The London Art Fair had a calm welcoming ambiance showcasing some of the best modern and contemporary artwork within the surrounding area. You could definitely feel that the selection of artwork was quite conservative in comparison with the ones in New York or Paris. However, the overall feeling was very welcoming, organised, and inviting everyone to enjoy.
From the pool of so many artists exhibited in the fair (represented by the galleries), here are my favorites. I truly believe each of them deserve to have their own dedicated space and time for writing, which I hope to do at some point…
Nicholas Phillips
Amazingly talented British artist based in London creating watercolors from real-life photographs.
Having conceived an idea for a picture I will go about setting up a shoot, giving consideration to casting, location, props, lighting / time of day. Hoping to get that one image I’ll take several rolls of film using a SLR camera.
The photographs come back from the lab normal postcard size. One is selected, scanned and blown up to 60 x 40 cm. I trace and then transfer an outline guide to the paper. Reverting to the original postcard size photo as my ‘model’, everything is re drawn with water soluble colour pencil. I switch to brush and with watercolour slowly build up the image layer upon layer, the pencil outlines get washed away. {Tomas Watson}
7 O’Clock News / Silent Night
Note: Watercolor
This one is very special — it is alive talking with you and not allowing you to stop enjoying. It requires you to be there — in that moment of watching…
Giant
Note: Watercolor
Mirror
Portraying his spirit very well together with music…
Tomas Watson
Unmade Bed, 2008
Oil on linen, 74.75″ x 78.75″, 190 x 200 cm
Martha Winter
Through my work I continue to explore my obsession with geometry. Through the use of actual materials I can reference landscape and by reducing compositional elements to the minimum and can explore natural pattern. I am interested in using repetition to emphasise the organic ordering of parts to create heavily textured surfaces. I aim to create pieces that provoke contemplation on the similarity and complexity of mathematical patterns in our universe. {Martha Winter}
Circle Forming 3
122×122cm pebbles, pigment and sand
This one reminds me very much of Robert Smithson’s work often categorised as the “earth / monumental art.”
Graded Pebbles 4
80×80cm pebbles, pigment and sand
Ruth Walter & Lee Hewett
“An interactive art” whereas one can create his own conception about the artwork while touching it and interacting with it — the little “lolly pots” move at a very flexible speed and adjust to the way one touches them.
Polywobble wall panel
45×100cm
Elisabeth Lecourt
Chelsea girl
Format: portrait
Reglisses roulees
Format: portrait