'Black Beach' 1991

 

'Black Beach'    60x60cms   oil on wood   1991

It's about time I put a painting up - 'Black Beach' won Second Prize at the Hunting Art Prizes, back in 1991, presented by Sister Wendy.  The painting went to Australia shortly afterwards, one of the girls who worked in the Mall Galleries where the exhibition was shown.  If you are out there please get in touch.  Still looks strong, one of my best pieces, I worked on it for nearly a year. Every mark belongs, a still centre, almost a still-life in a landscape. Beautiful blacks, all made. Innovative - I remember cutting and rolling/removing paint around the edges to make the frame- obviously influenced by Howard Hodgkin.   In the Observer, critic Brian Sewell commented that the painting  'looked like the tarred surface of a London street'. Still not sure if that's a compliment!

'City of Glass 15- (Stillman walks..)' selected for The Discerning Eye

 

The exhibition is at the Mall Galleries in London, (admission is free) and opens Thurs 13 November until Sunday 23 November 2014. This years selectors were artists Emma Green and Emma Stibbon RA, collectors Charles Ingram and Dr Giles Brown, and critics Simon Martin and Helen Sumpter,

 

Here are my thoughts at the time of making:

 

'This is the smallest painting yet in the New York Trilogy series. It's always a problem going from big to small - there is no room, no space! - but I think that problem has been resolved. 

 

In this painting I returned to the idea of how to place both the figure of Stillman and the map-shape of Manhattan in the same painting, without Stillman appearing giant.  The painting started with Stillman in a gallery, walking past a painting containing the Manhattan shape ('City of Glass 1') but the verticality, which has been a constant throughout the series, was missing. I think the solution above is far more intriguing and ambiguous. 

 

The vertical grid on the right is a specific section of the Upper West Side. As 'detective' Quinn discovers, Stillman's daily walks, (where he invisibly writes the letters that spell T.H.E.T.O.W.E.R.O.F.B.A.B.E.L.) are all within 'a narrowly circumscribed area, bounded on the north by 110thSt, on the south by 72nd Ave, on the west by Riverside Park, and on the east by Amsterdam Avenue. No matter how haphazard his journeys- and each day his itinerary was different- Stillman never crossed these borders' *

 

*from 'The New York Trilogy' by Paul Auster

 

 

The Discerning Eye and Next Workshop Update

Ashley was delighted to have 'Charlestown 7' selected for the prestigious ING Discerning Eye exhibition. Six judges, a combination of Artists, Collectors and Art Critic's were invited to make individual selections for this exhibition. Each group of work is hung separately giving the impression of six individual exhibitions. Ashley's painting was chosen by Gerald Walker, CEO ING Commercial Banking UK, Ireland and Middle East.

 

The show continues at the Mall Galleries, London until 25th November.

See link for more details http://www.discerningeye.org/exhibition/intro/intro.php

 



Ashley will be hosting his popular 'Freedom in Painting' workshop once again at Canterbury Christchurch University Mon-Tues, 17- 18th Dec 2012.

 

Bring an open mind, explore the language of colour and the possibilities in painting. Ashley will endeavour to challenge and inspire you with his expertise of colour, oil paints, technique, mark-making and composition. His aim is to help you take your painting further and find your own ‘Freedom in Painting’. Ashley always has something new and inspirational to offer. This workshop is suitable for students and artists with some experience in painting.

 

Some comments from students on his last Canterbury workshop:

 

"Thank you for your time, patience and marvellous guidance over the last couple of days in Canterbury. Really helpful and great ambeince too."

Margaret Anderson

 

"Thanks to Ashley I had the confidence to enter the painting that I produced at his workshop into Whitstable's A1 Open Art exhibition" http://bit.ly/Na5IJc

Catriona Campbell

 

"I usually work using a lot of detail, this course helped to loosen up my style and helped me to approach painting from a different angle"

Wendy Buckland

 

 

TO BOOK OR FOR MORE DETAILS Email denise@ashleyhanson.co.uk or call 01208 77656