Mervyn Peake winning entry shortlisted for Artist of the Year competition

This is a cross-post from my art blog. It’s relevant here because the painting that got me shortlisted was orignally inspired by the Mervyn Peake Awards (Parkinson’s UK) theme, “Inspire”. I’m also posting it here because you can help me – there is a Reader’s Choice vote online and I’m told that it is hotly contested and I should ask all of my friends and acquaintances to vote for me.

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The UK magazine Artists and Illustrators runs an annual artist of the year competition. I entered it and was delighted to hear that the judges had shortlisted my  Shelves of Inspiration. There are 50 artists on the shortlist, and all of the pieces will be on display 23 – 28 Janaury 2017 at the Mall Galleries, London.

Part of the competition is a Reader’s Choice vote. If you want to vote, you can see the whole shortlist here:

Artists and Illustrators Artist of the Year Shortlist

If you know that you want to vote for me, click here.

Basingstoke…

This is Basingstoke.

Well, it’s a four-foot long painting of Basingstoke from the other side (south) of the M3. It’s called “Farleigh Wallop!” (although sometimes I forget to put the exclamation mark in), because that’s the name of the village  close to my viewpoint.

This painting is my largest single work in the exhibition The Basingstoke Project, the first collaborative project and group show by…

Artikinesis

which is five local artists, working together, for this and – we hope – subsequent projects.

We decided to focus on the town because it is a natural focus point, and because we didn’t think that Basingstoke had come under artistic scrutiny very often in the past.

We set out to create:

an active, reactive, artistic response to the people, places, buildings and character of Basingstoke.

A project to inspire and surprise.

In the course of the project, we learned to look again at the town. We were inspired. We were surprised.

We found hidden gems; we found delight in the familiar; we found our own visions of Basingstoke.

So runs the exhibition statement that I wrote last night, and which we put up for today’s private view.

A rather poor photograph from the entrance to the gallery.

The exhibition itself starts on Monday, and runs for just under two weeks. Not much time, but I hope long enough. If you do find yourself anywhere near Basingstoke, you might like to brave the one way system (help is at hand) to find Proteus Creation Space.

The exhibition is open Mon to Fri 10am – 6pm, Sat 10am – 3pm, but closed Mon 1 – 3pm and Tue 1 – 2:15pm.

And if you do visit,

We hope that you enjoy the exhibition, and that you leave with your eyes and your mind open, and with joy in your heart.

 

UK Art Aid – Cancer Charity

This is a cross-post from my art blog. It’s got nothing to do with Parkinson’s, but it is a good cause and I thought that it was worth giving it the maximum exposure possible.

The UK Art Aid Web site is now live. There’s a whole stack of stormy paintings that can be bought as originals (£200) or prints (£65), including my very own Godrevy Storm.

 

http://www.ukartaid.com/

Parkinson’s Law

This bike needs a shed…

Yesterday, at work, I was introduced to the concept of “Bikeshedding”, which my colleague (who is unaware of my medical condition) told me was also called Parkinson’s Law.

Wikipedia (that not-entirely-credible repository of all things known to geek) states that Parkinson’s Law (which is not to be confused with Parkinson’s Law of Triviality)  is:

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
– Cyril Northcote Parkinson

So very true. But not what my colleague was referring to.

Cheeky cross-blog marketing ploy

I recently introduced you to my Art Blog.

If you have a wander round, you might find a few paintings of LEGO® minifigures. Little tiny things, 7 cm square, they are – just for fun, really. (I tend to consider the landscapes to be the “serious” work.) Over the past year, I have painted 56 minifigure paintings – and now I have collected them all together in a book.

Minifigures on…

By Amanda Bates

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