Sokari Douglas Camp: Primavera

Made a return visit to the October Gallery to see another timely, seasonal exhibition in which flowers play a significant part - Sokari Douglas Camp: Primavera. These sculptures created from steel oil drums are an interesting fusion of Camp's Nigerian heritage and classical European imagery, and appear to celebrate re-birth and spring with an admiring nod to Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli.

Loved these three figures which reference a William Blake engraving, and are like an African version of the Three Graces.

This large sculpture is titled - Blind Love and Grace, and celebrates love, femininity and nature. I like the different treatments that she gives to the steel - cutting thin strips to represent the hair, what looks like decorative die-cutting to the torso, and the colouring and gold leaf applied to enhance different areas of the surface.

Sokari Douglas Camp: Primavera

until 14th May 2016 

October Gallery

24 Old Gloucester Street

London

octobergallery.co.uk

Rene Gruau: Butterflies Through Others Eyes #21

Butterflies courtesy of fashion illustrator par excellence Rene Gruau (1909-2004).

Allyson Gee: Butterflies Through Other Eyes #20

These pieces of butterfly jewellery by Allyson Gee make quite a statement. The geometric, cage-like constructions encasing actual butterflies are so original. They were showcased at the Lesley Craze gallery which was in Clerkenwell but closed last year.

Prince Rogers Nelson 1958 - 2016

His Royal Badness! Thank U 4 the music,

and showing me there is a different way.
U remain 4ever in my life.

Nothing compares 2 U!
 

A Bigger Butterfly Ball

This is a new commission that has just gone out to it's new owners. At 80cm x 80cm it was one of the largest Butterfly Balls (here), I have been commissioned to make, (the usual size being 50cm x 50cm). After having it sitting around the studio whilst I finished the framing, I got attached to it, and genuinely found it hard to let it go. It is a lovely blast of Spring colour, but at least it has gone to a good, and very appreciative home.

Alison Watt: The Sun Never Knew How Wonderful It Was

Alison Watt hasn't shown her serene, fabric paintings in London for eight years, so it was a pleasure to see these new works at Parafin Gallery near Bond Street. They are studies of folded cloths, mostly devoid of colour - as she has a thing about the colour white. All of the paintings have a quiet, intimate, feel, and one can't help but make comparisons to their resemblance to certain intimate parts of the female anatomy in the focus of the creases and folds of the fabrics depicted. These paintings also reminded me of close-ups of Georgia O' Keefe's flower paintings. These new works are very calm paintings, created on a human scale in contrast to the other huge fabric inspired pieces she created as artist in residence at the National Gallery back in 2008. I really admired the eccentric, figurative works she created and gained fame for upon leaving Glasgow School of Art back in 1987, and I enjoyed seeing Watt make a slight return to the figure (which is something that she did so well), in this exhibition, in the painting of the cherub below.

Alison Watt: The Sun Never Knew How Wonderful It Was
until 7th May
Parafin
18 Woodstock Street
London
info@parafin.co.uk