cambridge contemporary art

printmaking

Cambridge to Coast Private View

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Cambridge to Coast Private View

Friday 10th May marked the opening of our new show Cambridge to Coast. The exhibition features original prints and paintings by Jo Tunmer are ceramics by Jaejun Lee, Jane Cairns, Anne Barrell and Sarah Went.

Jo Tunmer’s work reflects the landscape from Cambridge city out towards the East Anglian coast. Jo grew up in London and thrives on the anonymity and comparative privacy that living in a city offers. In response to her urban surroundings she creates hand-pulled solarplate etchings of views of the city that often focus on a solitary figure. In comparison, her oil paintings express a romantic, utopian notion of the land.

Since 2013 Jo has focused on printmaking. In 2018, alongside running her art practice, she completed a Master’s Degree with distinction in Fine Art Printmaking from Anglia Ruskin University. This period of study enabled Jo to experiment further with wood cut printmaking techniques and fine art installation.

Jo’s work always attracts crowds, the preview night was no different. Thank you to all who registered their attendance through Facebook and our website.

Cambridge to Coast continues until 2nd June.

Meet & Greet

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from left: John Duffin, Gail Brodholt, Jane Hollidge, Maree Allitt

On Saturday 15th September we had a pleasure of hosting a Meet&Greet with painters and printmakers Gail Brodholt and John Duffin and ceramicists Maree Allitt and Jane Hollidge. We really enjoyed finding out more about the artists, about their practice and inspirations. Thank you all for coming!

UPCOMING EVENTS at CCA

  • Friday 5th October between 6pm-7.30pm - Private View of our upcoming exhibition of paintings by Gael Sellwood and ceramics by Margaret Gardiner and Tiffany Scull. This is a great opportunity to meet the artists and chat about their work, so do join us. The event is free, if you would like to attend we kindly ask you to register here.

  • Sunday 21st October between 2pm-4pm - artist demo with ceramicist Margaret Gardiner. This is a free event, please register here.

  • Saturday 27th October between 1pm-3pm - Demo and book signing by Gael Sellwood. This is a free event, please register here.

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Iona Howard in our March Exhibition

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Iona Howard’s prints explore the notion of time and landscape through a contemplative exploration of surface. The sources of Howard’s prints can come from working in the open air or expressing landscape filtered through memory. The physicality of her approach to the printing process makes the subject spontaneous and vibrant whilst capturing an intimate connection with the landscape.

Howard is captivated by the ancient semi-natural landscapes typical of her native west Cornwall where a blurred line exists between nature and human activity. Recent works of the Fens focus on the meeting point of land, horizon and sky, their flatness altering the perception of distance. Howard’s work has gradually evolved from her monochromatic studies by introducing colour to reflect the Fens’ everchanging mood and light. She draws inspiration from sites which have a particular sense of place; the catalyst for her most significant pieces of work.

Howard’s work has more recently been informed by a year-long collaboration with the Fenland Poet Laureate, Kate Caoimhe Arthur. Howard and Arthur have been working and walking together over the last four seasons in the fen-edge landscape that inspires them both. In repeated journeys around Cottenham and Wicken Fen, and more occasional forays into the deeper Fens, they have shared their practices, and each allowed their work to be in conversation with each other’s work.  The process of articulating, to one another, the methods and rhythms of what at some level is instinctive and very private work, has in itself been valuable.  Arthur’s poetry is displayed in the gallery amongst Howard’s prints, with the hope that visitors will see a conversation between the works, rather than a strict correlation between a single print and a single poem.

Please join them both between 6-7pm on Thursday 15th March for a reading of the work alongside the prints and an opportunity to meet both artist and poet with their reflections on the process of making their art.

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

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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.

Meet the artist - Vicky Oldfield

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We have started 2018 with a wonderful exhibition of Vicky Oldfield's collagraphs at the front of the gallery.

Her prints are taken from plates which have been collaged with a variety of materials, card, fabric, paper, string, sand and anything else that may come to hand; it's recycling at it's most creative! The plates are then sealed and then inked up and printed in intaglio or relief on damp paper using an etching press. The embossed textural quality of the print is unique to this method.

Thanks to the process itself, she is able to make small editions of the image, the editions are variable due to the process and her desire to experiment, which means each print is unique.

We asked Vicky some questions to find out more about her unique prints.

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How did you get started with your art career?

I went to art college back in the eighties and studied design, I got my first job as a wallpaper designer for crown wallpapers and then worked for a design studio in Paris creating patterns for wallpapers, fabrics and ceramics.  After a return to the UK I freelanced as a designer working on  a variety of design projects from textiles, wallpaper and illustration to creating makes for  craft magazines.  During this time I began printmaking for pleasure, within a few years the printmaking became my main profession.

What inspires you?

I find inspiration everywhere, it's mainly from daily moments, I try to find time to slow down and really look. I start with a drawing and as soon as I am working I find the ideas flow, it's the starting that can sometimes be a problem, if I am stuck, I get in my studio look through my piles of ideas and sketches, try not to think too much and just start and then the ideas flow.

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How do you go about making a new piece?

After starting with drawing and getting lots of ideas and sketches together, the final composition is put together in the same way that I used to design wallpaper, it's all about the textures, pattern, colours and space.

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What are the qualities you enjoy about the medium you work in?

I love printmaking, it's a very versatile medium, so many opportunities for mark making! and when you have the plate made there are a lot of different ways you can print a picture from the same plate,which makes it fun and exciting.  This does mean however that although my work is printed in editions there are huge variations within the editions, in some ways this is lovely as people get a unique piece, in other ways its complicated as my work is not a print in the traditional sense as an identical reproduction.

Which other artists do you admire?

 I have huge admiration for Mary Fedden, Elizabeth Blackadder, Angie Lewin, John Piper, Barbra Rae, Stephen Chambers,  Just to name a few!
 

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Can you describe a typical working day?

 Getting outside is good for the soul, I start the day with an hour long walk in the countryside with my dog, I live just where London hits the green belt, so after a short walk along the railway track I am in the countryside, I think my walks are my main source of inspiration.  I tend to be working in my studio by 9.30, I will work all day if I am printing, with the process I use it's important to print as many as you can in one day as the prints get richer with each pull, but the actual plates start to change and can disintegrate, leaving me with only a portion of the intended edition printed.

If I am not printing, I am either preparing plates, planning artworks,  painting up the pictures , all this mixed with the admin, gallery deliveries and visits to my framer

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How do you see your work evolving in the future? 

Through my artwork, I want to celebrate nature in all it’s beauty, I am planning on my walks to look to see where nature has reclaimed human spaces if only in a small way and to make works related to this. 

Come and visit the gallery to see Vicky's prints on show at cambridge contemporary art, 6 Trinity Street, CB2 1SU from 2nd - 14th January 2018. The gallery is free to enter.

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Photos of the gallery by Zuza Grubecka

 

Meet the Artist - Richard Spare

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Richard Spare's wonderful prints are now on show at Cambridge Contemporary Art in an exhibition with printmaker Robert Greenhalf that runs until 5th March. His pared down images, depicting scenes of wildlife, coastal scenes and still life, are inspired by his studio garden, and time spent travelling in America and Japan.

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

When did you first know you wanted to be an artist? 
I don’t remember as a child making a sudden decision to be an artist, but from an early age I was drawn to making and designing.  It was a natural progression to go to art college and work with other artists. 

What inspires you? 
Nature must be an inspiration to everyone!  The garden at my studio is a constant source of inspiration, as is travel - on arrival in a new part of the world, I am usually weighed down with copper plates! 

What are the qualities you enjoy about the medium you work in? 
I always draw directly onto the plate from my chosen subject.  I love working straight onto the copper, the act of drawing on the resistant copper dictates the way I draw, and the way the image turns out.  I am not transposing from another medium, so each print is an original interpretation, individually printed by hand, and hand painted.  Each print is thus slightly different. I enjoy the rich velvet blacks of the drypoint line against the pure pigment of the watercolour and find the vibrancy of the pigment against the strength of the black a beautiful combination. 
 
How long does the process take and what is involved? 
Each single print takes considerable time to produce.  Aside from the time taken drawing the image (which takes many hours and some strength!) - the plate must be re-inked and hand-wiped for each print made.  The plates are printed on my antique etching presses - the technique having changed very little since Rembrandt’s day. 
The press is turned by hand and the damp paper is peeled off the plate to reveal an image which is thus unique - no mass production here!  The print is then dried for eight hours under weights and is hand-coloured, the application of watercolour painting on the printed drypoint line and gives another dimension of uniqueness. Use of precise colour is extremely important; my wife Kay and I spend a lot of time proofing the colours, until the right balance is achieved. 
 
Do your floral titles come from a knowledge of plants/botany/horticulture? 
Unfortunately I don’t have green fingers myself, or know many Latin names, but I adore flowers and get a real buzz when something wonderful blooms in the studio garden! 
 
How do you arrive at your pared-down images? 
By a process of elimination, over the years I’ve tried to express the essence of what I see. I attempt to evoke the fragility of life and my respect for its existence. Each animal, bird or flower has its own character, often engagingly quirky or even humorous, I enjoy bringing these charictoristics out in my work. 

How did your time in America and Japan influence you? 
Whilst in New York I spent a great amount of time in the museums.  It was during one such visit to MOMA that I was struck by Matisse’s sublime simplicity of line and shape.  On return to London I went on to produce Blue Bird, which was, I suppose, the start of my current work. 
Since then I have traveled extensively in Japan which I was fortunate enough to visit annually for eleven years for a series of solo shows. After a five year break, I am excited to be going back this November for 25 shows right across Japan. I adore the rich culture and artistic traditions, the beauty of the landscape, and the people, all of which has an influence on my work.  
 
Which other artists do you admire? 
Rembrandt, Goya, Van Gogh, Picasso, David Hockney, Hokusai, Utamaro, Hiroshige and many, many more. 
 
What are your favourite museums and galleries? 
 MOMA, NY,  Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam,  Royal Academy, London, Ukiyo-E Ota Memorial Museum of Art, Tokyo. 
 
Can you describe a typical working day? 
I am not a morning person! I usually work at home in the morning, going through the diary, signing prints or discussing ideas or licensing requests with Kay. I arrive at my studio, which is a few miles away, in the late morning and open up the shutters at the back so I can see the garden while I work. I may be printing, or steelfacing my plates (an electroplating process which strengthens the drawn plate, so the image is maintained throughout the punishing pressures on the copper as the edition is printed on the antique etching presses). If I am travelling then of course I am out drawing! 
 
How do you see your work evolving in the future? 
My work will always be informed by travel and nature and I seek inspiration in these. My interpretations have evolved gradually over the years and I’m sure will continue to do so. The printmaking process is constantly surprising and inspiring in itself, and I like to use found textures and marks in some of my works. 
 
What are your general interests? 
My work and leisure cannot really be separated, - but my family, travel, film, meeting up with old friends come top of the list. 

Meet Richard Spare in the gallery on 19th February at 2pm. Richard will be at cambridge contemporary art (6 Trinity Street, Cambridge) to chat to visitors about his work.

 

 

Meet the artist - Mychael Barratt

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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.