News

Cricket Fine Art, with grateful thanks to Thyme and in collaboration with Tusk, are delighted to present a new exhibition of work by Jemma Powell. The exhibition takes place between 10 November and 7 January 2024, on view in the Tithe Barn at Thyme. Importantly, 25% of all sales will go directly to the conservation charity, Tusk.

The exhibition documents Jemma’s recent trip to Kenya as an ambassador for Tusk. The title, The Golden Thread, is inspired by the founder of Thyme, Caryn Hibbert’s observations and writing on the migratory birdlife in the water meadow at Thyme. In this exhibition, Jemma shines a light on conservation, as she observes 'the golden thread' between the people, the wildlife and the nature that surrounds them. 

LEADING ARTISTS & CRITICS JOIN IN CONVERSATION AT FIRSTSITE, COLCHESTER – Saturday 17th June, 7pm⁠
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We have just returned from seeing BIG WOMEN at Firstsite, Colchester. Gallery artist Kate Boxer has three fabulous portraits on show in this exhibition curated by Sarah Lucas. ⁠
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At 7pm on Saturday 17th June, Kate will be on a panel chaired by art critic Louisa Buck, alongside Sarah Lucas & Maggi Hambling, so that’s FOUR BIG WOMEN who will discuss (amongst other things) how this ground-breaking exhibition brought together so many important works by some of Britain’s most significant female artists.⁠
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‘I see BIG WOMEN as both an endorsement and a celebration of women’s achievement in the creative field. It aspires to be thought provoking, funny, serious, attractive and fun. God knows we need it in these times dominated by male aggression, politicking, greed, war and pig-headedness.’ ⁠- Sarah Lucas⁠
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For further information about the event, please call 01206 713700.⁠

The summer is upon us and, with this in mind, we have selected a variety of paintings including some English and European seascapes, a Scottish landscape, a view of Venice and a Keralan beach.  We very much hope to see you in either the London or Hungerford gallery during the summer and (if you’re not basking on a beach somewhere) we will be open throughout August.

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome back to the Cricket Snippet, Cricket Fine Art Gallery's blog where we bring you the exclusive insights into out art galleries. In today's blog post we celebrate artist Paul Wadsworth whose solo show 'Songs of the Sea' starts this Tuesday 5th June and runs until Saturday 16th June.

Welcome back to the Cricket Snippet where we cover the latest developments from our Chelsea and Hungerford art galleries. As you may well know, this week (Tuesday the 22nd of May) saw the start of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show 21018 held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea just a brisk walk away from our Park Walk gallery.

 

 

Welcome back to the Cricket Snippet, the official contemporary art blog of Cricket Fine Art. In today's entry we look forward to the joys of Spring and choose five works of art by our modern fine artists to celebrate the new season. 

Welcome back to the Cricket Snippet. The official blog of Cricket Fine Art London and Hungerford where we showcase the very latest on our artists and their work. In today's entry we continue with our artists social media takeover. Last week saw the fabulous Lottie Cole in command of our Instagram and Facebook accounts. We have rounded up Lottie's images and words in case you missed them.

Welcome back to the Cricket Snippet our contemporary art blog where we showcase the latest goings-on at our Chelsea and Hungerford art galleries. In today's entry we are delighted to recap on an exciting event that you may have seen on our social media channels; artist Dione Verulam taking over our Instagram and Facebook accounts. 

Welcome back to the Cricket Snippet where we showcase our artists and the latest goings on in our Hungerford and Chelsea art galleries. In this week’s entry we hop across the river to Battersea, in particular to Battersea Evolution for the Affordable Art Fair 2018.

 

Taking place from the 8th to the 11th of March, the Affordable Art Fair 2018 showcases the very best in affordable, contemporary artists. During the three day event visitors (and exhibitors of course) can enjoy a host of workshops, talks and tours as well as seeing the very best in affordable art.

 

Part of a global series of events that take place across the world, the Affordable Art Fair is the U.K’s premier event for art lovers who want to find a beautiful piece of art for their home or spaces. Bringing together hundreds of galleries, both U.K and international, as well as thousands of individual artists the three day event is expected to attract over 10,000 visitors during this action packed event.

 

Interior designer Maurizio Pellizzoni has design in his DNA. Last year, he was highly acclaimed as the guest interior designer at Masterpiece, the leading international art fair and his expertise of art in the world of interior design is unsurpassed. Since founding his consultancy in the Chelsea Design Quarter in 2007, he has applied his Italian appreciation of style and design to a range of residential and commercial projects, where art has played an integral part in his completed projects.

If you are feeling depressed by the endless rain and grey skies of our English winter then come and enjoy some thought-provoking and beautiful new paintings by Felice Hodges.

 

Blonde in Motion, Mixed Media on Canvas 151 x 151 cm

 

Felice was born in New York. Her mother was a concert pianist and her father a scientist who was particularly interested in art. Every weekend Felice and her sisters were taken uptown, and downtown, to NewYork’s great modern galleries.

 

Felice's father, meanwhile, started to collect art in a big way, making small down-payments each month at the Downtown Gallery in Greenwich Village which was run by Edith Halpert, who also had a certain Mrs Rockefeller among her clients. 

 

At the age of six Felice was already smitten by art and, in particular, by the early American Modernist painter Stuart Davis, who was well known for his jazz-influenced, proto-pop art paintings of the 1940s and 1950s which were bold, brash and colourful. What Felice was struck by was his wonderful use of colour and at this young age she acquired her first box of paints and never looked back.

 

At home Felice's mother owned three Steinway grand pianos and encouraged her daughters to study the instrument. When the family moved to London in 1967 Felice duly got a scholarship to the Royal College of Music. But she also continued her art studies and when she returned to New York in 1973 she went to Cornell University and studied piano and art.

 

After three years on her own in New York she returned to London and worked as a journalist for the Antique Collector Magazine for eight years. When she left, she wrote several books on glass, design, womens’ handicrafts and fashion.

 

Then Felice took up sculpture and painting in a serious way from the mid-1980s. She worked with a group of sculptors in Islington and based herself in a studio in Richmond. There she began her large abstract paintings that first featured in a solo show at the Orleans House Gallery in Richmond in 2000.

 

Felice's paintings are all about colour and abstract shapes and lines which are there for the viewer to engage and emotionally connect with. Robert Upstone, former Head of Modern British Art at Tate Britain, wrote recently of her "subtle, ravishing harmonies of colour which create highly original and unexpected chromatic combinations which are also intensely beautiful."

 

Before starting on a new canvas Felice always begins with the colour. She has numerous pots of paints, inks and charcoals to choose from and to see what inspires her before she picks up a paintbrush.

 

 Just some of the paints in Felice's Studio

 

She starts with one colour which she uses as her base to get rid of the starkness of a bare canvas. This colour usually remains the dominant one of the painting. If Felice has mixed it with other colours to create the tone she wants, she has to ensure she has enough to use through the process of layering and building up her work. Darker or lighter shades may also go over that and are sometimes sprayed off in areas with water to create movement and differing light and shade within the paint. Felice uses acrylic paints which, unlike oil, dry quickly enabling her to build and break down intensities in her paintings quite quickly.

 

In her most recent work Felice has used collage as a key element. She uses paper scraps which she paints and then marks and cuts into shapes, often months in advance, before selecting one or two for her paintings. The collage adds a further dimension and interest to the canvas. Felice likes the movement that she can create, rather than only using paint which would have a completely flat surface. She is constantly striving and experimenting to create subtle colour combinations which she edits and adds to until the work completely makes sense to her. The result is something which becomes an enriching experience for the viewer.

 

 Spring , Handmade paper, mixed media with collage, 76 x 57 cm

 

Violet Comes to Tea, Mixed Media on Canvas 100 x 100 cm

 

 Ultramarine and Slate No 1, Mixed Media on Canvas 100x100 cm

 

Ultramarine and Slate No 2, Mixed Media on Canvas 100 x 100 cm

 

Citrine, Mixed Media on Canvas 100 x 100 cm

 

What is important to Felice is that she feels that, as she grows older, her style is maturing and developing and she is achieving a process of refinement that she is completely content with. But at the same time she never stops striving for something unique and captivating.

 

 

 

Creating a more beautiful world in which to live in might seem a tall order, but in reality that is what design is all about.  Providing a sense of style and order to the chaos of daily lives.    The way we live and the surroundings we choose to live amongst says so much about who we are.  It demonstrates how we care for ourselves and others and, more importantly, dictates how we travel through life.

At Hugh Leslie Ltd I’m in the enviable position to have a constant flow of exciting and interesting projects happening at any given moment.  Our projects range from townhouses in New York,  an estate in Hampshire, London houses, a flat in Edinburgh, apartments in Portugal and Spain as well as here in London and a few chalets in the Swiss Alps.    Often I’ll end up doing multiple projects for a single client.  People with multiple homes quite like the ease and flow of interiors that share a similar sensibility although sometimes a client might want interiors of varying contrast and styles.  That is how I like to work.   I don’t like the idea of a Hugh Leslie style.    Interiors need to reflect the people living there rather than the designer.   My job is to understand the client’s wants and desires and then guide them in order to create it.

In creating a bespoke look I will often design furniture and joinery and have it made specifically for the project and we are lucky to have a host of talented joiners, furniture makers and polishers etc.  able to make this possible and this, combined with a combination of design and decorative schemes, provides the basis to crafting interiors that people want to be part of and live in.

The finishing touches to a home or living space is a combination of objects and art that become the focal point of any room and allows, perhaps more than anything else,  a true expression of the individual.   Being very fond of pictures myself I put great emphasis on helping and advising in the purchase and collecting of art.  Cricket Fine Art is one of the galleries that I find invaluable.   I know that when I bring clients in that they will be guided by expert hands and treated with the utmost respect.  Their wide selection and knowledge of different periods and types of art makes Cricket Fine Art a pleasure to do business with. 

 

Hugh Leslie Design

29 Thurloe Street

London SW7 2LQ

My name is Anne-Claire Fleer and I am a Dutch abstract painter based in East London.

 

I am an energetic, enthusiastic, open and dedicated human being, who grew up in an entrepreneurial family in a small city in the South of the Netherlands. Last year I left behind the corporate world to become a full time creative, which has been the best decision in my life so far.

 

 

 

 

If you haven't already done your Christmas shopping and want some inspiration why not come and see our Christmas Exhibition. We have included paintings and sculptures of all shapes and sizes and our prices start from as low as £100.

 

We are open until 23rd December in both London and Hungerford for the last minute shoppers amongst you and we are always delighted to help with ideas and make suggestions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Pearce was born in 1963 and has lived in Cornwall since the age of three. He is a self-taught artist whose work has been exhibited internationally since 1998. He had great success at New York's hippest Art Fair the "Outsider" represented by Marion Harris Fine Art, Park Avenue, New York and recently "Accidental Genius" Milwaukee Art Museum. His work is frequently shown at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

 

 

Born in Hampshire in 1971 Adam returned to live and work there after graduating from university where he studied Fine Art. Initially he worked at the Morris Singer Foundry where the major figures of the last century have had their sculpture cast. Here he learnt the process of lost wax and sand casting. Since 2000 with a studio and workshop on Lord Portsmouth's estate, Adam has developed his work with large and small commissions, figure studies, portraits and abstract pieces. His most recent piece of work is a life size sculpture of Jane Austen.

 

Jane Austen in the studio

 

 

 

 

Cricket Fine Art, London

Julia Cassels’ Solo Show

‘Safari’

7 – 18^th November, 2017

 

 

If you have been on a safari, or Africa is close to your heart, you will love Julia Cassels’ paintings in our new solo show of her latest work.

 

‘Safari’ has already proved very popular and more and more of our clients are now proud owners of one of Julia’s superb animal and figure drawings or oils.

 

 

 

 

Julia seized the opportunity to work with the Maasai in the heart of Kenya's Rift Valley in her early 20's. There she found the wondrous rhythms, shapes, and colours captivating, forming a lasting impression, and sparking a life-long love for Africa and its wildlife.

 

 

 

 

She lived in Zambia with her husband for several years before moving north to Tanzania.       

 

Although they now live in England Julia returns to Africa on a regular basis. Whether it is a hippo drinking from a lake, zebras at full gallop, walking ostrich or feeding flamingos, the energy, beauty and vulnerability of African wildlife leaps from the frame.

 

 

 

 

Although specialising in watercolour, Julia enjoys the basics of draughtsmanship and brevity of line to gain a natural spontaneous fluidity. She will often introduce inks, graphite or charcoal for emphasis. While her distinctive style displays a remarkable understanding of colour and rhythm in her subjects, and a true knowledge of the bush.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cricket Fine Art, London, are delighted to be holding a solo show by Julia Cassels which is kindly sponsored by Aardvark Safaris.

 

The Exhibition 'Safari' runs from 7th - 18th November 2017 at 2, Park Walk, London SW10 OAD.

Julia Cassels, Cheetah Siesta, Indian Ink and Watercolour 49 x 70 cm, £1,650

 

Introducing Aardvark Safaris 

 

The team at Aardvark Safaris has been planning tailor made safaris to Southern and East Africa, and the Indian Ocean Islands, for over 17 years. With some of the most knowledgeable safari experts in the business we have at our fingertips all the best-kept safari secrets. We can arrange family and riding safaris, Kilimanjaro climbs, gorilla tracking safaris, mobile and walking safaris, beach holidays, honeymoons and more.

 

We travel every few months to see new properties and to re-visit old favourites – it’s only by actually seeing what is out there that we can be sure we are offering the best advice.   We’re passionate about creating tailor made safaris that will introduce you to the Africa we know and love.

 

Where possible, we select small, owner run camps and lodges so you can experience the bush away from the crowds. Your trip can be made (or broken) by your guide so we use camps that employ the most experienced, personable guides, with unrivalled local knowledge.

 

Among the 18 countries in which we plan safari holidays are Kenya and Tanzania, which epitomise everything that is Africa with diverse landscapes and fabulous wildlife.  Elsewhere, Botswana is quite simply one of Africa’s finest all-round safari destinations, while Zambia gives a taste of the real Africa and a feel for genuine adventure and exploration.  Then there is South Africa with spectacular, game-filled national parks and reserves, tropical white-sand beaches, sophisticated cities.  More information on these countries and all our other destinations can be found here.

The national parks and game reserves are full of wildlife including the Big 5 of elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo; alongside which are plentiful plains game like zebra, giraffe and wildebeest.  Many areas boast prolific birdlife and all offer superb photographic opportunities.

 

Having admired Julia’s work for many years (Charlotte, who looks after Aardvark Safaris’ marketing, and Julia were at college together back in the 1980s!) we are delighted to be sponsoring her ‘Safari’ exhibition.  We share a similar love for Africa’s landscapes, wildlife and people. 

 

Like Julia, we are committed to protecting wildlife for the future and conservation is a huge focus for us as well as the camps and lodges we work with; a proportion of the income generated by tourism gong towards the running of reserves, wildlife areas and specific conservation initiatives.

 

If you’d like to chat about any safari ideas you have, no matter how early in the planning process you might be, do give us a call. Nothing beats the friendly, personal and professional advice offered by our experienced consultants.  With Africa as our sole destination, we are real experts in our field and able to offer unrivalled advice on safari holidays.

 

We look forward to meeting you at the private view on 7^th November. 

 

Clare Granger standing infront of her painting 'Reflections'

 

Clare Granger's exhibition opened last night and it was wonderful to see lots of young people attending the private view.

 

So many people love India and Clare Granger is no exception. After travelling in Rajasthan and Kerala she was captivated by the colours, atmospheres and smells. She found the experience totally overwhelming.

 

On her first day on her recent trip, Clare found a beautiful book in Delhi, with handmade paper. This became her painter's diary and everywhere she went she sketched using watercolours, pens and pencils. It was this that became the inspiration for her exhibition 'Glimpses of India'.

 

Clare has captured the everyday life of the Rajasthanis with such atmosphere, that even for those that have never travelled to India, it is possible to imagine exactly what it would be like.

 

Kerala has a totally different atmosphere to Rajasthan and the backwaters are what inspired Clare and her beautiful painting 'Reflections' encapsulates this.

 

As an artist Clare found that around every corner there was something or someone that she wanted to depict on canvas.

The quote by Arundhati Roy "And the Air was full of Thoughts and Things to Say" completely summed it up for her.

 

The cacophony of sounds, sights and smells was such a stimulating experience that Clare cannot wait to return to India and in particular to Rajasthan.

 

She has painted all her life. Her mother is a painter and it was she that inspired Clare to paint and it created a wonderful bond between them.

 

Clare read law at Cambridge but during that time she took the opportunity to sell her drawings from a little stall that she set up on King's Parade during the tourist season. This was the first time that she started to sell her work and from there she went from strength to strength but not before practising as a solicitor in York. However, it was not long before Clare realised her urge to paint was far greater and she gave up the law and took up her brushes full time instead.

 

Clare has had several solo shows in her home county of Yorkshire but this is her first solo show in London with Cricket Fine Art.

 

 Preview evening 24 October 2017

 

 Washing in the Backwaters, Oil on Canvas, 70 x 70 cm £2,450

 

 Checking the Nets, Oil on Canvas, 70 x 70 cm £2,450

 

Room for Two, Oil on Canvas, 70 x 60 cm £2,200

 

To the Well, Oil on Canvas, 60 x 50 cm, £1,950

 

 

 

 Felice standing in front of Indian Summer II, Mixed Media on Canvas 150 x 150 cm

 

Felice Hodges has lit up Cricket Fine Art in Park Walk with “Imagined Spaces,” her first solo exhibition with us. It brings together a stunning and captivating collection of her latest thought-provoking abstracts and they are proving very popular with our clients.

 

Felice is a special talent. Robert Upstone, former head of modern British art at Tate Britain, writes in his foreword to our exhibition catalogue that her works “hover between abstraction and some mysterious, transformed poetic reality.”

 

Robert goes on to say that the “evocative mood and atmosphere of these paintings is often suggested by subtle, ravishing harmonies of colour. Tones and colours are laid next to, or over each other, to create highly original and unexpected chromatic combinations which are also intensely beautiful.”

 

The multi-talented Felice is not only a remarkable artist but trained as a musician and is a highly accomplished pianist. American by birth, but married to an Englishman, her home is in the beautiful Dorset countryside, just a few miles from the village of Cranborne.

 

This is home to 10 Castle Street, a Grade II listed country house with glorious gardens that has been converted into a wonderful private members club and hotel. It is small, intimate and a peaceful haven and another perfect setting to enjoy Felice’s work, with her paintings adorning many of the reception rooms.

 

“Imagined Spaces” opened last Tuesday evening with an extremely enjoyable and well-attended launch party. Attractive and self-effacing Felice looked divine dressed from head to toe by the designer Rick Owens based in South Audley Street.

 

If you haven’t already had a chance to view this exhibition then this week is your last chance.

Paris Blue, Mixed Media on Canvas 109 x 181 cm

 

 

 

 

1. What is it about birds that fascinates you so much?

It’s hard to answer as I have been painting birds all my life, so I really don’t know. But I suppose it’s their multitude of colour, shapes and personalities.

 

2. Many of your paintings capture birds in flight. How do you capture their energy on paper?

Various “flight angels” have different energy. So I try to find more than just a soaring flight. I look for dynamic shapes created by the placements of the wings, preferably having a nice contrast between thick and thin forms. Then they have to be painted quickly to retain the energy in the actual paint strokes.

 

3. One of the most remarkable aspects of your work is that you paint from memory – do you ever use photographs for the detail?

Now and then I need to reconfirm some details – generally when it comes to the face of the bird.

 

4. One interesting feature of your birds is that your use of colour is almost suggestive as if seeing the bird from a distance. Can you explain your approach.

I’m trying to capture the general shape of the bird, not the details – however tempting they may be. This is probably the reason for the feeling of a silhouette more than the total bird. Also, when the eye concentrates on the details of the face, the viewer will finish the details themselves.

 

5. Why is your chosen medium watercolour?

I am a bit lazy. I don’t like having to clean up after a day’s work. And I can use water to clean off the floor, as I splash quite a bit. Also, it does not destroy my Asian brushes that are made for water-based media.

 

6. This exhibition has a wonderful range of birds from the Arctic Tern to the Robin. What is your favourite bird to paint?

That is impossible for me to answer. I find new favourites all the time. The more I study a bird, the more fascinating it becomes.

 

7. How much time did you spend studying Curlews in Flight for your remarkable painting of Curlews in this exhibition?

Quite a bit of time. First for each individual bird, then working out how they would all work together in a composition.

 

8. Is the most important thing for you to try and capture the character of the birds that you paint?

Yes, I want to find an individual. Sort of like a portrait. If you look closely you’ll see that each individual bird has its own personality.

 

9. Are there any other bird artists that you admire.

Yes, many. Among them Dr. Chao Shao an from Hong Kong, J. F. Landsdowne from Canada and many more whose names I can’t think of just now.

 

10. Do you think you will ever tire of painting birds or is it something that will engage you for years to come?

I suspect I’m hooked on birds. I do paint other animals from time to time, but I don’t think I will ever give up birds.

 

11. Many people are city dwellers and do not have the chance to see many of these wonderful birds. Do you see your paintings as almost being a record of many of these species which are struggling to survive?

I don’t think any of the birds I have painted for this show are particularly rare. I have to admit I don’t make a point of that. And it is important to know that even in the most populated cities, there are always tons of birds. You just have to learn how to find them.

 

12. And finally, what do you like about Cricket Fine Art?

The enthusiasm for their artists. The cooperation between us is inspiring for me. Working together should be fun and productive for both. And it really is.

 

 

 

 

Last night we had the opening of Lottie Cole’s exhibition ‘Living with Art – Collectors’ Interiors'. This is the imaginative and original concept that inspires Lottie’s recent work - painting the homes of collectors as she imagines or dreams they might have looked.

 

The warmth and richness of colours in Lottie’s paintings brighten up the gloom of these increasingly Autumnal days and it is a delight to be able to enjoy them on the gallery walls for the next ten days in Park Walk.

 

 

Some of the paintings by famous artists that are depicted in Lottie’s works were originally in the collection of the Late Lord and Lady Attenborough.

 

One example is the Christopher Wood in ‘Interior with Christopher Wood and Striped Sofa' (below). This was sold at Sotheby’s as part of the Attenboroughs' unrivalled collection of Modern British paintings, many of which they purchased in the early days of their marriage, making them a priority before they could even afford carpets or curtains.

 

 Watercolour, 36 x 26 cms, £950

 

It was lovely to meet Molly Mahon, a good friend of Lottie’s, who attended the private view and who is a fabric and wallpaper designer. Also in attendance was Lottie’s husband Graham Haworth, who is one of the Founding Directors of Haworth Tompkins Architects, who have led projects for the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the London Library amongst others.

 

Lottie's work is instantly recognisable and quite unique and would be an asset to any collection.

 

The exhibition continues until 23^rd September 2017.

 

 

(Left) Jamaican Villa Interior with Madeline Hewes, OOC, 150 x 120 cms, £5,800

(Right) Ben Nicholson, Lamp, Vase and Hyacinth Bulbs, OOC, 100 x 100 cms, £4,200

 

Interior with Winifred Nicholson, Ivon Hitchens and Roger Hilton, OOC, 100 x 100 cms, £4,200

 

(Left) Interior with De Chrico and Dismorr, OOC, 150 x 120 cms, £5,800

(Right) Interior with Keith Vaughan, David Hockney, Prunella Clough, Janet Leach, Bernard Leach, OOC, 120 x 150 cms, £5,800

 

Jenny in her Studio

 

One of my most enjoyable Summer mornings was spent visiting Jenny Lock who lives close to me in West Sussex.

 

I eventually found Jenny’s delightful cottage tucked away in her seaside hometown and was told to go through a gate where, at the bottom of the garden, the warm hearted and diminuitive artist with a huge talent was painting in her studio. This is a cosy shed full of works in progress and canvases stacked on racks.

 

I immediately felt cocooned and at home surrounded by her wonderful paintings.  Her soft warm palettes and cohesive shapes create works of art that are harmonious and calm. The sea is a constant source of inspiration to Jenny with the ever-changing light and the rich and varied textures of the coastline.

 

Some believe that the ocean has a calming effect on the human brain. ... Breaking waves, shimmering blue waters and an endless horizon universally attract people seeking calm and renewal and it was this that I found in Jenny’s paintings and which made me want to own every one of them!

 

We are now representing Jenny in our gallery in Park Walk and have a lovely selection of her work available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interior with Frank Brangwyn and Anne Redpath

Watercolour, 42 x 30 cms

£1,100

 

1.  When and how did your interest in Charleston and the Bloomsbury set first start?
I grew up in Sussex so I can't remember when I didn't know about Charleston.  But when I visited Monk's House it was so similar in feel and smell to my Grandparent's Sussex home - I think that's when the fascination really took hold.

2.  What gave you the idea for your forthcoming exhibition?

I realised in painting the pictures of the Bloomsbury homes that one of the things I'd found most fascinating was how much I learnt by painting other people's paintings and it grew from there.

3.  Are you particularly interested in Modern British Art?

Yes

4.  As a mother of young children how do you find the time and discipline to paint and hold down a job as well?

I think everyone in my family recognises that I'm a nicer, saner person if I paint and quite often my daughter paints alongside me.   My job is very different to painting and it means that I'm always almost desperate to grab my paint brush as soon as I can.
 
5..  Is the interior of your own home inspired by the interiors that you see and paint?

There's a cross over but I've never found my own home as inspiring and interesting as those of other people.

6.  How long does a painting take you to complete?

Sometimes it's about a month, but quite often it can be up to six months.  

7. Does the idea of a solo exhibition make you nervous and in which case which particular factor prays on your mind?

I really enjoy painting and in general I'm pleased to have done the work.  Wondering if anyone will like the pictures is a constant worry but in some ways I feel a bit resigned about that as they are what they are - so I just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best!

8. Who are your biggest supporters?

My husband, mother and daughter are great supporters. And my friends and colleagues too. And I've been very lucky that Leslie Pratt has really encouraged me over the years.
 
9. Where would you like to be in ten years time with regards to your career as an artist?

In my wildest dreams I'd really like to have a show at Pallant House or the Towner.

 

 

Interior near the British Museum with Peter Haigh and Ancient Chinese Figurines

Oil on Canvas, 150 x 120 cms

£5,800

 

Interior with Winifred Nicholson, Ivon Hitchens and Roger Hilton

Oil on Canvas, 100 x 100 cms

£4,200

 

 

Interior with Kathleen Guthrie, Christopher Wood and Peter Haigh

Oil on Canvas

100 x 100 cms

£4,200

 

The catalogue for Lottie Cole's forthcoming exhibition can be viewed on http://www.cricketfineart.co.uk/publications/

 

 

 

We are delighted to have taken on five new artists:- Keith Purser, Pamela Burns, Mari French, Paul Armitage and Jenny Lock.

 

KEITH PURSER balances two very different styles in his landscape paintings, one figurative and the other abstract. As an abstract painter, Purser breaks down the sea and shore into amities of colour, form and texture. This artwork is about shitfting weather and changing moods of the coast.

 

 

 

Chloe Lamb (Right) at the Opening of her exhibition with Jane Prenn and Hugo Pratt

 

On the eve of the opening of Chloe Lamb's final solo exhibition at Cricket Fine Art, I had the chance to sit down with her and ask her how she started painting and the techniques she uses.

 

Something that I was not aware of is that she began painting commissions of friends dogs. Then she held three of her own exhibitions of figurative work between 1995 and 1998 before joining Leslie Pratt, the owner of Cricket Fine Art.

 

There are many artists that Chloe admires and the first that sprang to her mind were Richard Diebenkorn, Matisse and Ivon Hitchens.

 

I asked Chloe when her work started to become more abstract and it was in 1999 when she started studying with Robin Child. "I love abstract painting and much prefer it to a more figurative approach," she said.

 

Chloe always paints for herself and never knows what shape a painting might take. In an ideal world she would paint five days a week, but this is not always possible. If she is out of her studio for too long she says she gets twitchy and yearns to start work again.

 

"I am very selective and will leave canvases hanging for ages until I am completely satisfied that they are finished and I am happy with the end product," she said.

 

Each canvas is built up with layers of paint with a minimum amount of four layers. If one area of a painting doesn't work Chloe repaints the whole canvas rather than just that particular bit.

 

Large canvases are painted as a whole, not area by area. "I love painting on a large scale and paint with long-handled brushes which measure 17 inches, including the bristles,". These brushes are used even on her smaller works.

 

Chloe enjoys doing flower pictures although she does not produce that many and often, if she thinks they don't look right, she turns them into an abstract piece.

 

She always has music or the radio playing in the background of her studio: "I don't necessarily listen to what is being said though," she remarked.

 

Chloe seems to be charmingly unaware that other artists are influenced by her work but said she finds that other artists are always very supportive and kind.

 

Even though she gets a little apprehensive prior to exhibitions, Chloe is ambitious and does not shy away from new challenges. She explained why she has decided to move on: "I feel so comfortable with Cricket Fine Art but thought I should stretch myself further; without ambition one cannot be successful."

 

We will miss you Chloe.

Chloe Lamb in her studio

 

Last week was a busy one at Cricket Fine Art and as a result my blog slipped throught the net.

 

Chloe Lamb's paintings arrived in the gallery for her final solo show with us and we wanted to get them hung as soon as possible. There is great interest in them from our clients hoping to buy their last Chloe work from us, before she moves to her new gallery in the West End, where her prices are sure to rise.

 

This is a wonderful collection of paintings and, as always, they are even more breathtaking when seen in the flesh. Many have already sold but there are still more to go. For those of you with a large amount of wall space to fill there are some extra large beauties available.

 

'Sorbet', 60 x 60 inches is absolutely stunning with a blend of joyous colours softly merging. Another one in the same category is Circus which is 72 x 60 inches an uplifting melee of colour bristling with energy and vitality. For any house or flat with a wall begging to be filled, these would be the absolute icing on the cake and create the 'wow factor' - a phrase so beloved of estate agents.

 

Of course we are very sad to be losing sole representation of Chloe's work in London but we hope that we will be including her in our twice- yearly mixed exhibitions at our new gallery in Hungerford which is doing great business in its opening months.

 

But at Cricket we are always looking for new challenges and new talents and we have some exciting new artists that we are taking on. In a couple of weeks time I will include some images of their work and tell you a bit more about who they are.

 Sorbet, Oil on Canvas, 60 x 60 inches, £18,500

 

 

Circus, Oil on Canvas, 72 x 60 inches, £22,000

 

 

 

 

December Flowers, Oil on Canvas, 40 x 40 inches, £9,000

 

Annabel Fairfax in her Studio

 

 David Pearce - A room with a View

 

 

 Emma Haggas enjoying a drink at The Goat after a visit to the gallery where earlier in the day .......

 

 Lucy Watson and Her Sister from Made in Chelsea were being filmed

 

We all love to know a bit about the artists we are interested in so here are some questions I asked the three who are currently exhibiting in our exhibition 'In Bloom' :-

 

1. When was your first success as an artist?

ANNABEL FAIRFAX - "Blue Peter aged 8, I made a woollen Rabbit and had my name read out on television!  Also I was runner up in The Independent Schools Art Competition aged 11."

DAVID PEARCE - "My first one man show in 1993 at the Salthouse Gallery St Ives."

EMMA HAGGAS - "My first solo show in 1992 in Walton Street which sold out in one week."

 

2. Lots of people paint but what or who gave you the confidence to become a full time artist?

ANNABEL FAIRFAX - "My first teacher called Mrs Sutton at Fairstead House School in Newmarket and much later, Alexandra Williams, who gave me my first Exhibition of watercolours and Julie Cameron and Sally Poltimore who sold my first Oil painting at the Lennox Gallery."

DAVID PEARCE - "My art teacher from school - Mr Austin."

EMMA HAGGAS - "Back up from family and friends, particularly my husband and former A level pupils that I taught."

 

3. Do you discard, paint over, or tear up many paintings?

ANNABEL FAIRFAX - "I do discard paintings but often go back to them much later,  I sand them down and I find the under painting can be very exciting."

DAVID PEARCE - "I paint over a few, but most will be completed, some over many months or even years."

EMMA HAGGAS - "I paint over a lot."

 

4. Do you ever get painter’s block?

ANNABEL FAIRFAX - "Yes I do get painter’s block and need to be very disciplined to work at times."

DAVID PEARCE - "No you just have to get in the studio and paint, sometimes you can go for weeks though before resolving anything."
EMMA HAGGAS - "No."

 

5. Who is/are your biggest influence(s)?

ANNABEL FAIRFAX - "Anne Redpath, Elizabeth Blackadder Ivon Hitchens and Patrick Heron."

DAVID PEARCE - "Roger Hilton and Roy Oxlade."
EMMA HAGGAS - "Robin Child."

 

6. What inspires your subject matter?

ANNABEL FAIRFAX - "I love shape, colour, texture, plants and fabrics."

DAVID PEARCE - "The subject is one of the least important aspects of my paintings, it's not what I paint it's how and why."
EMMA HAGGAS - "Living in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside and Cornish seascapes."

 

7. Do you find painting therapeutic?

ANNABEL FAIRFAX - " Yes and very hard work. It is definitely therapeutic to concentrate."

DAVID PEARCE - "No I find it very frustrating but I feel driven to create."

EMMA HAGGAS - "It is a passion and a need and I feel totally energised by it. The only time I have been unable to paint is when I have been unhappy due to the loss of loved ones."

 

8. What do you like about Cricket Fine Art?

ANNABEL FAIRFAX - "The palettes of a lot of the paintings are beautiful and I love Contemporary Art so I am lucky to hang in the company of some very talented Artists."

DAVID PEARCE - "The relaxed atmosphere."

EMMA HAGGAS - "Having a wide audience to see my work progressing."

 

One additional little snippet that many of you may be interested to learn is that the premises in Park Walk occupied by Jonathan Clark Fine Art for 30 years is soon to be occupied by a Wedding Dress Designer. Cricket Fine Art is always happy to have a wedding list for brides and bridegrooms.

Ken Howard, full of smiles, arriving at the Private View

 

With London in bloom at the Chelsea Flower Show from 23 - 27 May, Cricket Fine Art in Park Walk is also 'In Bloom' 16 - 27 May with a stunning collection of flower paintings by Annabel Fairfax, David Pearce and Emma Haggas.

 

The exhibition opened with a Private View last night and a huge amount of people attended including the delightful Ken Howard, one of the legendary members of the  New English Art Club, which was founded by a group of artists dissatisfied with the entrenched attitudes of the Royal Academy, the group mounted their first show in 1886 and work included paintings by Clausen, Sickert and Stanhope Forbes. The New English increasingly attracted younger artists, bringing with them the influence of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Many diverse styles of art have developed since its founding, adding richness and variety.

 

It was a great compliment to our artists that Ken Howard attended and admired their work. We in turn loved his shoes which were as colourful as the paintings on the walls.

 

David Pearce's quirky interpretations of still life and landscape painting make a wonderful contrast to the energetic and colourful floral displays by Annabel Fairfax and Emma Haggas. If you are searching for a special painting to give any room in your house a lift this exhibition is definitely worth viewing.

 

 

Emma Haggas (left) and Annabel Fairfax (right) greeting guests

 

 

Annabel Fairfax, Leaves and Pots II, Oil, 49 x 74 cm

 

 

David Pearce, Stickback Chairs, Acrylic, 76 x 61 cm

 

 

Emma Haggas, Kitchen Window Sill, Oil, 70 x 140 cm

 

Our Frank Phelan exhibition in our London gallery comes to an end this Saturday 6^th May so if you haven't already seen it do try and come. We will of course retain the unsold paintings in the gallery after the show has ended.

 

This week has been an incredibly busy week getting our new gallery in Hungerford ready for the big opening in Barrs Yard which takes place tomorrow. The decorators and carpet layers have just moved out but despite that paintings are already selling.  

 

Also based at Barrs Yard there will be other small businesses to tempt you such as:-

Garden Art

Grapesmith

Honesty

Jax Jeans

Wendy Lewis Flowers

The Generous Gardener

 

There is plenty of parking and if you happen to find yourself in the Hungerford area tomorrow evening 5^th May between 6 - 9 pm do please come and celebrate with us, failing that we will look forward to seeing you either, in our gallery in London, or Hungerford, if more convenient, at a later date.

 

Cricket Fine Art, Hungerford

 

Cricket Fine Art, Hungerford

 

We are delighted to be holding our first exhibition of paintings by the renowned Irish artist Frank Phelan b. 1932.

Frank is an abstract artist whose painting is a process of transformation in which he converts what he sees into equivalent colours, forms and spaces.

 

Despite being over eighty years old his present paintings are still as full of youthful zest and vigour as ones from the past. When great artists such as Anne Martin come and admire his work there is no doubt that we are lucky to have the honour of showing such a master in his field.

 

Last night we held a Private View for Frank with a strong Irish contingency present, though surprisingly we have never had so much water drunk. It was a pleasure to meet Frank's brother Brian, an actor and writer, and Donal Gallagher, brother of the late Rory Gallagher who, for those of us old enough to remember, was a massively popular Irish Blues and rock multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was at his most prolific in the 1970s.

 

Don't miss out on this exhibition.

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Phelan and 'Yellow Bird II'

 

 

'Botallack', Oil and Graphie 76 x 51 cm