Tuesday, 19 July 2016

From Nightclub Murals to "Lightbox" Landscapes


Grant Dejonge has been making art for twenty five years. At present his work concentrates on landscape painting but he has occupied many roles in the art world, from gallery owner on Brighton seafront to mural painter in London nightclubs.




He now lives in the heart of the South Downs where he records the beautiful scenery that make up the South Downs National Park.

Grant is driven by a desire to understand the world around him and to recreate it in two dimensions. He references many different art movements in bis work: surrealism and symbolism sit comfortably with pop art and portraiture.

"I particularly love Otto Dix and Max Beckermann," says Grant. "Painters such as Matta and Tanguy were an early influence, but in truth most of my day-to-day influences are my friends and fellow artists who no-one has ever heard of...and my wife Jaqueline."

In 2010 he won first prize in a national competition run by artrepublic, to make a positive contribution to the urban environment and raise awareness of the problems of homelessness. His picture "Lost", depicting a homeless child sleeping under the lamplight of a city park is perhaps one of his most famous pieces.

Although Grant has exhibited with us previously, he is breaking new ground in this exhibition. Among his works on display are two innovative "lightbox" landscapes, which are painted on perspex and backlit by LEDs.



"Reflection" continues until 3rd September.

Wednesday, 6 July 2016

Emma Bird's lateral thinking...


Emma Bird has exhibited her wire sculptures at the Gallery for some time and always comes up with witty interpretations of our exhibition titles.

So with bated breath, we waited to see how she would interpret "Reflection".

Emma's work in this exhibition focuses on the contemplative angle with evocative and tenderly observed wire sculptures and framed pictures.


This is entitled "Remember When"....


...whilst this free-standing sculpture is simply called "The Good Old Days".

Emma's work celebrates the beauty of creation, the people and animals that she sees around her, as well as the interaction between them.

"Wire gives me the freedom to draw in the air," she says. "It is so intriguing to see the line hold its shape without losing a sense of flow and delicacy."

She uses the minimum number of ‘lines’ to suggest the highlights of each creation and its character.

"I work with my hands, pliers and cutters alone to create my pieces," she says. "I value the purity of this process and avoid the temptation to solder or glue wires together so that I produce truly handcrafted work."

Until recently, Emma was Head of Art at Shoreham College but now works full time as an Artist.

The exhibition continues until Saturday 3rd September.