We are pleased to present a diverse group exhibition of
affordable paintings & prints by Artists selected
from the Ovenden Contemporary portfolio:
David Boardman BA
(Hons)
Esther Appleyard BA
(Hons)
Gareth Buxton
Jean Picton BA (Hons)
Jenni Eden
The impressive work of Cheshire-based Artist, Musician & published Illustrator, David Boardman, uses the beauty of movement in all its myriad forms as its' main inspiration. The sense of kinetic energy that is produced from what is, essentially, an attempt to convey the intangible in two dimensions, is powerful and dynamic.
Boardman takes his lead from 'Futurist' painters like Duchamp and Severini and then journeys towards contemporary Graphic Design, via Pop Art. He uses text in his complex composition that is not merely superimposed, but embeds itself, actually facilitating the deconstruction of the image. It is this deconstruction that gives his paintings their energy- a kind of static buzz for the retina. With such an energetic visual effect, it is only natural that the subject of his paintings should be the act of movement. So, the figures he portrays are all in the middle of a sporting endeavour, or something equally dynamic.
Jean Picton paints the lush, beautiful flowers that have become her trademark, as a symbol of the hope that she is compelled to feel when she considers the state of the world. Life erupts even in the bleakest corner and this resilience gives Jean much comfort. Life goes on. This amazingly prolific Artist has led the most extraordinary life so far. Born in the thirties, she had a theatrical career at the age of 14 and was a famous ‘Windmill Girl’ in London in the fifties, working with many famous names from British showbusiness. A TV acting career followed then a spell running her own production company until, in 1990, she retired and began painting seriously.
In 2002 she obtained a Fine Art Batchelors Degree with Honours from the University of Hertfordshire as well as a Design Diploma from Central St. Martins’ College in London. She is now a respected Art Tutor in her own right and runs the oversubscribed ‘Art Menorca’ painting holidays. Jean is extremely well represented by several well-known Galleries and we are pleased to be able to include her work in our portfolio.
Esther
Appleyard’s work is complex, concept driven and process
based, resulting in multi-layered complex images.
Miniature weavings are photographed and then projected on
a much larger scale, exposing the inherent defects within
the weave. This is a metaphor for the faults that occur
within our own genetic structures and the vast
implications this may have. These images are then made
into digital prints on canvas or paper, to which
Appleyard applies paint, glitter and varnish, decorating
the sinister and exploring the contrast between the
digital and man-made mark.
We inherit our genetic map
and this miniature code then constructs us and
consequently partly shapes the vastness of society. She
wants us to understand that any construction, especially
the human body, can suffer flaws. This diversity can be
beautiful, enabling a balance and a contrast to be
achieved. Appleyard wants to know: do we accept that our
genetic code dictates our life and is a convenient way of
explaining our destiny, traits and imperfections, or is
there still a far greater spiritual and non-scientific
element to our existence?
The impressive artistic development of Buxton is, in our opinion at least, squarely attributable to an appalling car crash he was involved in a couple of years ago. He admits that, since the accident in 2004 that came within an inch of taking his life, he has been forced to re-evaluate his priorities. But it is clear that he is evaluating much more than that. His earliest work is explorative, technically proficient and popular.
But with his newer, sculptural work Buxton now relies on his increasingly elaborate form of expression as a catharsis. His extraordinary work is becoming more visceral and more obsessed with the physical. It's as if each moment that passes since his near-fatal road-traffic accident somehow brings him closer to understanding the ramifications of what could have happened on that day. He sees the fragility of existence and then seems to revel in it. Buxton is having a sonorous but surprisingly candid conversation with mortality, perhaps in a way that only someone who has come so close to it can.
When Jenni Eden moved to Oman in 2003 she saw it as the perfect opportunity to renew her interest in art and, particularly, painting. Very quickly it became more of a spiritual process for Jenni, it became a voyage of self-discovery, of re-discovery. Art became a way of re-activating an identity she felt she had lost somewhere in her journey. Being able to follow her dreams was exciting, uplifting and rejuvenating.
She has explored & experimented with both colour and emotion- producing vibrant, energetic images portraying dance and movement. The dancers are celebratory, inspired, with arms up-stretched, as if reaching up to heaven. To the viewer, this dance can be taken as a metaphor for the joy Jenni feels about being alive. She wants us all to see dancers, to feel joy from simply being alive, to be brave enough to follow our dreams.
Needhams Restaurant & Art Gallery
186 Main Street, Witchford, Ely, Cambs CB6 2HT
17th August to 25th October 2007
