I love visiting art studios, as one gets the opportunity to interact with the artists. I get to talk about their inspiration, acquire an understanding of their background and artistic journey. To me, it is like getting to know more about the recording artist of my favorite song. I like speaking directly with the artist as I get to sometimes feel the emotion and energy that went into the artistic creation, rather than it being filtered by a third party.
Another reason for visiting open art studios is that one might discover the next big thing, raw talent in the making, ready to be showcased to a wider audience. From a consumer perspective, most art pieces tend to be affordable at open art studios and can be a great place to purchase gifts for birthdays, Christmas or any other celebratory occasion.
That said, to feed my artistic craving and stimulate my creative mind. I attended the 36th Open Studios Art show at Wimbledon Art Studios held in south west London. The venue comprised of 2 buildings, the blue studios which has 4 floors and the red studios which was made up of 2 floors. The red studios building has more studios per floor compared to the blue studios building.
The artists were at different levels in their careers. Some were just starting out, some were professional artists and others had embarked on 2nd careers as visual artists and had left the corporate world behind. All of the artists I spoke to were very articulate in describing their work.
On entry, I was greeted by a smiley face crush can sculpture, which got my endorphins flowing and I felt I was going to be in for a good treat. To my right was this gorgeous green multicoloured dress.
I headed up the stairs in the blue block, the walls were adorned with different paintings and the studio numbers of where the artists could be found.
Each studio employed different techniques to get visitors in. Some used alcohol and snacks, others allowed their works do the talking, while some studios simply ignored you, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, I’d I rather look at a piece of work in silence and stillness, without any distractions while I digest and absorb the artistic content.
On the first floor, I discovered the works of Paula Wilkins and I was stopped dead in my tracks. I was intrigued by the way she combined spirituality, philosophy and technology in her series of spirituality. Her artwork shows how we are now turning to Google to ask those deep questions. Who am I? Is there a god, with a little g? She alluded to how Google gets to know so much about us as individuals based on our searches, which inspired her art creations.
In conversation with the artist, she talked me through the screen printing process she used to develop her artwork. It involved the application of each colour on a mesh like screen, which was then imprinted on the paper surface. She explained that the more colours used, the more complicated and time consuming the process.
I proceeded to the 2nd floor and entered the studio of Rose Long. She invited me in and offered wine and snacks, but I was captivated and immediately drawn to her work displayed on the wall. I stood, absorbed the bold lines in conjunction with thin and thick lines in her paintings. I reflected on what her work reminded me of. It reminded me of traditional Aso Oke worn in the Nigerian culture. It took me back to happy memories, as Aso Oke is typically worn on celebratory occasions.
Rose later informed me that she discovered the technique used in this series of work through experimentation and she looked for inspiration in fashion magazines. She loved the work of Alexandra McQueen and the way he combined different colour tones in his ready to wear and couture collections. Rose is from South Africa and she felt perhaps in her subconscious mind she may have also drawn inspiration from the South African traditional outfits.
African inspired art
I am always on the lookout for contemporary African art or art inspired by the great African continent and I was not dissapointed as I stumbled across the great pieces below painted by Namrita Manghnani in the red block in studio 221.
Namrita Manghnani grew up in Bombay India and explored the different forms of art such as textile paintings, patchwork and embroidery, through experimenting with different mediums of painting. She says she paints from her experiences in India and from my years living in Kenya. She attempts to express an emotion and is always keen to hear people’s interpretation. For her faces can invoke different emotional responses to different people.
Marafiki (Girlfirends) Acrylic on Canvas
This piece was inspired by Namrita Manghnani travels in zanzibar. I was drawn to the subjects in the paintings as I was intrigued by the live a young girl might live in Zanzibar. I like the way Namrita captured the playfulness and the somewhat protective bond between the two girls in the paintings.
The paintings below was inspired by an orphanage she visited in kenya. Her intention is for a percentage of the profits from the paintings to be donated to the orphanage.
Abstract Art
My first point of call in the visual arts department has always been abstract art. Yes, I am an abstract art lover. I love the way an abstract painting draws me in, I get lost in the array of colours, shapes, layers and varied textures depending on the medium used. I look at an abstract painting and it is subject to interpretation, it can be anything I want it to be.
As I weave in and out of the genre of art on display in the different studios. I discover the works of 2 great artists, interestedly both artist had a previous career in the finance industry, some say there is a connection between numbers, maths and abstract art.
Sergej Ovcharuk a trained professional artist, who has had different careers, an ex commodity trader, a seafarer, to name a few, but he is a true artist and romantic at heart. I was wowed by the colours, the course uneven texture of his paintings and fascinated by the knife technique in his impressionism work.
In his artist bio he describes himself as being hooked on colour, which is evident in his master pieces. He goes on to say he is “in a permanent state of meditation on colour. Some might regard this as different, but I find it to be the very well-spring of my inspiration”. I totally get this, as my love for the arts was fueled by the burst of colours that appear in my psychic, in my dreams and meditative states. He channels his emotions into symphonies of colour on canvas and he feels replicating the delicate and subtle harmonies of music. Sergej says “Art means everything to me and there is no greater expression of my love than being able to share with others the beauty and joy I find in the world”
He has certainly conveyed this through his painting, as I was beaming with joy and in an elated state of happiness as I absorbed and tremendously enjoyed the array of works on display in his studio. I took so many pictures of his work, but could not decide on which ones to exclude, but these are my favorites below. Sergej has many more in his studio(studio 246) on the 2nd floor of the red studios.
Even the leftovers from his artistic creations are turned into a creative master piece. I see this fitting in nicely in a hotel, office or at home if you wish.
My next abstract love was the works of Trevor Ruddock Black , whose energy was as captivity as his work. I was drawn in by the warmth of colours, the layering, thickness and coarse texture of the paintings. A piece infused me with the feel of a jungle, another reminded me of the change in seasons, as summer ends and autumn begins, with brown, red yellow colours appearing in the leaves of trees.
Understanding Abstract Art
In conversation with artist, we talked about the limited understanding of abstract art, as a lot of people want to see an art piece that tells them what it is. From my experience, a few basic steps to understanding abstract, is to be open minded, one needs a lot of imagination and I feel you have to be in touch with your feelings to truly connect with the art piece. Abstract art cannot be fully described by words alone it has to be experienced in your conscious and sub conscious being. For me it is a sense, a feeling that envelopes me and connects me to the painting. How do you interpret abstract art?
There was a tremendous amount of work on display and I was unable to visit all floors. I left with 3 affordable pieces which included the works of Paula Watkins and Rose Long.
I leave you with some more amazing pieces to enjoy.
The next open art studio show at Wimbledon art studio is in May 2015 and is definitely worth a visit. Or visit an open art studio in your area.
