When did you decide to pursue art as a career? Is it your main job?
I have always been passionate about art from early memory.  I’m still teaching painting techniques at 67!  That’s just one day a week as it’s a lot of work and of course the rest of the time I’m painting.  I also do a few workshops in the Summer; it helps me keep my car on the road!  I do enjoy it. Everyone is creative, you see….if someone enjoys looking at paintings then the chances are they can paint; they just need a bit of direction and to be shown how!  I think it’s very thereputic; it’s like the way golf is for some men….a bit of escape!

'The Audition'

You mention in your Biography that until 2000 your art consisted mainly of landscapes; what prompted the shift towards figurative art after this?
I began painting landscapes around 1995 after spending a few summers touring Northern Scotland. I did landscapes for a long time as I was doing a lot of travelling up north and was just bowled over by the scenery. The wild beauty and ever changing light inspired me. The landscapes sold really well in the galleries up North so I just kept going!  Then I suddenly got fed up because at this point I was just churning them out. I didn’t have the passion there for them; I have to have a passion for what I’m doing before it becomes exciting.  So then I started on the figurative work which takes a lot longer and is a lot more difficult! I start off with one figure and then start to add other figures and to develop a narrative; the imagination kicks off after I’ve started the work.  I tend to take figures I’ve drawn and place them within a different settings then let imagination do the rest.

Many of your pieces seem to have a story unfolding behind them; where do you get your inspirations for these narratives? Are they based on real experiences or do you just have a very active imagination?
I observe people, facial expressions and movement without realising it. I carry a sketch book everywhere I go.The other night I was at a wedding and sitting there drawing people!  I do that all the time; I can’t help it!  I suppose people might consider me to be a vouyer? I’m often secretly watching people and drawing them!  Then I incorporate them into my paintings and let my imagination go.

'Boozin' At The Nappy'

‘Boozing At The Nappy’ is basically how they used to drink in old Edinburgh in the nineteenth century; I did a lot of research into Edinburgh’s history as it fascinates me.  I decided to do a bigger painting of that work; ‘Boozing At The Nappy’ basically translates as ‘drinking in the pub’!  I did a series of paintings around old Edinburgh’s history and Robert Burns’ poems – these were bought by the National Library Of Scotland. (Editor’s note: see question below!).

The National Library Of Scotland bought two illustration works that you produced as books! Bravo! How did these works come about? Was the commission to produce the works as books or did you come up with that idea?
When I was doing a post-grad art course I decided to do some illustrations as part of it rather than just paintings.

'Cockburn Street'

I wanted to illustrate something Scottish so I chose two different areas as I mentioned before; Edinburgh history and Robert Burns’ poetry.  I decided to illustrate those themes and the National Library Of Scotland heard about them. They buy fine art books if they’re originals so they bought them, which was great! They’re one-off pieces.  I did a lot of engraving and etching on the old-fashioned presses and the books are created with original copper etchings.

With your landscape painting and some of your Edinburgh paintings, how do you capture the scene? Do you use photographs, sketches, your memory or do you paint on site?
I use photographs for reference. I do lots of little drawings in cafes from my car or on site depending on weather. These are essential for finished work.

How long does a piece take you from concept to finished painting and do you find you gain more satisfaction from a longer piece which had become a ‘project’?
Figurative work is more time consuming and more difficult than landscape work. Some pieces take months, others weeks.  I do gain more satisfaction from paintings which take me longer to do, such as figurative paintings, because there’s so much more going into it. You need to come up with a lot of imagination, do a lot of research and all that takes time.  So you do feel more satisfied at the end!

‘When The Saints’, ‘Summertime’ and ‘Summertime Blues’ look like they were painted in New Orleans! What was the inspiration behind these works and are you a jazz fan? Do you like to capture aspects of your personality in your art?
I think my personality is in all my art. I love all music; it touches the soul!

'When The Saints'

Do people who buy your art feel a personal affinity with the subject or scene? Do they respond in a way that you expect or are you ever surprised by their reactions?
My paintings usually draw people into the scene. Everyone reacts differently depending on the image.

Any tips on how to get your art into galleries that other artists might find useful?
I exhibit as much as possible. Artists need the public to see their work! I have never painted for fashion. I don’t stay in one area; I paint what I feel passionate about.

'Market Day'

Some galleries reject me, other galleries like my work.  To get work into galleries, I tend to just pick up the paintings I can carry, drive into town and walk them round the galleries I want to show in!  That way they get to see it first-hand which is lacking in an email.You need to be quite brave to do that because there is rejection sometimes if you just turn up but then sometimes not; it’s a gamble you take.  I paint now because I want to and because I’m passionate about it, not because I want to make money.  So any money is a bonus to an already big passion!

How have you found the recent recession with regards to your work as an artist? Have you struggled or have you not noticed much of an impact?
I think the recent recession has had a major effect on both galleries and artists.  Prices for good work are below average. Many galleries have closed. With my landscapes, I had quite a lot of success with the galleries in the north of Scotland -  mainly I think because of the tourists visiting the area; tourists like landscapes! With my figurative work it’s been far more difficult. I’ve only got one or two figurative paintings  into galleries.  I think figurative work is not so fashionable; so much of what some galleries will accept and show is to do with fashion.  Not many will show your work for the sake of it.

What is the best aspect of being an artist and what do you love about it?
Art is the love of my life. I am 67 years old and still feel the excitement of beginning a new work. There is great fulfilment and joy when I get it right.  If I couldn’t paint I would just fade away!

What are you working on next? Any future plans or projects in the pipeline that we should look out for?
At present I am absorbed in figurative work, “People and Places”. I paint whatever touches me emotionally.

I’d like to thank Maureen for her friendly chat and allowing us into her thoughts regarding her work and art.  We wish her all the very best for the future and great continued success….and if you’d like to have a closer look at her imaginative, thought-provoking work, take a look at her website:

http://maureenmonteath.theartistsweb.co.uk/

Title:          Lead Artist, Arts Partnership Nottinghamshire
Location:   East Midlands
Salary:      (£20k-25k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Thursday 10 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/lead-artist-4/

Title:          Company/Artist commission, Hoxton Hall
Location:   London
Salary:      (£10k-15k) Full time
Deadline:   Thursday 10 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/companyartist-commission/

Title:          Public Artist, Highfields Science Specialist School
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£15k-20k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-artist-3/

Title:          Visual Artist, Swale Borough Council
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/visual-artist-18/

Title:          Art in public – Shaftesbury, Wide Open Space
Location:   South West
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/art-in-public-shaftesbury/

Title:          Tender for the delivery of arts activity in Queen’s Park, Well London
Location:   London
Salary:      (£30k-40k) Full time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/tender-for-the-delivery-of-arts-activity-in-queens-park/

Title:          Commission opportunities, RUNS ON THE BOARD
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£50k+ pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 14th June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/commission-opportunities/

Title:          Public Art Scheme: Williams Street, Little Lever, Bolton, Bolton at Home
Location:   North West
Salary:      (£50k+ pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 14 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-art-scheme-williams-street-little-lever-bolton/

Title:          Deaf & Disabled artists for exciting Paralympic opportunity, Creative Bucks
Location:   South East, East Midlands
Salary:      (£40k-50k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Thursday 17 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/deaf-disabled-artists-for-exciting-paralympic-opportunity/

Title:          Commission, 52 weeks of art
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Thursday 17 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/commission-3/

Title:          Inside Out: artist led engagement projects, Olympic Delivery Authority
Location:   London
Salary:      (£50k+ pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 21 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/inside-out-artist-led-engagement-projects/

Title:          Artist-in-residence, John Mason School
Location:   South East, Oxfordshire
Salary:      (£15k-20k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 21 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-in-residence-22/

Title:          Lead Artist, Yorkshire Artspace
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£20k-25k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 25 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/lead-artist-3/

Title:          Call for Craft Artists, MK Arts for Health – Milton Keynes
Location:   South East, Milton Keynes
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Wednesday 30 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/call-for-craft-artists/

Title:          Public Art Commission, Sheffield City Council
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Wednesday 30 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-art-commission-16/

Hi,

I just wanted to add whilst you are considering that my dear mum is 85  years young and has just completed a snow scene in pastels.  To be able to produce such good quality work and still receive commissions at that age is amazing!  Art has no barriers or age limits and it is a passion that burns within our souls.
(Just a proud daughter www.olga-rudenko.co.uk

We agree, Sonia!  Here’s a link to Olga’s snow scene in pastels which Sonia mentions…truly lovely!

http://www.olga-rudenko.co.uk/new-work/215595_snow-scene.html

Keep your comments and news coming, folks!

Admin

PROVIDE THE CENTREPIECE FOR NOZSTOCK FESTIVAL AND GET IN FREE…

Nozstock is a fantastic festival taking place in the Summer heat (hopefully!) of July in beautiful Herefordshire.  More intimate than it’s big brothers, Glastonbury and Reading, it is attracting some glowing reviews and some class music acts.  Interaction has always been at the very heart of Nozstock and this year for the very first time there is a competition for Nozstockers to design and build the centrepiece of the festival which will be displayed in the middle of the lake. The winner will receive two free festival passes, a feature on the Nozstock website and inclusion in this year’s festival programme and publicity campaign.

Are you the creator of a strong, visionary sculpture that deserves to be seen by many or perhaps you have a concept that could be developed in time to exhibit?
We want to see your existing images or preliminary sketches. The winner of the competition will have their work presented at Nozstock as the focal artwork present at 2010’s festival.
The piece should complement the ‘Handmade’ theme of the festival and needs to be no heavier than a ton, no wider at the base than 4 foot and no taller than 15 foot. Works should be unique and hardy, capable of dealing with the English elements.
The centrepiece will be visible from the festival site looking down on the lake in the Coppice field. It will be backed by a canvas of display lighting of the field’s perimeter trees and highlighted through the festival day and night.
All entries are to be received by midnight Friday, May 28th 2010. The winner will be informed by June 4th, providing artists with unmade sculptures one month for completion. Please do not enter the competition if you will not be able to complete your sculpture within the month (Nozstock will not provide material costs).

Take a look at the entry page on the Nostock Festival website HERE:

http://www.nozstockfestival.co.uk/festival-home/latest-news/130-provide-the-centrepiece-for-nozstock-festival-and-get-in-free

To enter:
Please send photos/drawings and information to:
Centrepiece Competition, FAO: Toki Allison, Nozstock Festival, Rowden Paddocks, Bromyard, Herefordshire HR7 4LS
toki@nozstock.com

The winner will receive:
- A stage for their sculpture with a plaque from the main viewing spot
- A news article on the official Nozstock website profiling the sculpture and artist
- A profile within the official Nozstock programme for 2010’s festival
- 2 free tickets to the festival for the full weekend

- Competition Terms and Conditions
1. This competition is open to entrants aged 18 years or over.
2. All information detailing how to enter this competition forms part of these terms and conditions. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the entrant agrees to abide by these rules. Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions.
3. To enter this competition, entrants must submit their sculpture design or photo in along with an explanation of the inspiration for their sculpture to the published email or postal address. Entrants must include their name, address and contact telephone number. The written element of an entry must be in English and be no more than 200 words long. Entries will not be returned.
4. The final sculpture will be no taller than 15 foot, no wider or deeper than 4 foot, and be no heavier than a ton and made of durable materials. It will be visible from above and for a 180° aspect from the front.
5. All entries must be received by midnight on Friday, May 28th 2010.
6. All entries submitted must be the original work of the individual submitting them. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that their entry does not infringe the rights of any third party or any laws.
7. Rights in all designs submitted for this competition remain with the respective entrants. However, in consideration of Nozstock Festival providing the competition, each entrant grants a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual licence to Nozstock Festival Limited to feature any or all of the submitted essays and designs in any of their publications, their websites and/or in any promotional material connected to this competition without payment to the entrant. The individuals responsible for any designs so featured will be fully credited.
8. Only one entry per person. Late, illegible, incomplete, defaced or corrupt entries or entries not within the design criteria will not be accepted. No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries and proof of transmission will not be accepted as proof of receipt. Entries must not be sent through agencies or third parties.
9. The overall winner shall be announced on the Nozstock website and via our social networking media and on Friday, June 4th 2010. The winner will be the entrant whose sculpture, solely in the opinion of the judges, displays the most original and exceptional thinking and inspiration, whilst suiting Nozstock Festival. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
12. The winning entrant shall have their sculpture exhibited at the festival, which will be on display throughout the weekend of 9-11th July. The sculpture will be commemorated by a plaque, placed at the best viewing point with the winner’s name and biography. The winner will also receive free entry for themselves and a guest for the full festival weekend and will have a news article written profiling their work.
13. Travel, accommodation or incidental expenses for attending the ceremony are not included.
14. The winner may be required to take part in publicity.
15. The prize as described is available on the date of publication. All elements of the prize are non transferable and there are no cash alternatives.
16. Events may occur that render the competition itself or the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Promoter and accordingly the Promoter may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to the Promoter as a result thereof.
17. Nozstock Festival is responsible for the publication and adjudication of the competition and also for the provision of the prize.
Nozstock Festival Ltd, Rowden Paddocks, Bromyard, Herefordshire HR7 4LS

Plans for the new Basildon Art Trail are gathering pace and now with venues expressing interest, the trail needs local artists to display their work.
Visual artist Dean Smith, whose idea it was to run an art trail in Basildon, has been delighted by the enthusiasm for the trail already and now wants professional artists who live or work in Basildon, Billericay and Wickford to apply to show their work. The Art Trail will run from Thursday 16 until Monday 20 September 2010.  Dean, who has a studio at Barleylands Craft Village, understands the need for creative professionals to find new outlets for their art:‘Artists are constantly seeking new audiences to share and enjoy their work. An Art Trail is a fantastic way for local people to discover the talented individuals in their area whom they may otherwise have never known were there!’ he says.  ‘Basildon, Billericay and Wickford have vibrant arts communities that sometimes get overlooked. The Art Trail is a way to celebrate our artists and help them connect with their local community who in turn will discover a wealth of talent on their doorstep.’
This is the first ever Basildon & District Art Trail.  Basildon and District has a population of approx 150, 000 and more than 500 practicing artists within that population.
The Basildon and District Art Trail covers three different geographical areas: Basildon, Billericay and Wickford and will lead visitors to the some of the famous Basildon Art Collection currently on display at the Towngate Theatre. The collection contains works by internationally renowned artists such as Dame Barbara Hepworth, Elizabeth Frink, Ivor Hitchens, Patrick Heron, Joe Tilson and William Scott.The district has a wealth of public art to discover. In Basildon is the famous Mother & Child Fountain, a work by architect Sir Basil Spence and sculptor Maurice Lambert. The last piece created by T.B. Huxley-Jones, The Figure Of Christ, can be found over the porch of St Martin Of Tours Church.
If you would like to take the opportunity of having your art displayed in shops around the area as part of the art trail, you will need to download an application form from the Art Trail website (www.thebdat.com).  Deadline for submission is Friday, 18th June 2010.  There are no size or genre restrictions for submissions although artists should consider that their work will mainly be going into shop windows throughout Basildon, Billericay and Wickford – so wall mural-sized creations are out!
Work submitted to the Arts Trail will be considered by a selection committee made up of some notable local figures. This will ensure a very high standard of work on display.
If you interested in hosting an artist’s work in your premises and would like to finds out more about the Basildon Arts Trail, please contact: Dean Smith

Email:deansmithart@hotmail.co.uk

Postal address:
Studio 41
Barleylands Craft Village
Billericay
CM11 2UD

Tel. 01268 522973

What is the voyeuristic impulse behind our attraction to the gruesome and the horrible? Where does the magnetic appeal of the sordid and the scandalous come from? Is ugliness also in the eye of the beholder?

‘How beautiful ugliness is!’ is a forthcoming exhibition of works by 30 artists exploring the concept of ugliness, the monstrous and the repellent in visual culture and the arts. With abundant examples depicting ugliness in painting and sculpture ranging from ancient
Greek amphorae to Bosch, Brueghel, and Goya among others, this provocative exhibition aims to explores in-depth our present day notions of the horrid, evil and depravity, as well as darkness in art and literature.

The down-side of beauty lets one discover a vast and often unsuspected iconographic vein. This exhibition endeavours for visitors to consciously face ugliness wit the hope that they will exclaim: ‘How beautiful ugliness is!’

This show has a participation fee of £60 per artist. The combined participation fee will ensure that Red Gate Gallery can print postcards, catalogues and posters for promotional purposes as well as cover the hiring cost of the venue and other overheads such as electricity,
rates, etc..

We are looking for:

·         Artists must be London based. (This is due to avoid shipping difficulties)

·         25 2-D artists working in various media such as acrylic, oil, photography and
collage. The subject matter for the show focuses on ‘ugliness’. Each artist can only exhibit
one piece of work relating to the topic. The dimensions of the work must be 60cm x 60cm
or 24″ x 24″ – works bigger or smaller will not be accepted.

·         5 3-D artists working in new-media, installation and sculpture

·         Each artist can only exhibit one piece of work. The dimensions of the work can
be up to 1 m2.

·         Deadline for submitting statements and sample jpgs 30th of April 2010 – 5pm

Contact Yara Tschallener, Red Gate Gallery on info@redgategallery.co.uk

What we need from participating artists who would like to submit work:

·         Short supporting statement about your work relating directly to theme. Not more
than 50 words.

·         1 – 3 good quality high res jpg of works to be submitted.

·         Full name, e-mail address, phone number when sending the application

·         participation fee only to be paid when accepted for the show

·         Deadline for submitting statements and sample jpgs 30th of April 2010 – 5pm

Contact Yara Tschallener, Red Gate Gallery on info@redgategallery.co.uk or call 02073260993
for submissions and further queries.

What is the voyeuristic impulse behind our attraction to the gruesome and the horrible? Where does the magnetic appeal of the sordid and the scandalous come from? Is ugliness also in the eye of the beholder?  ‘How beautiful ugliness is!’ is a forthcoming exhibition of works by 30 artists exploring the concept of ugliness, the monstrous and the repellent in visual culture and the arts. With abundant examples depicting ugliness in painting and sculpture ranging from ancient Greek amphorae to Bosch, Brueghel, and Goya among others, this provocative exhibition aims to explores in-depth our present day notions of the horrid, evil and depravity, as well
as darkness in art and literature.

The down-side of beauty lets one discover a vast and often unsuspected iconographic vein. This exhibition endeavours for visitors to consciously face ugliness wit the hope that they will exclaim: ‘How beautiful ugliness is!’

http://www.redgategallerylondon.co.uk/

Title:          Visual Artist, cre8us
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£15k-20k pro rata)
Deadline:   Tuesday 4 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/visual-artist-17/

Title:          Freelance contract, ROAR
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£30k-40k pro rata)
Deadline:   Friday 7 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/freelance-contract-2/

Title:          Public art commission Bath, Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset Council and Kennet & Avon Canal 200
Location:   South West
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata)
Deadline:   Monday 10 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-art-commission-bath-somerset/

Title:          Destructivist Artists wanted, Scrap Club
Location:   London
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 10 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/destructivist-artists-wanted/

Title:          Artist Commission, Royal Liverpool Hospital
Location:   North West, Liverpool
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata)
Deadline:   Friday 14 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-commission-10/

Title:          Artist, Groundwork North Northamptonshire
Location:   East Midlands
Salary:      (£30k-40k) – Full Time
Deadline:   Friday 14 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-32/

Title:          Call for Freelance Visual Artists, Hackney Museum
Location:   London
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 14 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/call-for-freelance-visual-artists/

Title:          Artist – Visual Arts Workshops Leader, Portsmouth City Council
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£40k-50k pro rata) Part-time
Deadline:   Monday 17 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-visual-arts-workshops-leader/

Title:          Freelance Artist – Stone Carving, Same Sky
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 17 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/freelance-artist-stone-carving/

Title:          Freelance Artist – Furniture/Land Art, Same Sky
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 17 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED

http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/freelance-artist-furnitureland-art/

Title:          Labyrinth Artist, ASCDC
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Tuesday 18 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/labyrinth-artist/

Title:          Freelance Artist – Willow Weaving, Same Sky
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   10am Monday 17 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/freelance-artist-willow-weaving/

Title:          Documentary Photographer, Larkin25
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 17 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED

http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/documentary-photographer-1/

Title:          Artist/sculptor, Lchfield District Council, Arts Development
Location:   West Midlands, East Midlands
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata)
Deadline:   Friday 21 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artistsculptor/

Title:          Artist/sculptor – Dance yer Socks Off, Lichfield District Council
Location:   West Midlands, East Midlands
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 21 May 2010 – DEADLINE NOW PASSED
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artistsculptor-dance-yer-socks-off/


Title:          Mosaic makers, Scartworks Ltd.
Location:   North West
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Not stated but new posting as at 23 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/mosaic-makers/

Title:          Installation art – commission, Greenbelt
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£30k-40k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 24 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/installation-art-commission/

Title:          Public Art Commission, Brighton & Hove City Council
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part-time
Deadline:   Wednesday 26 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-art-commission-14/

Title:          Invitation to Tender, Outdoor Event commission, Portsmouth Festivities
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£50k+ pro rata)
Deadline:   Friday 28 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/invitation-to-tender-outdoor-event-commission/

Title:          Public Artist, Arc architecture centre
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:       (20k-25k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 28 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-artist-1/

Title:          Artist in residence, Sandwell Inclusive Summer Scheme
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata)
Deadline:   Friday 28 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-in-residence-21/

Title:          Public Artist, North Staffs Regeneration Partnership
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£30k-40k pro rata)
Deadline:   Friday 28 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/index.php?id=25&ne_source=dailynews_plain&ne_post_id=41658

Title:          Artist, North Staffs Regeneration Partnership – Ceramic Tile Design Brief
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£15k-20k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 28 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/index.php?id=25&ne_source=dailynews_plain&ne_post_id=41661

Title:          Interior Artwork Commission, Nottingham City Council
Location:   East Midlands
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 28 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/interior-artwork-commission/

Title:          Art Commission, Brixton
Location:   London
Salary:      (£50k+ pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Saturday 29 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/art-commission-brixton/

Title:          Public Art Commission, Redbridge Council
Location:   London, Redbridge
Salary:      (£50k+) Full time
Deadline:   Monday 31 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-art-commission-15/

Title:          Artist Tutors, Midlands Arts Centre
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Monday 31 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-tutors-2/

Title:          Artist, Inter-Action MK
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£20k-25k pro rata)
Deadline:   Monday 31 May 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-34/

Title:          Public Art Sculpture Commission, The Making
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Tuesday 1 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-art-sculpture-commission/

Title:          Freelance Installation Artist, City Arts
Location:   East Midlands
Salary:      (£20k-25k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Tuesday 01 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/freelance-installation-artist/

Title:          Lead artist for Creative Landscapes Residency, English Heritage
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£20k-25k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Wednesday 2nd June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/lead-artist-for-creative-landscapes-residency/

Title:          Artist for Talking Shop in Lancaster, Mid Pennine Arts
Location:   North West
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   12 noon on Thursday 3rd June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-for-talking-shop-in-lancaster/

Title:           Artist brief for Shorey Bank, Darwen, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Location:  North West
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 4 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-brief-for-shorey-bank-darwen/

Title:          Video Artist, Freedom Studios
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 4 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/video-artist-2/

Title:          Commissioning Opportunity, Chester Performs
Location:   North West
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 4th June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/commissioning-opportunity/

Title:          Brighton Photo Fringe OPEN 2010 – Call for submissions
Location:   South East, Brighton
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata)
Deadline:   5pm Monday 7 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/brighton-photo-fringe-open-2010-call-for-submissions/

Title:          Established and Emerging Deaf and Disabled Artists, Create,Compete,Collaborate
Location:   South East
Salary:      (£30k-40k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Wednesday 9th June
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/established-and-emerging-deaf-and-disabled-artists/

Title:          Art in public – Shaftesbury, Wide Open Space
Location:   South West
Salary:      (£25k-30k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/art-in-public-shaftesbury/

Title:          Tender for the delivery of arts activity in Queen’s Park, Well London
Location:   London
Salary:      (£30k-40k) Full time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/tender-for-the-delivery-of-arts-activity-in-queens-park/

Title:          Public Artist, Highfields Science Specialist School
Location:   West  Midlands
Salary:      (£15k-20k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/public-artist-3/

Title:          3 Creative Catalysts, Aberdeen City Council
Location:   Scotland
Salary:      (£25k-30k) Full time
Deadline:   Friday 11 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/3-creative-catalysts/

Title:          Artist in Residence, Queen Mary University of London
Location:   London
Salary:      (£25k-30k) Full time
Deadline:   Tuesday 15 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artist-in-residence-20/

Title:          UP THE WALL 2010 – Call for Proposals, Chester Performs
Location:   North West
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Thursday 17 June 2010
http://blog.artweb.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=3192&message=1

Title:          Artists’  Commission, Nottingham City Council
Location:   East Midlands
Salary:      (£30k-40k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 18 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/artists-commission-3/

Title:          Commission, 52 weeks of art
Location:   West Midlands
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Thursday 18th June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/commission-3/

Title:          Studio Residency in Southwark, Acme Studios
Location:   London
Salary:      (£10k-15k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 25 June 2010

http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/studio-residency-in-southwark/

Title:          Lead Artist, Yorkshire Artspace
Location:   Yorkshire
Salary:      (£20k-25k pro rata) Part time
Deadline:   Friday 25 June 2010
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/lead-artist-3/

1) Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham
‘Making it/Faking it’
2nd October 2010 – January 2011

Deadline for submissions 20th August 2010

Through its annual open exhibition opportunities, Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham helps artists both locally and nationally to showcase their work in group exhibitions. Each year, over 500 individual artists (excluding those participating in Arthouse) exhibit work in a range of open exhibitions across three galleries – Orleans House and Stables Galleries, Twickenham and the Riverside Gallery in Richmond. In 2010, we have further opportunities for you to submit artwork for an exhibition in Orleans House Gallery; ‘Making It/Faking It’.  The theme of this exhibition is fakes, forgeries, homages and pastiches, or any works that explore the questions and notions of originality, influence and authenticity.  Any media (prints, photos, paintings, objects, sculptures,film) and style are considered.

• Artists can submit up to 5 original works. Artworks must be submitted as high resolution jpeg files on a CD, with accompanying A4 sized
photographic prints or colour printouts. Original artwork will not be accepted.

• Please clearly label each submission with: artist’s name, title of work, date, media, approximate size and price before commission if the work is for sale (the gallery adds 40% of the artist price for commission + VAT).

• In addition, please enclose contact details, an artist’s statement and CV.

• There is a £10.00 administration charge (which also contributes towards exhibition costs); £7.50 concessions (please include proof). Please make cheques payable to ‘L.B.R.U.T’. Your submission will not be accepted without payment.

• If you would like images returned, please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope.

Successful artists will be contacted by email or in writing approximately two weeks after the deadline.

Any queries, please email curator Mark De Novellis at m.denovellis@richmond.gov.uk
Or call 020 8831 6000
Orleans House Gallery, Riverside, Twickenham, TW1 3DJ

http://www.richmond.gov.uk/orleans_house_gallery

Here’s the next opportunity…..

2) 2010 open opportunities for artists at Riverside Gallery, Richmond
‘Picturing Science’
4th December – February 2011
Deadline for submissions 23rd October 2010

We have further opportunities for you to submit artwork for an exhibition at Riverside Gallery, Picturing Science. Scientists use an abstract language of signs to visualize and explain the invisible forces, relationships and processes which make up our world. Artists similarly create images to transmit and analyse meaning. The theme of this exhibition is the collision, intersection and contamination of these two systems of representation. Any media (prints, photos, paintings, objects, sculptures, film) and style are considered.

• Artists can submit up to 5 original works. Artworks must be submitted as high resolution jpeg files on a CD, with accompanying A4 sized
photographic prints or colour printouts. Original artwork will not be accepted.

• Please clearly label each submission with: artist’s name, title of work, date, media, approximate size and price before commission if the work is for sale (the gallery adds 40% of the artist price for commission + VAT).

• In addition, please enclose contact details, an artist’s statement and CV.

• There is a £10.00 administration charge (which also contributes towards exhibition costs); £7.50 concessions (please include proof). Please make cheques payable to ‘L.B.R.U.T’. Your submission will not be accepted without payment.

• If you would like images returned, please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope.

Successful artists will be contacted by email or in writing approximately two weeks after the deadline.

m.denovellis@richmond.gov.uk
Or call 020 8831 6000
Riverside Gallery, Riverside, Twickenham, TW1 3DJ

http://www.richmond.gov.uk/riverside_gallery

The exhibition focuses mainly on the correspondence between Van Gogh and his art-dealer brother Theo (and to a lesser degree with his sister, Willemien).  Sketches (referred to as Van Gogh as ‘scratchings’) -  sometimes in ink, sometimes in colour -  of proposed, half-finished and completed paintings adorn many of the letters, with footnotes by the artist about what he was hoping to achieve, how he felt about the work and the circumstances surrounding his creation of it.

Vincent Van Gogh, aged 19

The descriptions are as vivid in their words as they are in Van Gogh’s mind: “…here’s a croquis of the latest canvas I’m working on, another sower. Immense lemon yellow disc for the sun. Green-yellow sky with pink clouds. The field is violet, the sower and the tree Prussian Blue.”  Each letter with a  sketch is (usually) positioned adjacent to the finished work, which results in slow tennis match-like movements of the head by groups of people comparing the details of each.   I like the way the letters are mounted and displayed like works of art in their own right.   So did everyone else, it would seem, as actually getting close enough to the letters to be able to see the details of the drawing, his words and that famous signature is a minor accomplishment in itself.  The letters and paintings start off with Van Gogh’s very early works, his grey pen-and-ink drawings of dark, damp Holland pathways and marshes, his descriptions of teaching himself from drawing manuals: ‘if one lacks that knowledge, one will never give birth to anything’,  and trying to master perspective in his drawings.
I found the pen and ink and black chalk drawings of his earlier time spent in the Netherlands fascinating; his ‘Peasant in Action’ series was inspired after the criticism he received for his famous ‘The Potato Eaters’ in 1885.  The series intended to improve his technique for figure drawing and he drew peasants in his local community (mention of paying them for posing is made in his letters). The drawings, many in chalk, make for a striking wall of images;  one cannot help but notice not only the humility of the figures, but also the hard work they endured just to survive from the land – one one wall nearly every one is bent over double from the waist.  However, the rigidity of the figures is also revealing of the troubles Van Gogh had in capturing fluid movement when drawing people, a point the exhibition examines in some depth.  The landscapes are bleak and we are reminded how close the relationship between Van Gogh and the countryside he captured was; he used reed from the land to create his works and his respect for the peasants he captures in their aching work and the hard land they’re working on is glaringly obvious.

'Peasant Woman Planting Potatoes', 1885

Not knowing much at all about Van Gogh apart from the famous works, the fact he cut off his ear, suffered from mental illness and commit suicide at an early age – the usual school-taught facts which now makes me feel rather ashamed that prior to this exhibition, I’d thought that was pretty much all I’d want to know about him – I discovered countless little gems of information which constantly reveal themselves  from his letters.  His accounts of his struggles to lift colour into his work instead of the darker tones he was maybe more naturally attracted to and which are heavily featured in his early works:  ‘I have made a series of colour studies in painting, simply flowers….trying to render intense COLOUR and not a GREY harmony.”  His additional struggles of capturing the human form…something that didn’t seem to come naturally at first to the self-taught artist: ‘what used to seem to me to be desperately impossible is now gradually becoming possible, thank God.  I’ve drawn a peasant with a spade no fewer than five times…’.  His throwaway comment to Theo about how his wonderfully, yellow-ly vibrant portrait of ‘L’Arlesienne: Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux with her Books,’  had been  ‘knocked off in one hour’ , literally making my jaw drop.  One hour?? Through the letters we discover personal glimpses of his life; his financial state, his living arrangements, detailed weather reports, his innermost thoughts, what he’s reading and often heart-rending accounts on his struggles as an artist, how Impressionism influenced his style and, more surprisingly, Japanese art: ‘all my work is based to some extent on Japanese art’.

The last two rooms of the exhibition display some of  his last landscapes; beautiful, familiar brush strokes, soaring colour, blowsy blooms and clouds and all of them a pure joy to behold. You suddenly find yourself in a swirl of golden, hot countryside.   His landscapes are  relaxing, serene and breathe life into the very scenes he was trying to capture. Van Gogh painted seventy landscapes in the last seventy days of his life and it’s still jarring to think of the turmoil he must have been in when placed against the stark contrast of the life and beauty in the paintings.

'Wheat Fields', 1890

His final letter to Theo is heartbreaking; large brown blobs of (supposedly) blood dot the unfinished, unsigned draft which was found in his jacket pocket after he had shot himself in the field.  In it, he sums up his experience of having created all the magnificent, beautiful, dark, vivid, colourful and stunning art we’ve just had the privilege to walk through: “I risk my life for my work and my reason has half-foundered in it.”

I left wanting to return immediately; partly because we were unfortunately evacuated after the exhibition plunged into blackness and sirens started going off  following a power cut along the whole of Piccadilly.  But also because I felt I hadn’t seen enough the first time around due to the logistics of the display.  And this is where the exhibition stopped short of being a stunningly brilliant one; it’s way too cramped for it’s popularity and the sheer size of the exhibits.  You’re dealing with letters (small) and canvases (big) and hundreds of people trying to view these tiny little letters.  Only half the Royal Academy’s main floor is used for the exhibition and it shows; people stand four of five deep trying to see one letter – very frustrating if you don’t have hours and hours to spare.   As the exhibition begins with his work displayed chronologically, it is rather confusing (and frustrating) when chronological order stops and is replaced with themed ‘chapters’ such as Portraits, Colour and Japanese Prints, in which the dates of the works are a little all over the place.  This achieved nothing but resulting in my losing my focus and I was not alone in this; I overheard more than a handful of quizzical objections.  It’s true that the paintings selected to illustrate each theme (such as Colour) prove their point; my brother’s genuine-but-immensly-enthusiastic reaction to the vivid bold colours of ‘Basket Of Oranges’ was so extreme that I fleetingly considered hanging him on the wall next to it, his exultations drew so much attention.  But I missed watching the visual development of Van Gogh’s techniques and his growth as an artist which we’d seen earlier.  However, each new letter and painting or drawing is so breathtaking, not only for the content but for the sheer fact it is actually HIS life unfolding before you, that it does  tend to override the initial confusion and mild irritation at having lost one’s thread.

But those imperfections have not stopped thousands of people flocking to see this really rather brilliant exhibition.  Go.  Take your time.  Take the day off work. Visit the toilet BEFORE you go in.  Wear comfy shoes.  Don’t rush.  And be prepared to get totally mesmerised, just as I was.

Running until April 18th 2010
http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/vangogh/

Gallery: Royal Academy Of Arts, London

The Gallery: Biiiiiiig!  One of those buildings that has it’s shoulders puffed up as soon as you get anywhere near it, as if to remind you of the importance of the work you are about to see.  You’ll need a map to get around it if you’re visiting more than the main exhibition.
History: Founded by George III in 1768, the Royal Academy is an independent, privately-funded institution, the ethos of which is to promote, educate and encourage debate of the arts through it’s exhibitions, talks and workshops.

Take:
* An umbrella if it’s raining; the queues for those buying tickets on the door for the bigger shows can be very long and the open courtyard doesn’t offer much protection from the elements!
* Comfortable shoes – as I said, it’s biiiiiiig!
* Glasses if you need them; depending on the popularity of the exhibition, you may well find yourself struggling to get  close enough to study the text or finer details of some of the exhibits.
Don’t take:
* Pushchairs.  That may not make me popular, but I saw more than two mothers really struggling around with the crowds and the stairs.  I didn’t notice any lifts, although the website stresses that they exist.  However, the advice to wheelchair users;  ‘please contact a security guard if lift access is required’, suggests that they are not readily available?
* More than one shoulder-bag.  We were lucky; we were at the front of the queue for the free cloakroom (bonus points for it being free!).  However, the cloakroom is small and as the day went on we noticed lots of people lugging cumbersome bags around.
We liked:
* The architecture; it’s big, it’s imposing, but dammit it looks good!
* The main exhibition.  So good I saw it twice.
* Plenty of seats around to rest your weary feet (amazing how tired one gets from shuffling slowly from amazing  painting to amazing painting).
* Helpful staff who evacuated the entire exhibition safely after a blackout and sirens going off (this was during the first visit) without panic and reasonably fast after an initial minute of confusion. Also, absolutely no problems in re-using our tickets without question again later that month.
We furrowed our brows at:
* No lift access?  If it was there (and apparently it is), it really wasn’t clear.
* The inability to get anywhere quite a proportion of the letters by Van Gogh;  yes it was busy,  but surely major exhibition galleries should be able to devise a method of exhibiting smaller pieces without it being necessary to stand on a stranger’s shoulders/get elbowed out of the way?
* The cold!  It was cold!  I’m not sure if this was for preserving the art but it doesn’t half get distracting after a bit.

Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington House
Piccadilly
London W1J 0BD

General enquiries: 020 7300 8000
Tickets: 0844 209 1919

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/vangogh/

'Massacre Of The Innocents' - a snip at £49.5 million

By going along to the public view, you can be one of the first to glimpse it before the queues start forming once it’s unveiled in the gallery which has the golden credit card and is established enough (or should that read mad enough?) to bid.
Check online for charity art auction notifications too…I usually just type ‘charity art auctions 2010′ into Google and it comes up with the goods!  It’s fun to attend the actual auction too, even if you’re not buying.  Auctions can be exciting and atmospheric and, coupled with a bevvy at the pub before or after, make for a good alternative night out!  If you are interested in buying, it’s a good idea to attend a couple of auctions where you’re only there as an observer first, to get a sense of how it all works.  As long as you set yourself a budget and stick to it (which is easier said than done….how many of us have got a little carried away in the last few frenzied seconds of bidding for things on Ebay?), you could well bag yourself an arty bargain!
So…before you head to see the latest Monet exhibition at Tate Britain, have a quick look at what’s going under the hammer this year.  And then go along for a free sneaky peak!  You’ll save your pennies and be one of the first to have a butchers.
Still need convincing?  Van Gogh’s drawing,  ‘Pine Trees In Front Of The Wall Of The Asylum’,  recently fetched £769,250 at Christie’s, London, in February of this year.  Check out some of the other – ahem – slightly more expensive lots which have made for impressive free public viewings from previous auctions over the years……

• ‘Massacre Of The Innocents’, Sir Peter Paul Rubens….fetched £49.5 million at Sotheby’s, London, in July 2002.

• ‘Le Bassin aux Nympheus’ by Claude Monet….fetched £40.9 million at Christie’s, London, in June 2008.

• ‘Acrobate et jeune Arlequin’ by Pablo Picasso….fetched £20.9 million at Christie’s, London , in 1988.

Some Picasso ceramics are coming up for auction at Bonhams in London this September….prices around £10-15,000.  Need some new dinner plates?

http://www.christies.com/
http://www.sothebys.com/
http://www.bonhams.com/