Could you firstly tell us, who is ‘Mr Mead’? 

A guy who draws all my work for me, he is very shy and therefore likes to hide behind a silly moniker. One of these days though he will be coaxed out of the shadows…..

You describe your art as ‘bio-mechanical anthropomorphism’.  Could you please explain this?

I saw a Paul Mcartney and the wings album when I was really young and it had a weird inlay of a monkey being mutilated with a weird machine on his head. For some reason I remembered the aesthetic of this and I have been drawing characters with machines on/in their heads ever since… In a nutshell it is animal people with things merged in with their regular bodies I guess…

Mr Mead - A Giants Gloom

Where do the characters in your art stem from and how do they ’become’?  Is it pre-planned in any way, or completely natural?

The characters mainly stem from my intense fear of animals suits that I decided a few years back to overcome. Now, whenever I see something new on that theme it sparks something/makes me cry and then I start scribbling…

And could you tell us a little about your process…

I have a lot of ideas, and am normally very impatient to really develop them small scale so normally I do a terrible scribble of an idea with a lot of writing around it and then get bored of that and draw big (as it feels so good) making it up as I go along…. Usually the end result only bares a resemblance in concept to the scribble…. After that it is normally a lot of cross-hatching and blending and my mind tends to shut down at that point, then when it wakes up again the picture is done…!

Did you study Art? 

Unfortunately yes, I studied animation. It is a very interesting subject that has the power to suck out your soul like the Dark Crystal. I escaped that land with my soul relatively intact and went to find greener pastures (my own work!) I learnt a lot though, so I can’t complain…

Tell us about Jamacia Street Studios?

It’s a smelly, mouse ridden creative wonderland. I almost live here in my tiny little windowless cupboard, cross hatching away. There is a lot of diversity in the building and there is always hints and tips around every corner…..

You come from Cornwall originally, what initiated the move to Bristol and where would we be most likely to find you lurking?

Cornwall to me was about as inspiring as watching T.V, so therefore I ran away. Bristol on the other hand seems to be artistically flourishing. Having said that there is not much of a ‘weird scene’, and I like my weird stuff… So soon I may be lurking elsewhere, currently though the rooftops of some abandoned building playing solitaire is where I shalst be…

Mr Mead - Wotsit's First Light - Fine Liner and Ink on Paper

You have created your own niche market, but which artists would you compare yourself to/draw inspiration from?

Thank you, I didn’t really think I had. My inspiration mainly comes from over the pond, the American art scene (anything in Hi Fructose magazine) really gets me inspired, Kris Kuksi, Sylvia Ji to name a few… Also recently I cannot tear myself away from the French blog ‘A Mon imaginaire’ it is utterly mesmerising…

Locally it is Tim Lane and Tom Bagshaw, both constantly make me inspired/depressed. Also before she moved away Beth Carter has been my number one source of art spark…

'Dark Suits' Playing Cards

The last few years must have been very busy, releasing your own set of playing cards and being involved in various different shows. What can we expect to see from you in the future?.

It has been crazy for the last few years, and at the moment I am taking a small breather as all that work nearly killed me last time… When I am back though I have many new installation ideas brewing and a few giant pieces planned… I am also making new work for a gallery show and the Jamaica street open studios is 5^th July, so having said that I was resting, that’s not actually the case…!

For more of Mr Mead’s work, or to see his Dark Suits Playing Cards, please see his Artist Page.

Video of Mr Mead creating Captain James McWolfson

Rose Sanderson - Lantern Fly - Acrylic on Book

You have a quotation on your website by painter, Paul Klee: “Art does not reproduce the visible,
rather it makes it visible”. What does this mean to you and your practice?
There is a lot in front of our eyes which we do not see. It may sound corny but beauty is all around us, and I
am particularly interested in painting the things that may go unnoticed, or tend to be disregarded. By
studying things like insects, anatomy and death, I hope to show an appreciation for what once was, and what
is.

Why did you decide to use book covers as your canvas?
Much of my work is based on the fragility of life, and to me the book covers represent a story or a passage in
time, emphasised by the subject matter painted upon them. Beetles for example feed of decaying matter to
survive; they are part of nature’s cycle. It’s all about recycling, regeneration, metamorphosis, life and death,
and the materials I use relate to this.

Rose Sanderson - Baorisa hieroglyphica - Acrylic on Book

With your newer works you have started to use a splattering technique alongside the dripping and
bleeding of paint. These techniques contrast your very precise specimen like paintings on book covers,
what do you get out of the different styles of working?
The technique is nothing new, although I do only really use it where I feel necessary to give a feeling of
movement and life rather than just for the sake of it. It is produced simply with a brush, some paint, and a bit
of a flick! It’s spontaneous but in a controlled manner.
I have found a way to combine my expressive side with my more controlled one (in my current bird
paintings especially). Although some works may be more separate and appear quite different, they are
actually linked through the ideas behind them. As for what I get out of these different styles of working?
Variety and freedom to express myself depending on my mood, which I feel is important in keeping the
works fresh and interesting.

Rose Sanderson - Escape I

How do you decide which creatures to reproduce and where do you go to for source material?
I am generally painting birds and insects at the moment as I believe they represent the ideas I am trying to
convey at this point in time. I source my material from a variety of places; some are from real life, some
from photographs taken by others or myself. The creature’s colour, shape, type etc. will be taken into account
to work alongside the overall painting’s composition and feel, and the pose will also be considered so the
animal fits amongst it’s painted environment. I want the subject and it’s background to work together in
harmony, however abstract it may seem.

Rose Sanderson - White Scarab

When you first started working with Antlers your work was a bit darker; the foetuses and the resting
soul series, what precipitated your shift in tone?
I don’t feel that my work has shifted a great deal, maybe on the surface, but there are still the same core ideas
underneath. I continue to study, draw and paint from the subjects that interest me. I have never really
considered my approach to death to be dark though, it is just nature.
Are you looking forward to taking part in the AAF Bristol?
It will be good to exhibit at Bristol AAF as it is in the city where I live and work, therefore I have a special
attachment to it, and the people within it.

Rose Sanderson - Resting Soul III

What else have you got lined up?
I am doing a lot of experimenting right now with some new work, which is fun but also quite hard. As easy
as it may be to stick with what you know, or what others know you for, I believe it is really important to
move out of the comfort zone every now and again to keep the passion going, and the art moving forward. I
am in the process of planning a move to San Francisco for a little while towards the end of the year so it is
going to be exciting to see how my art progresses under new influences. Forthcoming shows are in the
pipeline but details are not yet confirmed… watch this space!

Rose Sanderson - Lost and Found - Acrylic on Wood

To read more about Rose and view available originals and limited edition prints see her page :- http://www.antlersgallery.com/artist/rose-sanderson

Words: – Celia Archer
Images:- Courtesy Rose Sanderson

Against a white wall, the expanse of negative space in Kate’s paintings seems to extend beyond the limit of the picture, out around the viewer. As context and content become intermingled, the viewer feels at once invited into and excluded from the world of the painting, invoking the sense of ‘isolation and desolation’, which she indentifies in her work. Her intelligent use of colour and composition also allows her to use this space to describe the components of the picture without necessarily delineating them. 

Although her works are watercolours of landscapes, her intricacy of technique and use of negative space mean that they transcend mere representation. Playing on the insubstantiality of the medium, and combining it with the scale and delicacy of her pieces, Kate creates locations that are rich and inviting and yet simultaneously intangible and ephemeral.

Kate Evans - August Farm

How did you get involved with Antlers?

I met Jack [Antlers Gallery Director] on the first day I moved to Bristol. I went to Antlers’ first pop up exhibition, “Grotesques’ on Whiteladies Road. Right from the start, I loved the idea of a nomadic gallery and thought it would be an exciting and innovative project to be involved in. I continued to follow Antlers exhibitions and was always really inspired by the work they showed. It was about 2 years later that Jack asked me to produce some cards and prints for Antlers’ Christmas shop. They seemed to be quite popular and he subsequently asked me to exhibit at Battersea Art Fair.

Kate Evans - Greyhouse

What kinds of things were you working on before?

Before exhibiting at Antlers I was doing mainly freelance illustration for a variety of different clients (including the ‘I’ newspaper, TFL, The Guardian, Sunday Times, Randomhouse, Anthologie Magazine etc) as well as showing the odd painting in galleries. However, in the last year or so I’d started to produce more personal work and was just thinking about approaching some galleries when Jack asked me to exhibit at Antlers.

Your JSA profile has you listed as an ‘illustrator’, would you say that your work for Antlers is a move away from this?

Definitely! Since moving into the studios at Jamaica Street my worked has changed a lot. Being surrounded by fine artists has had a massive impact on the way I work and I’ve slowly made a transition from illustrator to painter.

It’s so liberating being able to draw or paint expressively rather than trying to please an art director. I can choose the subjects that I paint and of course my work is now much more personal. I suppose fine artists seem to receive a lot more respect than illustrators too, which I do feel is unfair.

Kate Evans - Railway Hotel

Talk about your process, what steps do you go through when making a piece?

I don’t tend to plan each piece that much beforehand – I work best when the painting is more of an immediate process. For me, the most important part of an image is always the quality of the mark-making and it is often the ‘imperfections’ you get from the spontaneity of painting, which ultimately make the picture work. Although I’ll have an idea of the composition at the start, this will often change as the painting develops. I like to keep a lot of negative space within my work, so compositions that are initially quite complicated in my mind, will often become edited down into simpler, bolder images once they’re down on the paper. The paintings are usually inspired by landscapes or architecture that I find particularly beautiful or emotive. I make lots of sketches and take loads of photos of places I’ve travelled to or visited and I use these as my reference. Although often they aren’t an actual setting but rather an amalgamation of different locations and memories of a place.

Kate Evans in the studio at Jamaica Street Studios, Bristol

Which other artists inspire you?

I’m always inspired by artists whose work has an intriguing atmosphere and is, in a way, quite narrative, as though there’s a story or mystery behind each painting. Artists such as Peter Doig, Karin Mamma Andersson and Andrew Wyeth are particular favourites, and their use of colour is incredible.

Kate Evans - Mountain Cabin

How long have you been working with watercolour? What is it about this medium that you enjoy? 

I always used to use a variety of media within one image- pencil-crayon, collage, felt-tipped pens as well as watercolour – any mixture that would create the desired effect. Mark making and colour are the two most important aspects of my work. I found increasingly that watercolour became the one medium which could create the delicate, layered effect I wanted. I love that it can either be used in a light, subtle way, almost like a pencil mark, or applied quite thickly so that the pigment becomes deep and rich. I also find the way the pigments separate actually quite exciting, it is almost beyond your control. I do feel like watercolour has a reputation for being quite old-fashioned and very traditional and I hope to challenge the way it’s viewed by creating really contemporary pieces. As a medium, it is quite freeing and allows you to work in a more direct way. It forces you to be less precious about your work too. You can’t rub it out or paint over it, so once it’s down on the paper there’s no going back.

Kate Evans - Pine Forest Cabin

What is your connection to the kinds of locations and landscapes that you depict in your works?

My paintings are always of places I’ve travelled to or visited. I like the idea of a painting transporting you to another place or time. It’s this feeling of escapism and the fantasy and promise of being in another location that I’m trying to create – not that I don’t love being Bristol! But I think having grown up in the countryside, I crave space away from the city, which is reflected in my work – a lot of my paintings have a sense of isolation and desolation. Recently I’ve spent a lot of time in the Alps, America and South East Asia and these have all been subjects within my work, but I’m really just trying to create an atmosphere or a window into another world, rather than depict a specific place.

To see more of Kate’s work, see her Artist Page here: http://www.antlersgallery.com/artist/kate-evans

Words by Celia Archer

'Untitled', 2012, Brass Drawing Pins

What made you decide to become an artist? Have you always been interested in art?

From an early age I was always drawing and creating elaborate monstrosities out of cereal boxes and yoghurt pots that had to be displayed at home much to the annoyance of my family! As I progressed through school, art lessons were always my favourite and I think having enthusiastic teachers and a supportive family gave me the confidence to fully explore my initial ideas about the capabilities of materials, be it paint or clay; and learn through making. Thus my passion for the arts has been ever-growing and changing with me and I know I will always gravitate back to ‘building’ as an artist however long I may break between each body of work.

Camille's Studio

You say that your practice stems from an obsession with repetition, tactility and form.  I love the fluidity of your work with drawing pins, which certainly emulate all of those areas.  What are you trying to communicate with these works?  

At first glance the work appears tantalising, the pinheads reflecting light continuously from any vantage point. The worth of the object signified through its colouring and suggestive weight. I try to engage the viewer with the materials own provocative qualities, the rounded pins and light bringing the works to life with each and every step they take. The pieces move with fluid movements like a coiling snake, powerful and pulsating.

'Untitled', 2012, Brass Drawing Pins

Kate MccGwire’s art works in much the same way; on closer inspection the audience is able to make its own connections with her work, be it to the feathers themselves or the discernible relationship to nature. I try to engage the viewer in this way too, each site dictates the growth of the artwork in terms of scale and direction and the unquantifiable materials fulfils an overwhelming presence intended to play with the viewers emotions.

Can you tell us a little bit about your process when creating body of work?

‘I like the idea that my work is, in a primitive sense, manufactured. It illustrates a kind of reversal of the intended fate of the material. Instead of this mass-produced item being widely and individually distributed, it is amassed and (re)manufactured’ – Tara Donovan 2003

In realising an idea I find myself playing with materials much the same as I did at Nursery School, it’s organic, raw. Once I have discovered the most suitable action to assemble each work I can switch off and let the process of making begin. My actions become mechanical as I repeat a step or set of steps over and over until completion. This process separates me from the resulting work, and I feel through this act, my personality and thought have no influence on the viewer’s interpretation of the work.

Camille Douch - Untitled (Pins, Series 2, No. 1)

How many pins do you use in each artwork?

Each work varies in scale, the smaller works hold anything from 400 pins whereas the largest piece I have completed holds just over 30,000 pins.

You work with notably contrasting array of materials, ranging from organic, earthy matter such as tree bark and autumn leaves, which are starkly contrasting to the industrial plastic bag and cup collections and your most recent body of work, utilising drawing pins. Where do you draw your inspirations from?

I am rarely left feeling uninspired, as every texture, colour and moment, evokes numerous compositions to draw from. My surroundings also have a huge impact on my mood and thoughts, which shows in my work. Natural materials are incredibly tactile and I feel most comfortable when playing with them. From time to time I like to re-focus on the organic and attempt to reverse their roles, and enhance their colour, surface, form.

'Untitled', Conifer Tree Bark

I think that even when I am using man made materials, there is still a fundamental relation to the outdoors. Dead leaves, pins and staples become biological in primal sense.

Camille Douch - Untitled (Pins, Series 2, No. 5)

Tara Donovan plays a huge role in the development of my practice; concerned with structure and placement, she too looks to re-manufacture a material in the most suitable way. I want to uncover the latent possibilities that are inherent in all materials, assemble them to their best advantage within any given space. Working to point of obsession with methodical repetition gives birth to work never considered before. The space too is of great importance, reminding the viewer of their surroundings is again something the artwork achieves through unwritten dialogue. Holding their own.  Other artists such as Richard Long and Goldsworthy inspire through colour and scale whilst Richard Deacons large forms and structures both simplify and engage the site.  With so many artists out there to learn from and an unimaginable number of tactile materials to work with, a lack of inspiration seems impossible!

'Khaos', 2012, Plastic bags and PVA glue

I notice that you leave the majority of pieces ‘Untitled’.  What is the reason for this?

I struggle with titles. I want the viewers to justify the reason for the work themselves. I try to give them an alternative view to the materials they may consider tiresome. Although I want my artwork to communicate on a personal level and unearth sentiments with no previous connection, any title I give to a work inlays my personality and possible reasoning to be read by others.

'Untitled', 2012, Brass Drawing Pins

You mention that your work ”attempts to challenge the way in which we view the everyday”.  How do you go about “re-manufacturing the manufactured”?

Re-manufacturing is a term I use because it is mechanic, detached, monotonous. Once my initial ideas are realised, the act of making my work becomes impersonal. Some will argue otherwise but I believe my process of working separates me from what I build and in turn allows an organic form to represent itself.

Camille Douch - Untitled (Pins, Series 2, No. 3)

What has been the best advice you have received as an artist?

‘Free your mind, never be afraid of the unknown’ –a cherished tutor wrote this phrase in one of my sketchbooks and I have revisited it many times since. It takes great confidence to make an artwork, to develop it and share it with others. If you are too careful and concise the work may never grow and blossom. You have to free yourself from the known, forget the rules and challenge all boundaries.

'Untitled', 2012, Chopped Conifer Tree Trunk and Brass Drawing Pins

And to finish, what can we expect to see from you in the future?

I am currently working with other manmade materials in response to the pin works, attempting to capture the beauty within the mundane and challenge the viewers conceived concepts of a material and its given qualities both as a singular and amassed. I am hoping to exhibit these works later in the year and work alongside other likeminded artists for group exhibitions.

Camille Douch - Untitled (Pins, Series 2, No. 4)

For more of Camille’s work, see her Portfolio on our website. http://www.antlersgallery.com/artist/camille-douch

Words:- Rosie Buxton

Images:- Camille Douch

‘Ever since early childhood we holidayed at my grandparents in the West Highlands of Scotland. Each time we drove passed Buachaille Etive Mòr, my Dad would test me to see if I could name it. 

The mountain has many happy associations and I still go to the cottage every year. I wanted to document passing the mountain on my journeys there and back. The mountain remains constant; it’s the conditions and my interpretation that changes with each trip.’

Charles Emerson - Buachaille Etive Mòr - Photographic print (edition of 50)

Charles Emerson - Bauchaille Etive Mor IV - Photographic print (edition of 10)

Preoccupations with nature and the effects of the elements run through Charles’ work, from his early still lifes through to his more recent Sky Studies. However, unlike his Buachaille Etive Mòr pictures, these other works take place under more controlled studio environments. Using water tanks, inks and even cotton wool, Charles creates rolling skies and dramatic floral compositions, constantly innovating and refining his practice.

‘The techniques I use vary greatly and evolve with each project, experimentation is key. I wanted to create scenes of apparent vastness and chaos on a tiny scale. To achieve this fully, I had to relinquish some creative control and give life to the work.’

Charles Emerson - Sky IV- Photographic print (edition of 10)

The use of light and movement in Charles’ photographs means that they are often mistaken for paintings, so it is no surprise to discover the role that other painters have played in his development as an artist.

‘Painters are always a good starting point. Turner’s storm series was a huge influence on my sky studies. The way that Nature’s dominance of man is captured in his work always excites me. The flower series was strongly influenced by Dutch Vanitas paintings, which are heavily symbolic and often preoccupied with death.’

‘My father was an abstract impressionist painter and I always thought I’d follow in his footsteps. He died just after I graduated and his work has always been a part of me. My flower series felt like the closest I’d come to honouring him and his influence.’

Charles Emerson - Sky II - Photographic print (edition of 10)

Despite the fact that he fell into it almost by accident, making the decision to study photography at Falmouth College of Art on the recommendation of his Art Foundation tutor, it seems like an incredibly appropriate medium for Charles. Through it he is able to capture the momentum of his vision whilst paying homage to the tradition of Fine Art painters who had such an influence on him growing up. He is always pushing forward with his work but it doesn’t lose sight of its heritage. When I ask Charles which of his images is his favourite, he responds

‘Usually my latest. Being happy with a piece is the best feeling, unfortunately it’s often short lived, so you have to keep producing new work.’

Charles Emerson - White Rose I - Photographic Print (edition of 50)

Alongside his personal, exhibited photography series, Charles skills are also in demand for commercial briefs as he produces images for clients as varied as Microsoft, Toshiba and The Guardian. He commented on the interplay of these two different types of work,

‘I thoroughly enjoy both, without one the other wouldn’t be possible. I like the challenge of fulfilling a brief and working at a fast pace within a big team. By contrast, working alone in a dark studio is also challenging and fulfilling. They compliment each other and I divide my time as evenly as possible.’

Charles has garnered attention for both kinds of work that he produces and in 2011, he won a Sony Photography Prize for his piece in the Still Life category, which took his work to international exhibitions in Sao Paolo and New York. More recently he was picked out by the owner of the Affordable Art Fair, Will Ramsay, as one of his top ten emerging artists to look out for at this year’s Fair in Battersea.

Charles Emerson - A Rose from Auschwitz - Photographic print (edition of 10)

With all this behind him, I asked Charles what he was looking to do next.

‘I was totally surprised and honoured to be in Will Ramsay’s top ten emerging artists. I’ve just returned from a trip to Lima where I’ve been experimenting with strong colour and multiple exposures on film, but also collecting digital images of urban details and environments.’

‘There’s a couple of exhibitions coming up and some interesting collaborations in the pipeline, as well as a move into my own studio I’m looking forward to having space to push my personal work further.’

Charles Emerson - Helleborous - Photographic print (edition of 10)

Words by Celia Archer

Images courtesy of Charles Emerson / Antlers Gallery

For more of Charles’ work and purchasing information see:- www.antlersgallery.com/artist/charlesemerson

Firstly, when and why did you become interested in anatomical drawings?

I couldn’t pinpoint anything specific, I think it’s the outcome of a number of factors. I’ve always had a general interest in why and how things work and I like taking stuff apart to see what’s going on, how the body works is a bit of an extension of this. Working for Damien Hirst certainly contributed, and living in London meant I spent quite a lot of time drawing in the Hunterian, at the Wellcome collection and visiting attractions such as the Old Operating Theatre, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.

'Upper Torso', 2012

How do you feel the form of your work contrasts with its subject? I like the way these creepy looking, macabre, individual images are brought together to form what looks like heraldic symbols, or Victorian miniatures.

I feel that the form and the subject are interchangeable. Much of my source material is inspirational for it’s subject and compositional ideas, cartography, heraldry, religious iconography and the work of anatomists such as Vesalius and Gamelin. These references sit harmoniously together due to their elaborate attention to detail.

How do you decide on the Latin mottos that feature in your works? What is their significance for you?

The Latin phrases are generally an indication of the narrative of the illustration and my reasons for using them are 2-fold. From a purely aesthetic point of view I find it tricky to use text within an image successfully. I feel that for my work English text would be too much of a focal point, it’s telling the viewer too much about the piece straight away therefore detracting from other areas of the image and disabling a more personal interpretation. The other reason is simply that medical and scientific terminology is generally in Latin, and these are areas that I am primarily referencing.

'Breathless', 2012

'Medical Bird', 2012

Which artists are your primary influences and why?

There are so many, but I have edited them down to these few. The artists whose influence appears most obviously in my work, alongside the references to anatomists, would be Albrecht Durer and Gustav Dore their work is just mind-blowing. With regards to contemporary artists; Laurie Lipton, Paul Noble and Russell Crotty, because they produce work that is obsessively detailed, almost painstakingly so. Working with interesting and varied subject matters, their artisan approach has pushed drawing back into the realm of Fine Art. I also refer to painters working within the ‘Low Brow’ art scene such as Kevin Llewellyn and Michael Hussar. They are fantasy realists who reference the compositions and techniques of High Renaissance and Old Master painters. For pattern, I find Thomas Hoopers ‘Book of Lines’ essential reference material, and for their ethereal romanticism, beautiful colour pallet and use of paint; Peter Doig, Henning Kles and Kaye Donachie.

Rebecca’s Studio

Would you like to talk a bit about your process? How does a work grow from conception to completion?

I like to produce a body of work on a selected theme, for example, I did a series of work which had it’s origins based in psychogeography. I walked randomly across London and on returning home plotted my journey on a map, I researched into historical landmarks on the route and from this created my illustrations. The result was a portfolio of 10 diptychs that you could follow as a slightly macabre guided tour of the capital.

Sketchbook

In terms of process I look at the individual facets within the narrative and separately draw each element. I then photocopy everything, sometimes changing the scale or reflection of a drawing, cut them out and play with composition until I get something I’m happy with. At this point I can choose whether I want to use the image as an original illustration, in which case I redraw the whole composition, or reproduce the image as a print, in which case I expose the image on a screen or solar plate.

'Boneless Abdomen', 2012

How did that contrast with the pieces you produced for the Wellcome Collection?

I used the same method to create the illustrations for the Wellcome Collection, piecing together significant elements to form a cohesive composition. I loved doing the ‘Votives’ project as I very much enjoy working from a narrative, especially those with a medical aspect. Coupled with the fact that so many of the stories were examples of where people had triumphed over adversity and were such personal messages of thanks, made them all the more special. I only wish I had had time to do more, I got some great feedback from the subjects.

'Blue Baby', 2012

And finally, what can we look forward to from you in 2013?

I am currently working on a large diptych in oils which references creationism and evolution. I have also started a number of cross-hatched pieces which are of a larger scale, again around a similar theme. In 2013 I am working on updating my portfolio, carrying on lecturing and taking part in more exhibitions. I am currently in the process of organising a London show with Curio Collective whom I have shown with previously.

'Pray For Us' (Work in progress)

For more of Rebecca’s work, or to purchase an original or print for yourself, see her Portfolio on our website.

To see more of Rebecca’s work for the ‘Infinitas Gracias’ exhibition, go to the Wellcome Collection.

Tim’s pieces are rich with allusion and carefully crafted from conception to execution. However, the results are not didactic works with rigid directives for interpretation, but multi-layered images that prompt the viewer to find out more for themselves.

‘I love World Mythology, Classical Greek Myth and Hindu Myth particularly, as it has a religious intensity and explains the world in such a visceral, imaginative, dark way. It involves all aspects of life and death, often with an animalistic element, explaining the human condition but as very much part of the animal world. I often ‘animalize’ people with the ‘animal mask’ exhibiting the inner quality of the human character.’

Tim Lane - Labyrinth (2009)

We then go onto to talk about the specific inspirations behind one of his latest pieces, Freki and Munnin, (2012), a graphite on paper work.

‘The Norse god Odin was accompanied by two ravens, and two wolves. The two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, represented thought and memory. He sent them out into the world every day and they were his eyes and ears, bringing him information. The two wolves were named Freki and Geri, meaning hunger and greed. So Freki and Muninn represent both memory and ravenous hunger.  Alongside this I was reading about how wolves and ravens interact in the wild. In icy tundra areas, the ravens go off, find the carrion and remember where it is. They then go back and direct the wolves, who are able to break open the carcasses, then both animals feed off the remains. So it’s a kind of a mixture of those two things.’

Tim Lane - Freki and Muninn (2012)

These references, if not instantly known, do not inhibit the enjoyment of the piece.  The highly skilful, detailed work is an intriguing image that encourages the viewer to question and to discover more.

I ask him about his transition from illustration to fine art drawing and he has the answer out before I finish the question: ‘Because I hate being told what to do.’ That being said, he is currently working alongside American surreal horror writer Nicholas Patnaude on a collaborative project with the working title of ‘The Gondolier’.

‘Last year he [Patnaude] won the Emergency Press Award in New York. This gave him the chance to have his book First Aid Medicine published and, being a fan of my work, he asked to use my drawing Faustus for the front cover. As there was a mutual appreciation society between us we decided to do a little informal project between ourselves, based on his short story about a gondalier in Venice being pulled down to the underworld to become the new Charon (the ferryman across the river Styx). I then decided to make concertina book of the story and illustrate it in a sort of stream of consciousness way, letting the images flow, not necessarily relating directly to the writing, but touching on the subtext visually and creating my own related visual narrative.’

In the Studio - The Gondolier - Work in Progress (2012)

Tim also went onto explain that he would like to produce some new work based on some of his favourite pieces of literature such as Dante’s Inferno or 20^th Century Russian novel ‘The Master and Margarita’ by Mikhail Bulgakov. I find it odd that Tim tries to separate himself from illustration. To illustrate is to illuminate or shed light upon and Tim’s works do exactly this, adding to and complimenting their source texts. They don’t just reference the stories but explore their themes, challenge ideas, and offer up new perspectives on them, presenting us with not only windows into these worlds, but reflections of our own that are both familiar and unsettling.

Tim is seeking to blur this line, the one between our world and the world of his pieces, even more. He is about to start an MA in Art, Media and Design by Project at the University of the West of England and sees this as a progression to ‘A 3D version of what I’m doing already. I love drawing, love the intricacy of it but this is a chance to make some of the characters come alive.’  This is not a complete departure from his painting and drawing disciplines but seems to be a natural extension of his current practice, taking the stories and creating theatre. Tim speaks very passionately about creating an immersive experience, which the audience is completely involved in and swept up by.

Tim Lane - In the Time of Plenty (2012)

‘I’d like to do something based on a book but do it in a more theatrical way. I want to create a whole world, so that you go along to an evening and it’s a whole experience. I think that art is meant to be skillful; there’s meant to be a certain magic to it. I want people to think about the meaning, the story and the narrative.’

Tim’s ideas for these ‘happenings’ involve everything from detailed décor to costumes, to freaky puppets, and he sees this as a chance to collaborate with other talented Bristol creatives.

In the Studio - The Gondolier - Detail (2012)

‘You look around and there’s so many people who are so talented, and you think, “Well they’re good at this, I’m good at that, why don’t we all just do something together?” I want to get involved with people that I know already that do that sort of theatre, and make something that’s well thought about, well designed and well executed.’

He seems concerned with making something lasting, and dismisses that which is ‘faddish’, and maybe it is for this reason that his works are so rooted in the classics.  How could you be more assured of the permanency and importance of your artistic subjects than when engaging with ideas and characters that have been drawn out by Ovid, Dostoyevsky and Goethe?  But it is Tim’s treatment of these subjects that tries to show their relevance to us today. His work encourages us to see part of ourselves, perhaps parts of ourselves that we don’t always like to admit to, in a compelling and arresting way.

For  more of Tim’s work see http://www.antlersgallery.com/artist/tim-lane

and for information about our current and upcoming exhibitions with Tim ‘Narrative’ and ‘Old Beliefs’ go to the Antlers Project Page http://www.antlersgallery.com/projects

‘When I was younger I used to love visiting stately homes because I’d walk around  and look at the paintings on the walls. I’d see a portrait and imagine that was the person that lived in this house, and then I’d see a landscape and imagine that that was the land they inhabited, and then I would go away and imagine what their life could have been. It’s that process, where you imagine what could have been based on visual elements as clues, that I want to recreate for the viewer with my own work.’

 Untitled (Landscape No.7)  2012

(Airbrush, Acetone Transfer, Coulour Pencil & Graphite on Paper)

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‘Excursus’ successfully recalls this world of nostalgia and Romanticism. The taxidermy owls and fantastic landscapes offer beauty and escape but also hint at something darker, somewhere behind the eyes, somewhere in the distance. The looming landscapes are created using a combination of airbrushing and acetone transfers. Built up from etchings of 17th and 18th century German landscapes, these images are collaged together to create places that almost exist. Complimenting these are the tighter, painstaking graphite drawings that demonstrate Anouk’s talent, patience and attention to detail.

‘I’ve got two main ways of working that are quite different to each other. Firstly there’s the detailed graphite works that I produce in a controlled and tight environment, and with those, there’s not much room for anything unexpected to happen. In contrast to that, with the airbrush and acteone transfer works, there’s always an element that I don’t control. I never know exactly how the ink is going to drip, and I never know exactly how the foreground image is going to transfer. It’s a different way of working, and it’s quite challenging to adapt to the unpredictability of the materials. I enjoy both processes, partly because if I only did the really intense graphite pieces I think I’d go a bit mad, so it’s good to balance that out with the looser airbrush works. Conceptually I consider both to work together, with the airbrushed works setting loose backdrops for the tighter drawings to inhabit -  it’s for the viewer to then imagine a potential narrative connecting the two.’

Saut de Lavalliere  2012

(Airbrush, Colour Pencil & Graphite on Paper)

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Anouk tells me that she sees all of her work as fitting in to an overarching narrative but that the importance of the viewers own imagination is paramount in discovering this.  She selected the title of the exhibition ‘Excursus’ influenced by her own passion for literature. ‘I was reading ‘The Magic Mountain’ by Thomas Mann, and in it there’s a chapter called “Excursus on the Sense of Time”. In this particular chapter, it discusses how time can seem to pass differently in different moments. An excursus is a diversion from a main narrative, so there’s the main body of this book and then this random chapter where the author focuses on just that one idea. I guess I’d like for other people to see the show as a diversion from the narrative of their everyday life, and a way of escaping.’

Anouk champions drawing as an art form and promotes this skill-based practice not only through her own pieces, and teaching at the Bristol Drawing School, but also with the Bristol Drawing Club, a group which she founded in 2009. Through the drawing club’s intermittent meetings she brings together people of all ages and capabilities and furnishes them with the materials and the space to create fun and interesting pieces. This way of encouraging drawing within a collective environment recently bought up interesting parallels with the Bristol School of Artists, which she has been researching as part of her proposal for the Bristol City Museum’s Permanent Collection.

 A Bristol Drawing Club Meet at Philadelphia Street Gallery 2012

‘The main thing that has come out of that whole project is learning about the Bristol School of Artists. Things like the format of their work have inspired some of the smaller rectangular pieces in the show, for example. The more I look into those artists, the more I find interesting parallels. For example, they were a group of amateur artists who would meet up in and around Bristol to draw in situ. They embodied a very romantic view of what the artist should be doing, which is outdoor sketching.  Some of them went on to be quite famous and some of them used sketches they did of Bristol to create fantastical landscapes, that obviously were imaginary but were based on their sketches of real places around here.  All of these things draw parallels with my practice and also with the Drawing Club.

Les Trois Cascades d’Eras 2012

(Graphite on Paper)

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With this project Anouk hopes to ‘reconnect some of Bristol’s contemporary artists with what is essentially their artistic heritage. My work uses romantic works and past works as a main source of inspiration. I feel really passionate about the idea of reviving works that have been forgotten or, over the years not quite appreciated as much as they should have been.’

‘Excursus’ continues until 29^th July 2012 at Antlers’ current home on 6 Philadelphia Street, Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BZ. Mon – Sat 10 – 7pm and Sun 11 – 5pm.

‘Excursus’ Interview Video - http://vimeo.com/45567668

Interview by Celia Archer

Photographs courtesy of Antlers, Anouk Mercier and Max McClure.

Her other works are available at

http://www.antlersgallery.com/artist/anouk-mercier

For more information on the Bristol Drawing Club go to

http://bristoldrawingclub.blogspot.co.uk/ http://www.facebook.com/bristol.drawingclub

–

www.anoukmercier.com

It is this same sense of isolation and vulnerability that you feel when confronted with Helen’s vast and turbulent work. Her earlier drawings, inspired by tsunamis and post-apocalyptic disaster movies, denote powerful natural forces that inspire feelings not only of awe and terror, but a sense of perspective that is a sharp shock to the ego.

In The Wake / Screw

Her most recent works are collected together under the title ‘In the Wake’ and whilst they retain the forcefulness of her earlier work, it feels more like a force that is working with you, rather than against you.  There are 14 drawings, 13 smaller ones and one large piece, which are inspired by views from a boat trip traveling between Mediterranean islands. For Helen, the journey is very important in these works, be it a physical or emotional one. Individual titles such as ‘Lie to’ and ‘Bear Up’, blur the line between friendly counsel and literal, nautical termination, and this shift in subject matter also means that you are seeing more of man’s effect on nature as the movement of the boat creates the disturbances in the water.  Nevertheless, the full force of the series as a whole, and the vitality of Helen’s style, still serves to put the viewer in their place.

Work in progress 2012

In The Wake / Listing

When describing her drawing process Helen says, ‘For me, drawing is a really physical outlet, it’s haptic. I put the tracing paper up on a board in my studio and then I use my hands to apply the black pigment. I get a big tray and I put my hands in it.’ She savours this last sentence before continuing. ‘As you start to put the pigment on you leave hand marks, and darker and lighter tones, and then things begin to appear out of the process. I can see where there’s a dip in the wave or where there’s a hollow where the sea’s spraying over and I’ll add more depth, or take it away. I use rubbers and wire wool and different materials to lift the pigment.’ The rhythmical, dynamic element that this method adds to Helen’s work is palpable. With this in mind I asked her what role music plays in her creative process,  ‘Music is incredibly important to me; I always listen to music in the studio.  It’s a huge influence, both the narrative in music and the physical way different songs make me work, depending on how they affect my mood.’ When I ask her what kind of things she listens to she says, ‘The Smiths’ (of course!).

Beyond Distress

The studio that Helen is currently based in is in the Motorcycle Showrooms on Stokes Croft. I wonder what impact that has on the way she produces work ‘Well, it started as just a studio in a space that’s being run by a group of young artists that are trying to turn it into an art centre, but it is slightly like a co op because we all muck in. The building influences my drawing because it’s an almost derelict building and sometimes the roof leaks really badly and in winter it’s absolutely freezing so that limits the work that you can do, but it also allows me to make a mess. That has really let me be free, I think if I was somewhere that was really tidy and neat, that would be very restrictive.’

Another thing that freed Helen up creatively was the time she spent on the University of the West of England’s ‘Drawing and Applied Art’ BA course. ‘It’s a fantastic course! It’s really focused on looking at drawing and processes of drawing in the widest sense. You’re encouraged to experiment all the time, and with every project you can go away and produce something really diverse. It’s the reason I developed different processes, because it makes you try new things like using a sandblaster on paper, for example. The materials, the resources there and the teaching, altogether is really fantastic.’

Work in progress 2012

It is at this point at the discussion that I comment on the necklace that Helen is wearing. It’s a tiny figurine of a swimmer from a Hornby rail set. The swimmer is mid-crawl and encased in a translucent aqua-blue resin and the whole thing is attached to a silver chain. ‘I always think that this is like a metaphor in itself, you know? Trapped and constantly swimming. I feel my work’s like that sort of always on a journey always on this sea, never actually getting to the end of it. ‘ That said, the one thing that really comes across when you meet Helen, both in person and through her art, is the pure joy that she gets from making work. She says herself, her tone both excited and conspiratorial, ‘I mean just imagine going into the studio everyday and getting really dirty. Then wiping your dirty hands on some really white, pure paper, and then turning all that dirt and chaos into something really beautiful. For a while it looks like you’ve completely messed up, and then you make it better again.’

Helen in her studio

Helen’s work ‘In the Wake’ is currently in the ‘Still Chaos’ exhibition at Antlers’ current home on 6 Philadelphia Street, Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BZ. 2^nd May-27^th May. 11pm-6pm.

Interview by Celia Archer.

Photographs courtesy Helen Jones. 

Her other works are available at http://www.antlersgallery.com/artist/helen-jones

The necklace can be found at http://superpeople.org/jewellery.php

Max in the studio

Would you like to talk a bit about your scroll making? How did it come about?

Originally I was interested in making a visual travelogue to document a trip across the U.S. I enjoyed this way of working, and for a few years it became the main focus of my practice. I built a portable device that held the scrolls of paper and spooled them over a solid surface that I could draw on.

The idea to make the scrolls came about from my dissatisfaction with the process of keeping a sketchbook. I found that my best work was often made in my sketchbooks, perhaps because it was uninhibited and there was no pressure to create a ‘finished’ art work. I wanted to preserve the spirit of the sketchbook but at the same time create something more ambitious. I was also interested in the narrative possibilities of a continuous drawing, exploring how the individual sections linked and flowed together both graphically and thematically.

Scroll Machine

Scroll (detail)

A lot of your work focuses on the imagined or half remembered landscape, how does this then relate to the journal-like chronicling in your scrolls?

I didn’t impose any rules or objectives when making these works. I talked earlier about capturing the ‘spirit of the sketchbook,’ so I worked quite naturally, drawing only what I was compelled to at any particular moment. That could be either directly from observation, from memory or simply mark making and doodling. I am very interested in the idea that drawing is thinking and that by looking at someone’s drawing, you find out who they are and what concerns them. The scroll drawings are important to me personally because the memories of the trip are deeply embedded into the marks I made in a way that photography or a written diary could not achieve. 

Max in the studio

Detail shot of works in progress on studio wall

On to your wall hangings, one of your works is entitled ‘Traümlandschaft’, which I understand is loosely translated German for dream-scape. What is the significance of this idea or place to you and your work?

Well, I lived in Berlin for a while and besides making more scrolls and becoming proficient at table tennis, I made a pretty poor attempt at learning German. The verb Traümen means ‘to dream’ and I thought it was a wonderful sounding word. So, it was a nod to my time in Berlin – and dream-scape sounds a bit naff in English!

A sense of place is what tends to remain for me after dreaming. When the shifting emotions and narratives fade from memory, I’m often left with a strong sense of landscape, warped and reconfigured from actual memory. I find myself returning to these familiar coastlines, coves, bays and headlands; a kind of island microcosm where urban and rural spaces coexist and intermingle. San Francisco replaces Brighton and sits incongruous yet seamlessly nestled into the Sussex coastline, or the central line through a metropolis alights in a breezy Cornish cove. Sorry, other people’s dreams are boring, but these are the memories and imaginings that my mind is concerned with, so it seems totally natural to try and re-externalise this imagery through my work.

Traumlandschaft - Ink on Paper

Inner Flux - Ink on Paper

Trance Fragment - Ink on Paper

Residual Glimpse - Ink on Paper

Are the images distinctly separate or are they all part of a wider narrative?

I think the themes my work tries to deal with are separate yet linked. My interest in landscape focuses on the hinterlands between rural and urban spaces – allotments and industrial estates, for example – and coastlines where land and sea meet. For me this is analogous to metaphysical ideas concerning the space between the external and internal realms in which our consciousnesses seem to exist.

Storm - Etching

Cliff - Etching

What is the relationship between your medium and your work? How do you feel your process of mark making relates to the subjects of your pictures?
I work in ink because I like the strong impact of the line. I don’t work with pencil first so I have to live with mistakes, although I don’t really see them as mistakes. I mentioned the idea earlier that drawing is thinking. If you view the images in that context, as visual transcriptions of the process of thought, then to hide or erase tentative or preliminary marks would be against the spirit in which the image was made.
I have recently discovered the etching process, which I am very excited about. I’m interested in the possibilities of enriching linear work with tonal qualities and look forward to exploring this process further.

Max Naylor - In the studio

Max is currently studying for a postgraduate course at the Prince’s Drawing School in London. He recently contributed work to the latest Antlers Exhibition ‘Other Nature’.

To see more of Max’s work, check out his Antlers Artist page here http://www.antlersgallery.com/artist/max-naylor

Photography by Gary Morrisroe:-  http://www.garymorrisroephotography.co.uk/