ARTISTIC ERUPTIONS - APRIL - PRIVATE VIEW 0 Comments
St Leonards Modern Goods will become a gallery space in April. The work will be an exciting combination of sculptures called "HOME" by art activist Beccy McCray and the "Glitch Series - Tai Chi Flower structures" by painter Marie-Louise Miller. Both artists are bold and confident with colour and create striking shapes in their chosen mediums.
The Private View is taking place on Thursday 13th April between 7 and 9pm. It would be great to see you there, or indeed during normal shop opening hours Tues to Sat at ST LEONARDS MODERN GOODS - 70 Norman Rd, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex TN38 0EJ. Both artist's work will be on show for 3 weeks until the end of April.
Home by Beccy McCray
‘Home’ was a site-specific installation originally commissioned and inspired by local St Leonards art space 6 The Green’s past and present.
A celebration of the building’s previous elderly residents and a comment on the evolution of the space, these psychedelic, man-sized termite mounds explore what we mean by ‘home’.
6 The Green is in the process of being renovated by the current residents, who are transforming the space into a modern home. The building's previous incarnation was a care home for the elderly; and its original use a holiday home for well-off Victorians.
Like humans and our man-made homes, termites live in societies too, and the termites’ mounds also usually outlive the original colonies. Often other colonies occupy a mound after the death of the original builders. And so the ever-evolving cycle continues.
Far from a bleak interpretation of what it means to be ‘old’, ‘Home’ is a joyful celebration of the previous elderly residents as mythical beings, magical treasure troves of colourful stories and countless birthdays.
Taken into the context of the natural world, these alien totems remind us of mystical fungus or cacti, alive and hinting at other worlds. Is it the end of the party – or is it just the beginning?
About the artist
St Leonards artist Beccy McCray explores playful, socially engaged art and design using a diverse approach that includes intervention, installation, participation, print, paint or whatever media necessary to create imaginative acts of resistance and more human moments in the world. Seeking to break down boundaries between art, activism and everyday life, Beccy ultimately aims to spread joy and inspire positive change at grass-roots level, using creativity to raise awareness of environmental issues and the social ideals that go hand in hand with sustainable and happy lives.
St Leonards resident and painter Marie-Louise Miller will also be showing her latest work on the walls of the shop.
“The secret life of flowers / Tai Chi of flowers” is the working title of a recent series of “Glitch” paintings of the unnoticed communication of nature. The imagined conversations of flowers thrust together in a vase, almost audible like WIFI; a constant digital hum. She paints the communication of the flowers as they take sustenance from the water in the vase, she watches carefully as she paints them, they turn to the light, they wilt and she imagines that she can see them reaching out to understand their new environment. The flowers in the vase are the centre of this universe which she explores. Marie-Louise paints the two paintings in tandem. One focuses on the external beauty and chatter of the flowers whilst the other is a response to the structural connection of the flowers in relation to each other and space. The colour conversation is the digital primary triad, cyan, magenta and yellow.
About the artist
Artist and Designer Marie-Louise Miller has always been obsessed with drawing. After completing her Foundation Diploma at St Martin’s School of Art & Design in 1991 a place on the Fashion Promotion & Illustration course at Epsom School of Art & Design offered Marie-Louise the opportunity to extend her drawing practice and her interest in the human form and psyche. Later in 1996, she attended The Roehampton Institute to study Public Art and shifted her focus to human spaces rather than human bodies.
After fifteen years creating bespoke designs for the world’s premier interiors Marie-Louise returned to full time fine-art studio practice and now works from her studio The Old Chemist, which she shares with her cinematic husband Mauricio Vincenzi and which is fast becoming a must visit creative space in the quirky seaside town of St Leonard’s on Sea. The Old Chemist is home to Endwell Productions and hosts Super8, cinematic, drawing; fashion and performance pop ups, happenings and workshops.
Marie-Louise was raised in South London and deepest rural France. She leads a Drawing Research group from The Old Chemist and lectures in Colour Theory and Fashion.
In 2015 she launched WEAR ART the digital extension of her fine art practice in ready to wear form.
The paintings are made using acrylic paints and will be available for sale at the store ST LEONARDS MODERN GOODS. Contact "K" for more information on mail@stleonardsonline.com