Fine Art Blog

News and Opinions on published UK Fine Art

  • Merry Christmas Art Fans!!!

    Today I have created a Christmassy Blog to get us all in the mood for Christmas!!!

    Perhaps we will have a white Christmas this year! People are supposedly spending more money compared to last Christmas, so the news reporters are saying the recession is ending! Whether this is true or not we shall have to wait and see.

    So, many artists have created festive art, old and new, and here are a few of my favourites:


    Christmas Contemplation by Steven Binks

    Steven Binks is best known for his pictures of rusty farming machinery such as tractors. As a boy, he lived on a farm with his parents in Suffolk and this is why he likes to paint images of tractors. The above picture is much different to the majority of his art, as he rarely paints people as the focal point of his picture. This lady seems to have got her white Christmas after all!


    When I Saw Through His Disguise by Alexander Millar

    Alexander Millar Paints Gadgies; That is to say, old people. However, they always seem to be having fun in his pictures, on their way to or from an interesting event. The aptly named title mentioned above refers to his santa hood coming off which makes you realise its the same old gadgie that Millar always paints dressed as Santa Claus. His real hat gives his “disguise” away!


    Man Of Snow by Paul Horton

    Paul Hortons snowman range (he has done more than one) have proved very popular with his fans, selling out very quickly. His other snowman pictures features the snowman much smaller in the pictures, so I chose to show you this one so you can see why the fans love him so. Horton’s snowman reminds me of the innocence of youth at Christmas time:)


    Dont You Just Love This Time Of Year by John Wilson

    John Wison is well known by his fans for his child-like drawn characters in the foreground, yet adult backgrounds with miniature copies of famous art works by artists such as Van Gogh on the walls of his chosen background. It is a very clever style, at first glance the picture could be dismissed as childish and naiive. However, look closer and you see those characters are in our world!!


    Is That It? by Peter Smith

    Peter Smith paints pictures of lovable creatures which he has named “Impossimals”. This one in particular is a little disappointed in the size of his Christmas present! Smith’s art is simple yet endearing, and this one is no different. Fans of Peter Smith should be aware that he is currently making some new pieces, and has told us on his blog that one of his new Impossimals will have teeth and claws!! So this will be something new and exciting to look foward to!!


    Winter In The City by Henderson Cisz

    I just had to add this one as we have had the snow and ice already and so I thought this picture was apt! Cisz is well known for his cityscapes and his ability to catch the hustle and bustle of a city on his pictures. This picture looks as it is in London at the moment, icy roads and people last minute shopping for their christmas gifts.

    Thank You for reading everyone
    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all

    Vicki

  • Artist Beryl Cook: Sadly Missed but Never Forgotton

    She was well known for painting slightly larger ladies on a night out on the town, in short, tight dresses as well as enjoying other frivolities. Beryl Cook’s humorous take on the human race created a very big following for this talented lady. She was been lucky enough to be on TV, had films made about her, was made an OBE and all because a friend who owned an auction in Plymouth persuaded her to sell some of her art in their shop!


    Clubbing In The Rain by Beryl Cook

    She was born in 1926 and did not show any artisitc talent in her youth. However, in 1943 she was a showgirl in a touring production called “The Gypsy Princess” and that, coupled with work experience in the fashion industry, was her inspiration and caused her fascination with the way people look and dress. This we can clearly see in her art.


    Hen Night by Beryl Cook

    Later, while living in Plymouth with her husband, she used to go out to bars and clubs where they enjoyed watching the flamboyance of drag shows. This was another inspiration which has affected her style in her art work.


    Panto Dame by Beryl Cook

    Beryl Cook’s work was first exhibited in 1975 and was highly successful. In fact, it was so successful that an article was done in the Sunday Times about her works shortly after, followed by a call from a London Gallery who offered Beryl her first ever London Exhibition, and the rest is history!


    Tarzanogram by Beryl Cook

    She has said that other artists that have inspired her work include Stanley Spencer and Edward Burra.

    Beryl recieved an OBE in 1995, and even contributed to the Queens Golden Jubilee exhibition in 2002 which was another great success for her.

    Finally, she has been televised several times, whether they be in animation form, documentary or Chat show:
    A film was made about her for The South Bank Show.
    2 half hour animated films were made about her with an all star cast which was called “Bosom Pals” This also won some awards for Beryl.
    Also, in 2005 Channel 4 did a short film about her work, and in 2006 BBC featured her in a show called “Art School”.

    Sadly, Berly passed away in May 2008. But she lives on through her many fans and her sense of humour will forever be visible in her work.

    Click here to see The Guardians obituary for this talented lady

    Thanks for reading

    Vicki

  • Artist Kerry Darlington: Extraordinary Art

    Welsh artist Kerry Darlington makes amazing art work. If you dont believe me go and see for yourself. Her use of acrylic and oil, textures and use of gesso, as well as glazing the final product, makes for a very original looking style that is totally different from other artists.


    Living Tree by Kerry Darlington

    Darlington was inspired to do a degree in illustration by old picture books by authors such as Rackham, Dulac and Beardsly. Which, as well as travelling and working abroad, led her to become the artist she is today.


    Tree Of Life by Kerry Darlington

    Her first collection in 2006 was called the “Volcanic Collection” and was based on satellite photographs of Earth and quickly became very sought after. Her newest piece is no exception, Tree of life is an extremely popular piece due to its total uniqueness in the art world at the present.


    Abstract Tree by Kerry Darlington

    In 2007, Darlington was a finalist in the “Best Up and Coming Published Artist” category in the Fine Art Trade Guild Awards, and we expect to see a great deal more from this artist in the future.

    Click here to read more about illustration which inspired Kerry

    More about the Fine Art Trade Guild Awards here

    I am sure this will be the first of many posts about this extraordinary artist. Watch this space!

    Thanks for reading

    Vicki

  • Sherree Valentine Daines – art of the British social calendar!

    We thought we would start with some general background on Sherree as this is our first of many posts about this most celebrated of English artists.


    A Day At The Fair by Sherree Valentine Daines (New for Winter 09)

    This remarkable lady celebrated her 30th anniversary as an artist in 2007 by publishing her first art book ‘First Impressions.’ Having had a remarkable career so far, producing nearly 150 different limited edition prints and canvas titles, she certainly shows no sign of slowing down her pace as a published artist!

    Sherree has been televised on numerous occasions, including ‘This Morning’ on ITV with Fern Britton and has won many awards; remarkably she found time to teach ‘life art’ classes for twenty years, run a gallery & be a housewife and mother to her husband and four children!


    Ascot Splendour by Sherree Valentine Daines (New for Winter 09)

    She is well known for her figurative and impressionistic art work by the art community & has exhibited at prestigious galleries such as Tate gallery, The Barbican, The New English Art Club and The Lords Museum. Recently an art critic described her as “The face of modern British Impressionism” and shortly after Sherree was voted the UK’s leading impressionist artist. Other awards she has received include The Laing Landscape and Seascape Competition and The Young Artist of the year award from the Royal Portrait Society.


    End Of A Perfect Day by Sherree Valentine Daines (previous release)

    Renoir and Monet influence can be seen in her work, her focus on light and shadow especially. Her interest in Impressionism and Figuratism maybe attributed to her love of ‘people watching’ & then capturing their emotions and behaviour onto canvas. Sherree also experimented with many mediums while studying her art degree but decided that oil was her favourite because of the richness and texture the paint gave her work.

    Thank you

    Emily

    links:
    Royal Society of Portrait Painters
    The New English Art Club
    Claude Monet