave it to the individual to look at my paintings and choose what they would like to see, innocence or malevolence – the ‘good’ or the ‘evil’. Above all else I am, and always will be, an eternal optimist. Optimism is one of the greatest gifts we possess and my paintings are from my soul.”

    Govinder often described his wife Sarah and daughter Eden as his “greatest inspiration” and his most ‘honest critics.’ He will be sadly missed by all at Washington Green and no doubt by all who appreciated and loved his work the world over.”

    (The Wise by Govinder Nazran)

    I very much loved Govinder’s style and work and it is a sad loss to the art world. My thoughts go out to his wife Sarah and his daughter Eden.

    I am sure his artistic legacy will not be lost and he will continue to me remembered by the art world as a great contributor to contemporary art.

    My thoughts go out to his family at this time and to all those at Washington Green publishers and for any of those who knew him.

    Thank you

    Emily

  • Govinder Nazran News, Tributes following his death Dec 25th 2008

    We continue to get many phone calls and emails regarding the tragic passing away of UK contemporary artist Govinder Nazran on Christmas Day 2008.

    (Leopold by Govinder Nazran)

    It touches me that so many people are so heart felt about his passing: some may have met him only once at a gallery appearance and others had never met him and enjoyed his work through viewing his images online or having bought pieces over the years.

    From my experience, those that collected his art varied from young students right up to retired people and that is a testament as to how his work ‘connected’ with so many different types of people.

    I was digging in the archives and found a snippet that charts, all be it briefly, his career from 1980, where he started his studies in Graphic Design, up to being signed by Washington Green in 1999 and becoming as a professional artist. These are his own words:

    (Willy Winterbottom by Govinder Nazran)

    “My art training began in Bradford in the North of England, where I studied Graphic Design from 1980-1983. After that I then went on to study for a Higher Diploma in Graphic Design, specialising in illustration, at Lincoln Art College.

    Once I completed all my formal training I decided to move to London, approaching all of the major city publishers with my portfolio. It was there that I worked on illustrations for children’s books, and after 6 months moved to Cambridge where I continued working as a freelance illustrator.

    Upon moving back to my home town of Saltaire in West Yorkshire, I took up the position of designer for a greetings card company, which involved all aspects of product design and development. Following that I became a photographic art director, directing fashion shoots all over the world. I did this for the next year or so until 1993, when I decided to swap my hectic photographic job and lifestyle, for a quieter life back in Saltaire. I spent the next five years here, working freelance on card designs with major publishing companies.

    It wasn’t until 1999 that I decided to enter the fine art market and approached Washington Green with my portfolio.”

    (Elvis, Sculpture by Govinder Nazran)

    Over Govinder’s near 10 year career with Washington Green, they have published over 180 of his work, including sculptures and more recently his work has been put into cufflink designs.

    I would say Govinder has been one of the top 5 published artists of the last 10 years

    He will be sadly missed but never forgotten.

    Messages of condolence may be sent to his publisher at C/O:

    Jo Colley,
    Washington Green,
    44 Upper Gough Street,
    Birmingham,
    B1 1JL
    United Kingdom

    Thank you

    James

    What is Contemporary Art?, See Links below:
    -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_art
    -Article 1
    -Article 2

  • Nigel Hemming New Limited Edition for January 2009: ‘Yellow Cab’

    Our good friend and Top UK Canine artist, Nigel Hemming, has just released his latest limited edition piece called ‘Yellow Cab’ for the New Year 2009.

    (‘Yellow Cab’ by Nigel Hemming)

    Nigel’s own words:

    “For those who follow my work, it is blatantly apparent that I rarely publish
    Yellow Labrador images. This is not because I don’t like them, it is – to my
    shame – because I cannot sell them.

    This could simply be because I’m not very good at painting Yellow Labs! On the
    other hand, as I would prefer to believe, it is because the market for
    yellows is by no means as buoyant as it is for Blacks.

    However you view it, when I was commissioned to paint Zak, the most
    handsome, working, Yellow Labrador, the finished portrait cried out to be
    published. It is unusual for me to publish a private commission as they are,
    more often than not, far too personal for general release. Nevertheless, I
    hope you’ll agree that Zak’s portrait – which I’ve entitled ‘Yellow Cab’
    is a worthy addition to my range and, let’s face it, Just Dogs aside – its
    about time I added a Yellow Labrador to the range. I hope you agree”

    (‘Just Dogs – Yellow Labrador’ by Nigel Hemming)

    I believe ‘Yellow Cab’ is a worthy addition to Nigel’s huge range of published art. The images featuring Land Rovers appear to have an extra appeal to both Canine art lovers and indeed those who drive Lands Rovers. This is an extra special image, as Nigel hardly ever paints yellow labs into limited edition format.

    Thank you

    Russell

    Useful Links:
    Land Rover official homepage
    Article about a Landrover related sculpture erected for the Paris Motor Show
    Article about the ‘Classic’ Land Rover Defender