Exhibition at Ékezet Galéria
Golden Topographies
Thursday September 12th 7 00 pm
Hajos Utca 41 Budapest
To be opened by Zoltán Miszlai
A brand new series of layered, textural mixed-media pieces, some on paper, others on canvas
“Golden Topographies” című kiállítása nyílik szeptember 12-én az Ékezet Galériában a Hajós u. 41 szám alatt. A kiállítást megnyitja Miszlai Zoltán.
Mindegyik alkotás teljesen új lesz.
There is nothing like the knowledge that exhibitions are on the way to motivate towards getting new work done! I hope to have a surprise or two in stroe for the Ékezet Galéria in September and to have one or two more works to choose from when itis tim for the Müszi exhibition.
Progress can be viewed from my Facebook page…..
Meanwhile, here I have added some more images – firstly to my Life Drawing section – where not only is there the chance to draw a life model, but where it is also possible to expereince that much more of a sense of community among other artists, in a milieu which is neither self-consciously expat, nor parochially local. And the wine and cuisine from Mr Fekete are also a real treat!
I have also added some more works to the My Larger mixed-media Pieces section too – though in fact, the works I have added to the latter are not all that big……..
I have had many well-meaning people aske me why I do not ‘go bigger’ with my paper collage works – well here, there is now a selection in this style on canvas – using more of the media that would only work on a more robust surface too – but there will certainly be some larger pieces soon to flesh out this particular slection of works.
In both cases, please scroll down towards the bottom to find these……
This Autumn may be quite eventful, as I will be exhibiting twice in Solo exhibitions!
The first will be at the ékezet galéria, Hajos Utca 41 from mid-September, the other from late November to early December at the MÜSZI, Blaha Luiza Square. More information will be posted as it comes as there is still a lot to organise and plan.
Kettő kiállítási lehetőségem lesz amint vége lesz a nyárnak 2014-ben. Az egyik lesz szeptember középétől az Ékezet Galériában, Hajos Utca 41, a másik viszont a Müsziben November végétől December elejéig. Van még sok csinálnivaló, sok amit kell szervezni, de tudni fogok értesíteni ezeken a lapokon.
Please visit my ‘New Paper Collage pieces’ to see several new works created on hard paper, using metal foil, gold and solver wax-based paint and paper of different colours, here! These include images I first showed here in my earlier ‘sneak preview’ post.
In these compositions, I experimented with cracked surfaces, after painting over two or three layers of paper, then removing the top layers and regluing them, to reveal the unpainted surface underneath. I added layers of paper foil, then repainted over these, allowing these to shine through, for more added depth and still further complexity of layers.
All of the surfaces are reflective and thus change with the mood.
In this respect, the camera meets me half way in recreating the surfaces and the ‘jewelled’ qualities these possess. In these latest works I did not use my scanner but rather my camera, using ‘lying’ mode. I am not sure this is the right way to express this in English actually as my phablet phone is still set to Hungarian and it was switched from automatic to ‘fekvő’ mode. This latter produced greater sharpness of images and richer, more golden shades – though the size of these works is reduced hugely so that they will upload smoothly onto this site.
There is a chance I will be able to present a solo exhibiton of my larger works in the Autumn of this year – so please watch this space. Currently I have works on show in Budapest at the co-operative run KAZI 30 project run by the Ferdinand Gallery at Kazinzsky Utca 30 and at the Újnesz venue at Papnövelde Utca 2, near Ferenciek Tér, Budapest.
Well I think……
That there is a lot to be said sometimes for that old saw, that creating is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Recently at least, it has seemed to be more about working without feeling hugely inspired at all and allowing the flow to come slowly, without forcing it.
I have been attending life drawing classes and that has sometimes seemed like a drudge at the end of a long, long day.
I have also been working on a new series of paper-based works that did not seem to be coalescing into any new body to be excited about at all. I have been trying to resolve two older pieces in canvas as well as creating new textural pieces on canvas using the techniques I have been working with on my paper-based works, without much sense of these coalescing into any kind of massive new ouevre likewise either.
It was good then, after photographing my works over the weekend, that things have been taking form, and taking form well – at least my newest paper-based works have been. My smaller canvas-based works are beginning to take shape too, but I am looking forward to having more time over the summer to really make a difference to those.
Enjoy these images, if you are following this blog in any way at all – there is more to come!
These three works are created on stiff paper, using differently-textured other kinds of paper, gold and copper acrylic or wax-based paints and metal foil. The intention is that each piece should be deeply layered, each containing memory and imprints of earlier stages of evolution.
For Those of Little Faith…..
Work does shift at the Ferdinand, at Kazi30! There now will this summer be more opportunities to show a work or two at Szentendre too as well as at Buda and accordingly I have taken more pieces to show there. One of these is the work featured here – Echoes of Bam.
Recently I went to visit an exhibition of Reigl Judit at the soon-to be closed down gallery near Boráros Tér in Budapest.
It was felt that the work was a little hit-and-miss – it did seem that for her, the process of creating seemed more important in many instances than the result – the most patterned and considered work was the best. She certainly appears to be the mistress of the Splodge – though in the Fifties, Splodges would have been radical indeed.
It was interesting to note that she liked to allow some substances to bleed through the canvas, creating subtleties of shading and staining…
I also bought a book about Roszda Endre, whose works we saw at a gallery near Moscow Square, when it was still Moscow Square. I always respond to work that is full of intricacy and pattern.
I have begun work on a new series of works, both of paper-based pieces and of small pieces on canvas. I used gold acrylic, gold wax paint, torn paper of different colours and metal foil to create these.
These are based on the inspiration gleaned from my completion of the 2013 Sketchbook Project. Two earlier books of my mixed-media layered works on paper can be viewed here.
In the 2013 sketchbooks I experimented with adding and then replacing torn pieces of paper to review the original layer of paper, giving a ‘streched’ look.
So now here is a chance to watch some works in progress. Here is the first stage:
I have added torn paper of various colours to the pristine surface.
By the next stage, I have painted over each surface with gold and then begun to peel away the painted-over surfaces, reapplying them so that they are misplaced, so that the background colour is revealed:
Now it will be a question of continuing to add, complexify and refine what has been begun here.
This is a piece which is getting much closer to being completely finished.
Being created on Canvas using wax under the paint for added texture , contrasting matt acrylic with iridescent paint, gold and metal foil columns: the city in movement, at night.
The layers of texture are intended to add richness and complexity to each work, the sense that layers of memory underlie each image.
I intend to add more gold and iridescent to certain other areas of the surface and perhaps remove in discrete places the top texture to expose the patterns of wax and paper underneath this.
Watch this space….
Life Drawing again!
I found a Life Drawing class at the end of 2011 and after a very long hiatus indeed, got the opportunity to hone my skills in this area once again. This year, the old venue ground to a halt, due to models cancelling at the last minute and so on. I was sorry about this, as one thing I enjoyed about the atmosphere at the venue was that it was a little bit more international: neither exclusively Hungarian nor exclusively expat in favour of any other particular nationality. That made it more easy-going for me – everyone spoke a little Hungarian, a little English, so there was a lot more room to meet each other half way, somehow.
More recently another individual has offered up his home as a venue for life drawing classes. That is Peter Fekete, who does not sound remotely Hungarian. I recently attended his exhibition opening and his blog can be seen here.
His work reminds me a little of that of an old friend and fellow of mine – Dave Patchett.
Peter’s work does not have the satirical edge that Dave’s has, but the canvass paintings filled panoramic detail of so many human souls inhabiting various hells does invite comparison.
Dave and I used to exhibit together with a group of other artists from Hillfieds in Coventry
Drawing is followed by plentiful offerings of pizza and wine and once again, the atmosphere seems pretty easy-going and congenial. This is one of my latest drawings:
I am still working on completing older pieces and repairing others before moving on. My recent experiences with artist’s co-operatives in Budapest have at times been disheartening to say the least. Insiders have occasionally proven to be aggressively territorial of their position as big fish in small ponds. Others appear to start with heady-sounding intentions of changing the closed-shop snobbery of this marvellous city into a vibrantly open hive of creativity and bringing Art back into the centre of people’s lives, reclaiming the artist’s role as virtually Shamanic, and so on, only for this quickly to become what sounds a whole lot more like ‘try to do more white ones, your red ones aren’t getting enough votes and that blue doesn’t go down either. Not that your red ones aren’t any good, but……’
It was suggested to me I had fallen victim to the tyranny of the Market.
Taking the ‘treat your great Soul work on high as something to be be Marketed’ does appear to offer hope, a solution to the old Starving Artist who might otherwise find the closed shops of the Right Schools and Who you Know a formidable barrier.
The Marketing thing can also seem incredibly reductionist. I suspect that there are individuals somewhere in the world who would be happy to be the ones to part me from my larger peices, just as I have occasionally found individuals willing to buy my A4-size collage work on paper. I just wish I knew how to reach these.
Ferdinand Gallery – new work on show for the next month from March 16th
The Ferdinand Gallery is located at KAZI30, Kazinszky Utca 30, Budapest. KAZI30 is a new venture, designed to function as a co-operative venue for artists who are not part of the ‘closed shop’ mainstream of galleries here.
This is the piece I have on show there for the time being: it is a mixed-media piece on board, 50x50cm in size, its title being ‘Autumns Shades on snow-covered surface.’
I still, also have a work that can be viewed at the headquarters of the Intergaléria Foundation, at Mester Utca 22. This work is also 50×50 cm and completed on board. Its title is ‘Sunset City.’
I understand that Intergaléria have recently formed a new society for local artists and currently are showing work at a town hall in the city centre. However, these days I am starting to get very busy again with teaching work, so will not really have the time to investigate during the week much and the shop is only open from 2 00 pm to 6 most days – when I am at my busiest.
Do check these out yourselves though if you happen to be in town.
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