WJM
  • Gallery
    • Pet Portraits
    • Landscape >
      • Rivers of London
      • London Landscapes
      • British Landscape
    • Still Life and Abstract >
      • Still Life
      • Flora and Fauna
      • Abstract
    • Past Work
  • Blog
  • About/Contact Me
  • Gallery
    • Pet Portraits
    • Landscape >
      • Rivers of London
      • London Landscapes
      • British Landscape
    • Still Life and Abstract >
      • Still Life
      • Flora and Fauna
      • Abstract
    • Past Work
  • Blog
  • About/Contact Me
Blog

ING Discerning Eye - 2018

11/21/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
ING Discerning Eye is a name I've heard before but I've never actually been to it before, so this year I went along.  It is housed at the Mall Galleries,  an often visited haunt of mine.  I went on a wet Tuesday afternoon, and there was an eerie silence and lack of people to the event.  At the time I though little of it but it appears the event has been mired in controversy. 

The show is a very dense hang.  It sepcialises in small works and they cluster together along the wall like wintering starlings. It makes it quite difficult to get a proper look, and frankly the impression I got was of a rather low quality.  There were a few things I liked.  I did not buy a catalog thinking that I would be able to find out the details of the artists online.  Unfortunately not, and so this blog will delve into the realms of unhelpfullness by in many cases not being able to identify the artist. Still it will give you a feel for the show and help you maybe decide if you want to enter/visit. 
Picture
Picture
So let the semi usefullness begin,.  The first works to catch my eye were the two above left,  everyday commuting scenes rendered by cutting out shapes from train tickets.  Produced by 6/59 (whoever that is).  Whoever you are they are very effective, simply done, well presented and I was not surprised to see that they had sold. I particularly like the way the high vis jacket in the top picture is done.

One if the interesting things about this show is the complete changes of tone and style often in the same wall, so just down from 6/59 we have a work by 6/52.  It is again quite simply done and would appear to depict second world bombers, navigating flak with perhaps a few parachutes.  It would appear to be charcoal. 
Picture
Picture
Sculpture and ceramics this time, with this grecian/african head in a dark, rusty iron effect shape by 6/16.  I like the way it has these winged shoulders.  Next to is was this lustrous off white vase cut across with gold lines, that make it look like it has broken and then restored, which in this case works quite well. Then it is inscribed  with these mathematical formula. It is intriguing.  I would like to see it in different colours. 
Picture
Picture
Brown sheds in a brown frame that looks like the sheds it enshrouds. It found them comforting and soothing and with the what's behind the door thing.  I particularly like the one in the top right with the reflect.   

Next to it I have placed this red outlined semi abstract view of a medieval town in front of this scratchy swirly background, that bleeds into the foreground.  Its very nice. 
Picture
Picture
Moving on the boat scene above looks very familiar.  There was a woman at the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the year heat with me who painted in a similar way, but painting over newspaper and other bits of text.  Makes for this lovely deep background that is particularly effective when doing the reflection.  The tonal contrast is good, the dark buildings and the bright almost.  

I actually know who the one above right is by.  Hildegard Pax is her name and she produces these pieces in cool pastel perspex pieces.  I like them. 
Picture
Picture
A collection of bronze dancing and wrestling figures.  Dynamic  and good movement to them (above left).  Then also in bronze these almost head like abstract objects.  Not much more to say about them really.  Just look at them. 
Picture
Picture
This dragonfly picture (above left) is more subtle than it looks,  there are several beetles in the left hand corner and other than those 3 squares there is a smudged looking tree that is a very effective way of pushing it into the background. 

Some pieces work best when arranged together, and there was one wall which seemed to have been much better curated in this regard with clusters of work. In the above right you have these line of mini sculpture things, which marry very well with the paintings displayed above them.  It is here both because I like the arcing colours of the sculptures but I also the dark landscape in the top left with that river slicing through it. 
Picture
Picture
Likewise very well presented are these pottery and ceramic pieces.  I particularly like the three on the back row, especially the middle one with this curving expanding balloon shape with the black shapes and lines going down it.

Then to do the second piece you paint a scene and fold it up so that it makes sense.  It is a wonderful and skillful thing and I am not surprised it one a prize. 
Picture
In the north gallery were drawings,  arranged together and some of them were excellent.  The ones picture above, these are the ones that were excellent.  Tonally sharp, crisp detailed landscapes, hostile landscapes beautifully done.  They remind me of the HP Lovecraft story the mountains of madness. 
Picture
Picture
Since seeing these two silhouettes of birds I have been trying endlessly to replicate them and it is very difficult to do, at least in a convincing fashion.  To get such simple shapes to look like birds, to look like birds in flight is very impressive.  The one the left especially.

Finally we have a perspex and metal cage.  It reminds me of various sci-fi computers.  Nostalgia is powerful things.

Sorry, this week wasn't very well written.  This has been written on the back of a 40th birthday party (not mine).  Does it show.  Just a reminded my show is on at Beans Love Greens until 18th December where you can see things such as the below.  Go along.  
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    William John Mackenzie

    I am an artist with a  specialism in landscapes and still life.  My contact details are here. 

    Archives

    April 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly