Art for Survival - How the Art World is Adapting by Lauren Slater

It is quite right that the artistic community - like everyone else - stays home in order to save lives and to protect our NHS.  As a result, Galleries and public art institutions are closed, and artists who are mostly self employed 'freelancers'  are forced to create in the confines of their own homes without any means of promoting their work- how then is the art world fighting back against the decimating effects of the Covid-19 lockdown?

The positive message is that galleries from small commercial galleries to large national institutions are opening virtual spaces with exhibitions being hosted on a range of platforms, opening exhibitions to an even wider audience.  Added to this are a host of positive effects and initiatives arising out of this crisis.  Click Here to read Lauren's full article.

WILD - Exhibition of wildlife artists

Adam Binder | Stephen Page | Eben Rautenbach | Tara Winona

Our first Virtual Exhibition is now open.  These four extremely talented artists have been preparing for this exhibition for some time producing some stunning new work which though in very different media and employing different processes, nonetheless has a palpable commonality - their abiding interest in the natural world.

Take a guided tour of the exhibition in our virtual gallery on the homepage of the Gallery Website

You can access your copy of the exhbition catalogue HERE

Spotlight On Sculptor Adam Binder

Adam lives and works in the Cotswolds where the bountiful and diverse environment provides endless resource for his inspiration.

One of Britain’s leading wildlife sculptors, Adam has a signature fluid style of simple lines and flowing forms depicting both movement and emotion that beautifully captures the essence of his subjects. Working primarily in Bronze with earthy rich patinas, Adam’s work is recognised and collected all over the world.

Adam won the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year in 2010, and was elected a Member of the Society of Wildlife Artists in 2011. One of the four participating artists in WILD, Adam has produced some exciting new work available to order now.

A new series of wall mounted plaques solve the problem of where to place your sculpture!

Where possible the subjects for Adam’s bronze wildlife sculptures are acutely observed and studied in their natural environment, a process that enables him to remove the extraneous detail without losing veracity and to concentrate on capturing the spirit of the animal through understated movement and suggestion.

Adam’s in-depth knowledge of his subjects, keen sense for the more abstract qualities of flowing lines and fullness of form coupled with beautifully rich patinas has gained him international recognition.  From Mice to Polar Bears, Adam’s wildlife sculptures capture serenity and intensity of spirit that reflects his own character and passion for the natural world.  Following the success of his 'Frog in a Pod, his new pieces pictured here include a new 'Mouse in a Pod'.

Renowned for his patinas, Adam tells us that white is one of the most difficult colours to achieve, involving many acid treatments.  Another new piece for the collection is the Harp Seal Pup - these attractive pups have a distinctive white fur when very young - this disappears at around 12 - 14 days after birth.  Their soft white fur led to the population being decimated by large annual  hunts.  This is now more regulated and populations were recovering - now climate change and loss of ice is likely to be a bigger threat.

Followers of Adam's work will be familiar with his range of garden birds.  His affection for the garden sparrow is clear from the range of pieces that he has made that feature this characterful little bird.  From the individual sparrow on a ball to his wire with 12 chattering sparrows, these gregarious birds have been inspiration for many sculptures in the collection - the most recent piece is this larger plaque with three sparrows.

In addition to the new work featured here, the exhibition features pieces from Adam's existing range all of which are available to order.

A round up of news from the art world....

One bored art world power couple have made a tiny museum for their nine month old pet gerbils - Pandoro and Tiramisu - on the 14th day of lockdown, V&A curator, Filippo Lorenzin, and artist, Marianna Benetti  spent 4 hours curating and crafting the miniature gallery - read more

The power of art to promote wellness and provide solace is perhaps needed now more than ever - but this is not a new concept - Duncan Phillips founded the Phillips Collection in Washington DC in response to a pandemic death a century ago.  Phillips recognised that  “Art offers two great gifts of emotion—the emotion of recognition and the emotion of escape. Both emotions take us out of the boundaries of self…. At my period of crisis I was prompted to create something which would express my awareness of life’s returning joys and my potential escape in to the land of artists’ dreams.”  At this time of separation and isolation - we are inspired to continue to share great art and art experiences with you.  Learn more about the Phillips Collection
 

It's Quiz Time - the Guardian newspaper and British galleries and museums have been setting quizzes - this one has been set by Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, home to one of the most significant collections of modern British art in Britain.  You can post your scores on our facebook page - and tell us what you learned!  Start Here

And finally.....

Artists for the NHS

On the 12th of May 2020 it will be Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday!

Artist Paul Stafford and his project partner Robin Hutchinson MBE will be asking 200 artists to create an artwork in their home/garden/shed and to put in a "shift" for the NHS on 30th April to finish their piece.  The 200 works will be auctioned on 12th May and all of the proceeds will be going to MealsfortheNHS.com, providing meals from local restaurants for NHS staff. The aim is to raise £200,000

"We, as artists, actors, musicians and creatives might not possess the practical skills to help our heroes but we do have ingenuity, energy and generosity in abundance. Whilst we might not be able to cook for our heroes we can still feed them." Paul Stafford

We will have more information in our next newsletter and will be posting updates on our website.