Alice's pick
"Traci Mims’ powerful figurative works are immediately striking and continually engaging. Creating narratives using symbolism and allegory, Traci reflects on her own personal experiences, history and social issues, as well as her cultural influences. Traci specialises in printmaking, painting and drawing and achieved an MFA (printmaking) from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, following her BA in Visual Arts from Florida A&M University."
Dr. Matthew Eve's pick
"For those of us unable to reach the warm pastures, woods and forests outside our enforced ‘la vida urbana’, the paintings of Denys Gorodnychyi provide a welcome and refreshing breath of fresh country air.
Working in a plein air style that has its roots in the Russian Academic tradition and the Post-Impressionists, Gorodnychyi is an enormously skilled landscape painter who manages to evoke his native Ukraine countryside with deftly applied flecks of thick impasto paint. Seemingly abstract on close inspection and realistic from a distance, his paintings convey the magnitude of nature via vast, infinity-horizon meadows, mountains, forests, rivers and snowscapes painted from dawn to dusk and throughout the four seasons. Light (dark, suffused or radiant) is treated with the utmost subtlety and creates tension and atmosphere. Dusky, long-fingered, clawing shadows wend their way across snowy or brightly-deckled, herb-infused hills or plains, and dappled foreground foliage adds texture and interest.
Gorodnychyi’s best work, for me, are his paintings of dark, silhouetted sunsets and nightscapes, and in particular ‘Ripe Summer’ with its tiny spot of yellow centred in the burning, bursting glare of the last magnificent red dying summer sun rays. These are beautifully observed and sensitive paintings, executed with great delicacy and finesse and priced for all and any budgets. So, do take a look and breathe in the fresh air of Gorodnychyi’s compelling Ukrainian landscapes. I couldn't recommend them highly enough."
Julia's pick
"James Agard’s sculptures stood out for me for their craftsmanship, uniqueness and the cool contemporary lines they draw. Your eye is drawn to their quirky shapes that seem to punctuate wherever they stand, bringing life and a conversation with their surroundings. Using wood and a range of finishes including faux steel paint, the works embrace organic, industrial and sleek modern shapes in these elegant long abstract sculptures. Set against a coloured or textured wall or even a white minimal space, these works would play with, and be a perfect stand-alone piece for any interior."
Aindrea's pick
"Canvases look as though they will burst at the seams as petals and quartz shards take over to the point of abstraction rendered in the pretty pink peaches and lilacs of Rococo cherubim. The works take on a celestial - and perhaps, extra-terrestrial - quality as shards and soft petals take ghostly forms. Eerily beautiful and a little dangerous."
Alex's pick
"Tin made her reputation as an oil painter, but the prices of these works are now out of range for many. Her recent series of watercolours are much more affordable. They have the same impressionistic style and bold handling of colour, but the thick impasto of her oils has been replaced with the fluid lines and pools of watercolour that give a real sense of immediacy and are strongly evocative of time and place."
Juliana and Debra's pick
"This month I have personally responded to the work of artist Kitty Chan Furse. I swim all year round and have been really missing my daily swim in lockdown. The hit of the cold water energises me for the day and stimulates my mind. As an alternative to going to my local lido, I have found myself seeking refuge in artworks of swimmers and pools.
The monoprint 'Outdoor Swimming' initially caught my eye with the beautiful gradation of the blue and wonderful graphic figures, with their pink feet and green hat (essential wear for cold water swimming). 'Deep End' also features two people ready to swim silhouetted against the blue of the water.
The other monoprint I love is 'Ha Ha' made with printing ink, thread and fabriano paper. This is a play on the word 'ha-ha' and transports me back to picnics with my family by the famous ha ha in the grounds of Glyndebourne Opera House. A ha-ha is a sunken fence that was commonly used in landscaped gardens and parks in the 18th century. In this particular piece, a lady has taken a tumble into the ha-ha, provoking laughter.
Kitty’s work has humour which appeals to me. Her simple compositions are very original and I love the mix of collage and her choice of colours. Kitty studied at the Royal College of Art and each print is a one-off. There is a sculptural element to her work, as she uses different materials to create these monotypes, layering card and cut stencils and using textured materials such as wood, feather and wire. In some cases, she prints onto fabric which enables her to use stitch work which offers a different dimension and texture to the finished pieces. Her work is often autobiographical inspired by family stories of life in China passed down the generations. She also talks of being inspired by her dreams and "by the oddities, personalities, situations and characters" she observes around her. Just gorgeous!"
Dario's pick
"Hello my little post-first wave and pre-second wave bunnies. I’ll be honest, I’m smitten with this month’s artist, Diana Rosa. Even the name’s a winner. Not only has Ms Rosa created a fantastical and magnificent colourful world, but by the looks of it, she’s moved in full-time and why wouldn’t you? It’s joyful, carefree, exciting, unknown, hedonistic and in her land of plenty, there seems to be many, many tasty forbidden fruits to have a little nibble of. And you know what? It appears to me that Ms Rosa is lifting the cloche (look it up) on all of these succulent treats, one by one. Lucky lady."
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Cover image via Diana Rosa
