Outside In Award Winner showcases skills in solo exhibition (30 August- 2 October)

Pallant House Gallery is delighted to announce a new studio exhibition showcasing the colourful and imaginative work of David Jones, Outside In 2009 award winner and contributor to the Community Programme at Pallant House Gallery. 


‘Xtensions Part 1’ is a special solo exhibition awarded to David Jones, one of six award winners of Outside In 2009, an Open Art Competition and the main vehicle for the project, set up to bring work by marginalised and outsider artists to a wider public.  As well as his own exhibition, David was also given an artist residency at Pallant House Gallery where he could come and work on pieces for the exhibition.

Speaking of David’s artistic journey, Marc Steene, Head of Learning and Community at Pallant House Gallery said ‘During the time since the 2009 exhibition, David has been coming to the Gallery regularly to paint and has become a popular and energetic member of the Gallery's growing community.’ As a result of David’s hard work, the exhibition will showcase an array of accomplished pieces including surrealist works such as ‘Love Leaks Out’ and the Japanese inspired ‘Madame Butterfly’, and as Marc comments ‘the exhibition is

full of personal reference and often draws from and refers to other artists’ work; his is a unique voice from an individual with an interesting and important story to tell.'

Although David has always been interested in art, it was only when he was in prison for a year, following years of drug addiction that he picked up art again through the prison art group. Unable to sleep at night, he spent hours drawing and painting which he says was a ‘therapeutic tool’ for him. After leaving prison, David then went on to sell The Big Issue, which he has now been selling for ten years and got involved in Creative Futures, a Brighton-based project that develops and promotes marginalised artists. It was Creative Futures who entered David’s deeply moving work entitled ‘In Awe’ into the Outside In exhibition, and visitors can see a similar piece inspired by this award winning painting in the forthcoming exhibition.

When asked how he felt about having his own exhibition at Pallant House Gallery, David said ‘It feels amazing. I’m absolutely thrilled but also a little scared!’ and said ‘when I tell people I’m involved with Pallant House Gallery you can tell they’re envious. A combination of the space, the staff and the vibrations of the gallery, provides a really positive environment for marginalised artists to work in’ David wants to continue to stay in touch with Outside In which he says has given him the confidence to be more ambitious in his goals. He is now working towards his BTEC diploma in Fine Art, and hopes to continue to grow as a professional artist.

Visitors won’t want to miss this intriguing, colourful  and personal collection of art and with all works for sale, visitors can take home their own ‘xtension’ of David’s exhibition.

Xtensions Part 1 is free to the public and runs from 30 August – 2 October 2011

Outside In 2012 is now open for submissions. For more information visit www.outsidein.org.uk

*Please note the studio at Pallant House Gallery is sometimes closed for workshops. Visitors are advised to phone in advance to guarantee entry.

For more information about Pallant House Gallery, visiting, and admission prices visit www.pallant.org.uk

Knitted mohair knit cardigan, £50 Topshop; Blue floral pring pleated skirt, £58 Romwe; ASOS Aztec Pattern Coat £100; Blue loafers, £30 River Island, Kimchi and Blue handbag, £48 Urban Outfitters; Polkadot shorts, £34 Topshop
 

Ten Days in Venice at Pallant House Gallery- 2 August– 28 August 2011

Pallant House Gallery is delighted to announce a new solo exhibition of works by Stephen White, runner up of Outside In 2007 and member of the Outside In Advisory Group. This exciting studio exhibition will showcase 20 paintings inspired by the architecture of the beautiful city of Venice.


Stephen White was given the unique opportunity to exhibit at Pallant House Gallery as a recognition of his hard work and contribution to the Community Programme. His artistic journey began when Stephen joined The Hans Feibusch Club at Pallant House Gallery, which was set up to offer free art workshops for people who require additional support to access art. Although Stephen had always ‘dabbled in painting’, working with others and learning more about art in the context of the Gallery, gave him the confidence to develop his skills as an artist. Stephen went on to win runner up for Outside In in 2007 for his colourful painting ‘Let the Blue Birds Fly Free’. The biennial Open Art Competition is the main vehicle for Outside In, set up to bring work by marginalised and outsider artists to a wider public.

Stephen believes that it was by taking part in workshops at the Gallery which reintroduced art and creativity into his life, that he found an outlet for his mental health issues. He has also developed new skills taught through ‘Step Up’, part of the Community Programme at Pallant House Gallery which provides professional training for marginalised artists. Through this he learned how to run classes, and got involved in researching the collections at Pallant House Gallery in relation to the lives, stories, impact and work of outsider and marginalised artists.


The subject of outsider art and marginalisation is of particularly interest to Stephen, who is currently studying BA Fine Art at Northbrook College. His dissertation, entitled ‘Is Outsider Art a style?’ addresses the important issue of ‘marginalisation’ and ‘outsider art’, which he says are ‘very broad terms’. Speaking on whether he sees himself as an outsider artist, he said ’We live in post-modernist times, therefore I can be whoever I want to be!’


Stephen has also been able to put into practice his experience, contributing ideas for Outside as an Advisory Member. Speaking of his solo exhibition, Stephen said; ‘It’s brilliant. Art is my life and to be able to share this with others is a rare opportunity which I am very grateful for’. Visitors will see my impression of Venice, my response when I was there and the feelings it provoked’. With inspiration taken from artists such as Willem de Kooning and Frank Auerbach, but with an original and vibrant quality, Ten Days in Venice is sure to charm and delight and with all works for sale, visitors can take home their own glimpse of this fascinating city.


Ten Days in Venice is free to the public and runs from 2 August-28 August 2011


Outside In 2012 will be launched on July 21st 2011 with submissions opening on 22 July. For more information visit www.outsidein.org.uk

Review: The Good Cook

To quote Grace Dent writing in The Guardian Guide a few weekends back, "Every TV chef needs a quirky gimmick, and Simon's is that he is 'good at cooking'." She is referring, of course, to the latest addition to the increasingly tedious line up of Friday night TV, the BBC's The Good Cook, featuring delicious recipes by Simon Hopkinson, former chef and renowned food writer and critic. Grace Dent's angle of her review is that nowadays, TV chefs all have a gimmick, and that Simon's new show is without. Whether it be Jamie Oliver and his 'alwight/luvly jubly/jack the lad get-up, or Nigella Lawson and her come to bed gaze as she licks cream off a perfectly manicured finger, cooking, it seems, is never simply cooking and Grace goes to great lengths to spell that out. 


With this in mind, I decided to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon catching up on the first few episodes of The Good Cook. I sat down, ready to watch a normal, regular man cooking. In reality however, what ensued was the same pattern that every food programme follows. Granted Simon didn't swear every time the producer in his ear told him to. And yes I'll agree that there was no mention of a celebrity father or sexual undertones to everything he did. Yes The Good Cook is without gimmicks. That is, if Simon really does play old fashioned vinyls every time he cooks, and if he is actually part chef/part Neo from the Matrix. Afterall, there's not many chef's i've seen that can suddenly switch to slow motion when they stir their sauce or pour in their olive oil.  Oh and of course, there's the little deli and Butchers where everyone knows your name and will greet you with open arms whenever you arrive; 'Good morning Simon! What'll it be today!?'

This show is without gimmicks, if Simon really is a stereotypical British music snob but I fear that actually, he's pretty normal and Grace Dent really wanted to write a funny review at the expense of all the other celebrity chefs. I almost hate myself for being sucked in by yet another witty Guardian review without thinking for a second that the writer might be wrong! 


Until a cookery show comes along featuring just a chef who cooks, I think I'll stick to good old Saturday Kitchen for my cookery kicks.


To see what the hell i'm jabbering on about have a look for yourself. 

The beauty of a car crash- 'deep' and 'meaningful' is back

I paid a visit to the Saatchi Gallery at the weekend. I had wanted to go ever since I saw the fascinating write-ups for Dirk Skrber's Car Crash installation. The artist's comments on the piece explained perfectly why he was displaying the aftermath of the collision of two cars; "If you pass an accident and see a car like this, it's occupied by tragic thoughts for the people that would be involved, and you might see blood. This work gives you an opportunity to see the things like in a dream. It's clean and polished and abstract." 


The thing with car accidents, is that we as humans feel a moral obligation to not look as we drive past a collision on the motorway for example. But secretly, I think there's definitely, on my part anyway, a niggling urge to stare and have a good old look at something is so often the subject of horror. The point of impact is over so suddenly, that we never really have the chance to examine and ponder such an unimaginable event. Skrber has taken this moment and captured it, putting it in a space for the public to look at without any sense of guilt for as long as they so wish- all in the name of art. 


The cars are real, bought by the artist with the intention of crashing them in a vehicle-testing facility in Ohio

I always enjoy walking around the Saatchi Gallery, more so than any other space, as I like the thoughts that conceptual art, particularly Saatchi's choices provoke. Whether or not something can be classed as art can be mulled over as you read the accompanying explanations behind the pieces. Because the cars are bent and twisted around a pole, the angles and position gives one the sense that the cars have been transported from the point of impact to the gallery, as the write up explains 'It is as if they have been caught, mid-flight, through an invisible centripetal speedway, and are being held in a state of unreal suspension and impersonal destruction, as if in an anxious automotive purgatory.' The cars have been paused and displayed and therefore have no past or future, giving the work a metaphysical quality.


More highlights of the exhibition

The Healers (2008) by David Altmejd 

The above was fascinating to look at, if not a little terrifying. David Altmejd makes large scale sculptures of anthropomorphic figures cast in a state of metamorphosis. The healers shows a kind of orgy where the players appear sexually charged in a state of physical agony. 

Beethoven's Trumpet (2007) John Baldessari

The Shooting lesson (2007) by Folkert de Jong

Finally, no trip to the Saatchi Gallery would be complete without a visit to the lower ground floor where the the work of Richard Wilson still lives, as the only permanent piece in the gallery. This contemporary masterpiece, viewed from a platform is a site of epic illusion. When looking into the vast space, you would be forgiven for thinking you were looking into a deep box like space. However, 20:50 is a room entirely flooded with recycled engine oil. The oil is so think and black that it mirrors everything in the space, creating the illusion that the room is much deeper than in reality. 

20:50 (1987) by Richard Wilson

July Wish List

As a regular reader of high-street fashion magazines such as Look and Grazia, i'm always a bit disappointed by their week's selection of the best buys. That's not to say that mine will be any better, but as I spend so many hours scouring the online high-street shops each week, I thought I'd put together a few things that caught my attention. The ASOS suit pictured above caught my eye because I'm constantly struggling to think of things to wear to work/interviews and I think this little number would do the trick. the Herringbone finish is bang on trend. The black cardigan may seem like a dull choice, but it's a staple item that goes with anything, and most  oversized knitwear at the moment is cream and cable knit and I've just about had enough!


The nail varnish may seem like random extra, but I had to put it on because I recently tried the space nails tutorial on the d is for dangerous blog and it worked an absolute treat. See the tutorial here.


I'm a big fan of the midi skirt at the moment. I'm yet to try it myself, although I have my very own green bud skirt on the way (see above) so I'll soon see whether anyone under 6ft can pull it off. I'm still not feeling the maxi skirt, although I thought Olivia Palermo showed how it can work wonders when she teamed it with a biker jacket. So I think the midi skirt is a good alternative. Ugh I may have to buy the Topshop floral number as well because. Well. Just because...

Waddesdon Manor

I actually visited Waddesdon Manor a couple of months ago, but it's still quite fresh in my memory so thought I'd share my thoughts on this delight of a place. 


The actual house is immediately pleasing on the eye. I was sure on first impression that it must have been the setting for Batman, but looking back I think I may have been a little over-excited, and certainly the lady on the ticket desk wasn't impressed when I inquired. The house itself is neither a museum, nor a historic period frozen in time. In fact, it's the family home of the Rothschild's, four generations of whom have lived and made their mark on the interior, and the belongings that reside there. This unique expression of Rothschild taste and patronage was left to the National Trust by James de Rothschild in 1957 and is open to the public. 

There are 45 rooms open to the public where you can explore an exceptional collection of French 18th century decorative arts and English portraits. These include (to my delight) French royal furniture, porcelain and Savonnerie carpets, and portraits by Reynolds, Gainsborough and Romney. What left me staring, transfixed in a state of pure bliss, was the dining room which I honest to god could see myself hosting dinner parties in. Wowzers...

I like to think that one day I too will have a dining room like this one. Albeit smaller and on the cheap but that's the challenge!

Actually I think my favourite room was one of the bedrooms. I've struggled to find an image that's not copyrighted of this so thank you 'Malcolm Bull' for this!

When I move into my own house, i think I'm going to base my boudoir on this one. The old fashioned wallpaper is actually really easy to find at the moment. Wallpaper direct have a HUGE range of gorgeous floral designs and I particularly like this one. Although it's an oriental design, the repeat is similar to that in the above image. 

As i was so overcome by the interior (I really was, I actually got told off for touching the wallpaper at one point-not one of my finest moments although worth it) I can't actually remember much of the history behind the house but the gift shop was blooming marvelous. I could have spent hours in there, stocking up on birthday and christmas presents.

I've recently started buying single sheets of wrapping paper to use as posters as I think you can actually get much nicer designs for a tenth of the price. I got a gorgeous toile design for £1.50 and I was a happy bee all the way home

sha-bee chic

I had just completed internship number 4. I needed a project, something to keep me from tearing my hair out at the idiocies of being on the dole. Having been told that I needed to apply to be a structural engineer at a railway station or I would lose my Jobseeker's Allowance, I had just about had enough. I needed something pretty, creative, fulfilling, and hopefully something with some form of financial gain. 


Looking around for a french style/Laura Ashley style chair for my newly decorated bedroom, I was shocked to learn how much it would cost me. I quickly learned the commercial talk for what I was looking for. 'Shabby chic' was all the rage. Antique, Provencal looking furniture was being snapped up all over the world, and as a result, prices were high, too high for a measly Philosophy graduate with no income.

The 'Fairytale throne'  £270 from Ascendi Furntiure

Basically I became obsessed. I would spend hours on the internet trying to find a bargain chair, perfect for my boudoir. Then one day, a metaphorical lightbulb appeared above my head, dollar signs, well pound coins at least, shone on my eyes, and I decided to start making my own shabby chic furniture. What started with one chair for myself, quickly inspired me to make more. I found cheap furniture at recycling centers, auctions and rubbish tips and spent my days painting, distressing and upholstering chairs, tables and blanket boxes into sell-able shabby chic furniture.

My first two chairs- sold for £90 pair

Blanket box (still at the foot of my bed!)

Thankfully my mother who is not only an amazing artist, but a super hero when it comes to crafts and design was on hand to teach me how to upholster, so I got the knack quite quickly. I'm going to post a step by step guide soon.

Hello world

Hi world.


As a graduate with a mounting sum of debt, who is still living at home with a part time job as an office skivvy, it would be easy to use this blog as an outlet for my grievances and general fury with the current economical climate. However, as I'm still not entirely sure why we can't just print more money I think it might be best to leave this to 'those in the know' and instead focus on those things I can claim to know something about. 


I choose art, fashion, Interior Design, furniture, food and music with a bit of me mixed in. I hope you enjoy


Bee