cambridge contemporary art

painting

Gail Brodholt and John Duffin

exhibitions, Painting, Printmaking, ceramicscambridge contemporary artComment

Gail Brodholt and John Duffin

at cambridge contemporary art 

8 - 30 September 2018

We are in for a real treat this September at cambridge contemporary art, with a city-themed exhibition by London-based painter-printmakers Gail Brodholt and John Duffin. Both artists are renowned for their striking depictions of urban environments, each interpreting modern life in the city in their own way. We can't wait to see their work side by side. 

Both artists will be at the gallery for a meet & greet on Saturday 15th September from 2-4pm. Not to be missed!


John Duffin is well known for his high contrast black and white etchings focusing on contemporary urban life and metropolitan architecture. His choice of point of view creates an almost cinematic effect. In addition to Duffin's etchings, we will also have a number of his oil paintings on display.

Gail Brodholt creates richly coloured linocuts of modern cityscapes, focusing especially on scenes of urban travel. London's railways, metro trains and tube stations feature prominently with city dwellers on their way across the London transport network.  Gail's expert eye for composition and her distinctive bold lines result in strong graphic images.

Alongside John and Gail's work, we will be showing ceramics

by Maree Allitt and Jane Hollidge.

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Shazia Mahmood and Anthony Theakston exhibition at cambridge contemporary art 

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Shazia Mahmood and Anthony Theakston

exhibition at cambridge contemporary art 

30th March - 22nd April 2018

Shazia Mahmood returns to cambridge contemporary art for her sixth exhibition at the gallery. A recent trip to Holkham, staying in a nearby beach hut has inspired this new body of work and a new palette. The never ending skies and seas of Norfolk hold a special place in her heart.

On Friday 20th April from 6pm to 7.30pm, painter Shazia Mahmood will be in the gallery to chat about her practice. This is a great opportunity to meet the artist in an informal environment and enjoy a glass of bubbly after a long week. This is a free, drop-in event. We kindly ask to register here to monitor the number of visitors during the event. 

Anthony Theakston creates a range of ceramics inspired primarily by bird form and movement. He begins his work by drawing quick sketches from nature to capture a striking form which he then refines these drawings into a design on paper, trying not to lose the initial expressive action which rough sketches can capture.

We are delighted to have such a selection of Anthony’s work. We are the only gallery to show his ceramics during 2017 and 2018.

Emma Green in our March Exhibition

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For our March exhibition at cambridge contemporary art, we are very excited to have new oil paintings by Emma Green.

Emma Green is a contemporary landscape painter based in Woodbridge, Suffolk. Following a Foundation course in Art and Design at Ipswich Art School, Emma went on to do a Fine Art Degree in Hull. After graduating in 2001, she returned to Suffolk. Working from her studio by the river Deben, Emma is strongly inspired by the coastal environment around her. Being immersed in this landscape, Emma creates semi abstract paintings exploring its wildness, its remoteness and the evocative, fleeting changes in light and atmosphere.

Emma’s new collection of work for spring continues to draw upon the changing light and atmosphere of the river Deben. Every hour, every day, the clouds, sunlight, rain or mist alters the landscape below, the trees along the shoreline, the mudflats and the surface of the water at high tide. Emma works in an intuitive way, always exploring the material qualities of the oil paint, adding texture inspired by the plants along the tow path, the flocks of wader birds that fly up or patterns and debris from old boats left in the mud.

Emma Green is coming to the gallery for an informal meet & greet on Sunday 18th March . The event is free, but we kindly ask to register here.

This free exhibition runs from 3rd - 25th March 2018. We are open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5.30pm and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

 
 

March Exhibition at cambridge contemporary art

exhibitions, Printmaking, Painting, Woodcambridge contemporary artComment

For our landscape-themed March exhibition at cambridge contemporary art, we are very excited to have new oil paintings by Emma Green, prints by Iona Howard and wooden trugs by Jane Crisp who is new to the gallery.

Emma Green is a contemporary landscape painter based in Woodbridge, Suffolk. Working from her studio by the river Deben, Emma is strongly inspired by the coastal environment around her. Emma’s new collection of work draws on the changing light and atmosphere of the river Deben.

 

Iona Howard’s fine art prints similarly express an intimate connection with landscape, mainly the flat fenland near her Cambridgeshire studio. Howard’s work has more recently been informed by a year-long collaboration with the Fenland Poet Laureate, Kate Caoimhe Arthur. Arthur’s poetry will be displayed alongside Howard’s prints, allowing a conversation to emerge between the two bodies of works both inspired by the fen-edge landscape.

 

Working from her home studio and workshop surrounded by beautiful countryside in Hale Fen, Cambridgeshire, Jane Crisp creates steam-bent trugs. The inspiration for her sculptural vessels comes from the Norfolk reeds and draws on her creative personal connections with local heritage and low-tech processes.

 

Events

We are hosting a poetry and music event on Thursday 15th March from 6-7pm. Kate Caoimhe Arthur who will be doing a poetry reading, accompanied by guitar music by Dominic Howard and sound recordings from the Fens.

Iona Howard will also be at the gallery to give a talk about her printmaking practice on Sunday 18th March at 2pm. This is a free event. This is a great chance to meet the artist and learn more about her printmaking process.

This free exhibition runs from 3rd - 25th March 2018. We are open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5.30pm and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

2017 - a year in photos

Meet the artist, Demonstrations, exhibitionscambridge contemporary artComment
paul smith and flora mclachlan 7.10.1722.jpg

Throughout the year the gallery has changed its skin over a dozen times. Our exhibits have shown the brightest and best from the world of contemporary ceramics, glass, painting and printmaking.  

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We always strive to mould the gallery's interior to display the artwork in the most complimentary way. Our aim has always been to create an inviting environment, which allows visitors to experience the work in a relaxed and personal space. 

We were very pleased to host a number of engaging workshops and talks by many of our esteemed artists. For both us and gallery visitors, these meetings are a wonderful opportunity to get to know the artists we represent and learn about their practices. 

This year we began to live stream the events on our Instagram profile to an ever increasing audience. 

We have lots more events lined up for 2018.

Subscribe to our newsletter to find out about the latest news from the gallery.

 

We wish you all the best in the New Year! 

 

Photography by Zuza Grubecka

Future exhibitions at cambridge contemporary art

2nd - 14th January 2018

Mixed exhibition featuring Vicky Oldfield

20th January - 25th February 2018

Mixed exhibition

3rd - 25th March 2018

Emma Green

30th March to 22nd April 2018

Shazia Mahmood and Anthony Theakston

28th April to 20th May 2018

Paine Proffitt and Helen Martino

26th May to 17th June 2018

Ruth Beloe, Anne-Marie Butlin

8th to 30th September 2018

Gail Brodholt and John Duffin

Meet the artist - Mychael Barratt

Printmaking, Etching, Meet the artist, exhibitions, Paintingcambridge contemporary artComment

For our new exhibition at cambridge contemporary art, Mychael Barratt has filled the walls with his original prints and paintings,  showing an eclectic mix of themes representing all of his major artistic passions. His work is on show from 3rd -23rd September alongside ceramics by Vicky Lindo, Jane Hollidge and Gwen Vaughan. 

To learn more about the way Mychael works we have asked him a few questions.

How did you get started with your art career?
About 25 years ago, I was walking by the Thames when I popped in to the Royal Festival Hall to get out of the rain. There was a printmaking exhibition on in the foyer and I was so impressed that I started an etching course at Central St Martins the following week. I had been working as a painter before but that was when I started printmaking. 

How do you go about making a new piece?
For big pieces the idea is always the starting point. Once I have the inspiration I start on doing the research and usually don't do any drawing until I've virtually planned the whole thing out in my head. The paintings are much more spontaneous. 

What is your preferred medium/colour pallet to use?
I love both painting and printmaking. As I make them in two separate studios and approach them so differently I couldn't say which is a favourite medium. In printmaking, my heart is definitely in etching.

What inspired the range of work that we have in the gallery?
The work in the gallery was inspired by various things. The 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare has had a huge impact on my work, inspiring at least three pieces. A recent visit walking around Cambridge has obviously inspired a couple of the paintings.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear

A Map of Shakespeare's London

 

We are currently showing your dog works, how do you go about selecting the artist that you paying homage to?
The artists are all ones whose work I admire but the most crucial thing is that little eureka moment when I get an idea that makes me laugh. They are sincere homages made with a huge level of care but are also hopefully quite funny. 

Is it challenging emulating all the different styles of your dog works? What is the style that you are most pleased to have achieved?
Emulating the style of the different artists is always a challenge because it forces me to work in unfamiliar manners. The one I am most pleased with is probably the Turner. I am constantly learning by doing these and painting the Hockney's dogs was definitely the most fun and has probably had the biggest impact on how I paint. 

Turner's Dog

Hockney's Dogs

Which other artists do you admire?
I admire so many artists and have a large art library. In printmaking, Rembrandt, Goya, Hogarth, Chris Orr and Grayson Perry. In painting my heart is definitely with Chagall although I think the way I work is more like Hopper. The list would be endless. 

Could you describe a typical working day?
I divide a typical day up between research and practical work and a perfect day would see me doing some printmaking and some painting. I'm happiest when I have a huge stretch of drawing ahead of me.

How do you see your work evolving in the future?
In the future I plan to do at least a couple more huge maps and carry on with the other strands and themes of my work like the artist's dogs and cats. Really I want to just keep getting better! 

Meet Mychael Barratt in the gallery on Saturday 24 September, 1-3pm. Mychael will be at cambridge contemporary art (6 Trinity Street, Cambridge) showing visitors how he produces his work.