Clinton Croson

I graduated from DeMontfort University’s Fine Art course in 2005 and decided on freelance work and commissions, supplemented by a part-time job, as opposed to many others who have continued their art in a teaching capacity or a Masters.

I have drawn and painted ever since I was a young boy and will continue to do so for many years to come, regardless of circumstances, because art is a great medium to generate both happiness and debate, to showcase views and ideologies. Using people as a focal point is the way I usually approach a composition.

The techniques used can, in many ways, be seen as traditional both in style and execution. Oil on canvas, pen on tea-stained paper and coloured pencil are the most commonly used mediums and the ones I feel most comfortable with, though by no means limited to just them.

Inspiration over the years has come from many places, though the admiration for Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Salvador Dali has never dimmed, more contemporary work by Dermot Seymour and John Palencar are also of great interest.
Some of my work has previously been in the City Gallery, Leicester, along with several locations around Rutland, two of the more recent being last years solo exhibition at the Rutland Museum, and July 2008’s duo spectacle, ‘Contemporary vs. Classical’ at the Victoria Hall, Oakham, which featured Nik Ellis and myself.
I hope you enjoy this exhibition!

Email: ccroson33@ hotmail.com

Danika Cox

“Focussed vision pushed us out of the space, making us mere spectators. A remarkable factor in the experience of enveloping spatiality…is the deliberate suppression of sharp, focussed vision.”
Juhani Pallasmaa – The Eyes of the Skin

I have come to photography as a student of architecture; this is my first exhibition.

I had taken some photographs with my digital camera while the focussing mechanism was broken and found the blurred results intriguing. I was excited when, by chance, I also read the architectural theorist Juhani Pallasmaa’s writing on spatiality and focussed vision. When my camera came back from the repair shop I began to explore the theme more deliberately.

I conceive of this work as more painterly than traditionally photographic and am inspired by Monet’s studies of Rouen Cathedral. Where Monet captured diverse qualities of light, the technique I use works best in bright sunlight, when the contrast between light and shadow redefines the details that unfocussing has taken away.

I have moved beyond architectural subjects to more intimate scenes; from the enveloping space I invite the viewer to another time and place.
danikacox@ gmail.com

Chris Askham

I am a practising freelance illustrator based in Nottingham, having graduated from Wolverhampton University with a degree in Illustration. At the completion of my degree course I found that I was unhappy with the style I had become comfortable working with, and so began learning new ways of conveying my ideas. It has taken me a while to find a style that I feel happy with and I feel that my work is constantly evolving.

In the last couple of years I have produced work for East Ayrshire County Council, Brylcreem, Samsung and the Springboard organisation at Cambridge University.

This is the first time since my degree show that I have exhibited my work, although I did have some comic strip work included in the Cult Fiction exhibition at Nottingham Castle in 2007.

My work focuses mainly on stylized figure drawing. I enjoy working with crisp clean lines, and playing around with line-weight and solid blocks of black and white. I also use my computer to get the effects that I want, although in this case all my pieces are hand drawn in pen and ink. I spend many hours working with different compositions, which I find very interesting, taking an idea from one stage to the next.

I always begin my images with a black and white line drawing, usually with some rough ideas for colour in my head. I use Indian ink, dip pens, a variety of brushes and pens, and just about anything laying to hand that can produce a good line. Generally, once I have my ideas and some rough drawings, I scan them into my computer and begin to manipulate things in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I usually play around for some while trying out different compositions and colours until I have some good solid ideas, and at that point I begin to redraw things to a more finished level. Although computers play quite a large part in my work I try to keep a lot of hand-made elements to my work, scanning in ink splatters and scribbled textures in some cases.

I find inspiration in the work of many contemporary fashion illustrators such as Jason Brooks and Graham Rounthwaite, as well as more traditional illustrators like Aubrey Beardsley.


Website: www.chris-askham.co.uk

Email: c.askham@ ntlworld.com

Carol Savage

I am disturbed by the violence, alienation and disconnection in modern society and how this is expressed through the environments we create around us. So I am drawn to the broken, aged and worn-out fragments that we leave behind, or views of the world that may be partial or incomplete.

For this series of prints I began with drawing from small elements in the landscape, concentrating on tone, texture and line and engaged with a range of media in this process, enjoying the physicality of drawing itself. I manipulated and layered these images to create a new whole, through a range of processes.

These images were then the focus of printmaking techniques. I have used linocut, collograph with chine colle, etching, one with monoprint overprinting, in this series of work. One piece incorporates machine stitching. I experimented with the etching process by applying, and resisting, the grounds in unusual ways. The final image is seen and constructed as a series of layers to produce a richly textured surface. The prints are all printed on BFK Rives paper.

I have been influenced by artists like Edvard Munch, Jane Stobart, George Cheung, and Eric Ravilious.

Casavage1@ aol.com

Jeannie Clark

My work often involved meditations on past and present life. People, places, time and memory inspire and motivate my work and creativity.

Theatre series
In theatre time, reality and identity are illusions to be playfully experimented with. The lithographic prints based on this series portray real people who take on fictitious characters. The themes and issues explored in theatrical productions can be comical and funny, but can also deal with serious issues. The lithographs from the theatre series included within this exhibition were inspired by 'Women Singers' and comedians - otherwise known as the performance group "Rumourazit".

The dreaming series
Dreaming can be a spiritual journey. Dreaming a landscape can help to imagine a place with more than one reality. People, time and events leave trace elements within the environments they inhabit. Dreaming helps to read between the layers of what is left - rather like an archaeologist. The 'dream shadows' help to evolve my vision, perspective and spiritual connection of a place. To develop my ideas for the Dreaming series I worked using the collographic printmaking process and experimented with the viscosity of printing inks.

Artist's background
I have exhibited widely throughout the UK and have worked in theatre and as a freelance illustrator. I am currently a tutor at West Nottinghamshire College of Further Education. I also run my own business - Travelling Easels Art Holidays. This involves designing holiday workshops for adults in the UK. I also run art workshops for corporate events. I work as a painter, printmaker and designer.

Contact details
catgingerblack @ yahoo.co.uk

Gillian Choo

It has taken me quite some time to find my creative side, having ventured into research, publishing, teaching and martial arts along the way.

I am currently studying HND Design with Textiles at South Nottingham College. I am particularly drawn to print processes and like to experiment with combining traditional techniques such as screen and collograph printing with hand drawing, craft, photography and digital manipulation.

I am fascinated with form and structure, and like to use buildings and close-up views of plants as inspiration. I love learning new methods, and I am equally happy working in glorious colour or stark black and white. I can’t imagine ever settling down to one technique - there’s so much still to learn and too many new ideas still to try out.

I’m inspired by artists such as Lucienne Day (for her line work), and the Austrian painter Hundertwasser for his bold use of colour.

In 2007 I was nominated for a City & Guilds Gold Medal for excellence in rug making, and was subsequently invited to join Living Threads, a Midlands-based group of textile artists.


Exhibitions:
• FRESH 2007
• Resolution photography show, February 2008
• South Nottingham College Creative Studies Shows 2007 and 2008
• Print One, Stitch One, Textile exhibition, June 2008
• In House, June 2008



Contact:

info@tophousearts.co.uk

0778 8122066