Half Moon Putney to stage first exhibition by Resident Artist

‘New Moon’: Good Friday, 30 March, 12-4.30pm, Half Moon Putney 93 Lower Richmond Road, London SW15 1 EU. Free entry.

The Half Moon Putney will be marking its 55th year with ‘New Moon’ – a free one-day exhibition of artworks completed by its Resident Artist, and Lots Road Group member Stella Tooth, on Good Friday, 30 March from 12 -4.30pm.

Throughout 2017 Stella has been busy capturing the creative energy of some of the venue’s best-loved bands – and will be continuing to document the special events planned with legends of the 60s to the 00s throughout 2018.

The images so far – and the story behind them – are contained in ‘New Moon’ an online catalogue which it’s hoped will whet your appetite to see them in the frame.

A proportion of the money raised from their sale will go to Teenage Cancer Trust, whose Honorary Patron is Roger Daltry, in a drive to raise £55k for the charity, celebrating 55 years of live music at The Half Moon.

Visitors to the exhibition will enjoy a complimentary Gin & Tonic from Sipsmith on arrival. Closest tube: Putney Bridge.

 

Heatherley’s at the Bankside

Some Lots Road Group artists – including Hero Johnson and Sarah Jane Moon will have work on display in the annual The Heatherley School Of Fine Art Staff Exhibition which is taking place again next month at the Bankside Gallery.

This is Heatherley’s fifth excursion to the Bankside Gallery and always proves a diverse and interesting show and opportunity for friends and students of the school to get together.

The exhibition runs from Thursday 25th January to Sunday 28th January 11am-6pm.

Bankside Gallery
Thames Riverside
48 Hopton Street
London
SE1 9JH

Two portraits by Katherine Firth unveiled at Cambridge

Two portraits by Lots Road Group member Katherine Firth: of Dr Chris Dobson and his late wife Ann, were recently unveiled at Selwyn College, Cambridge.

The portraits were commissioned to mark the generosity of Dr and Mrs Dobson, whose major contribution has enabled the building of two wings of Ann Court at the College.

News from Sarah Jane Moon

Congratulations to Lots Road Group artist Sarah Jane Moon who has a full schedule ahead both exhibiting and teaching.

Queer Artists’ Versions of Themselves, Salisbury

‘In Your Face’ is an exhibition of differing approaches to portraying a sense of self and interpreting identity and sexuality. It coincides with this year’s 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act, the landmark moment when private homosexual acts between men over 21 in England and Wales were decriminalised in 1967.

Sarah’s self portrait ‘In The Studio’ 2015 will be on display along with others by various artists including Roxana Halls, Matthew Stradling and Michael Petry.

Curated by Sadie Lee, the exhibition opens at the Salisbury Arts Centre on Saturday 23 September and runs until 4 November (10am – 3pm Tues – Sat).

GFEST

Gfest is London’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) Arts Festival that champions equality in all walks of life through visual arts, film, performance and other events.

Sarah will have three paintings on display at the Menier Gallery from 13-18 November as part of GFEST, including a portrait of ‘SJ Weston’, the creator of androgynous tailoring label Thomas Thomas.

DIVERSIFYING PORTRAITS AT OXFORD

Sarah has painted Army Medical Officer and Olympic bobsledder Dr Henry Odili Nwume for the Diversifying Portraits initiative at Oxford which aims to broaden the range of people represented on the University’s walls.

The initiative includes over 20 other photographic & painted portraits of people connected to the college who have disabilities, come from minority ethnic backgrounds, or identify as LGBTQI, including director Ken Loach, journalist Reeta Chakrabarti, and author Jeanette Winterson.

The new portraits will be shown in Oxford at an exhibition later this year.

ART FOR YOUTH

Sarah will be exhibiting with Art For Youth in their London exhibition taking place at the Mall Galleries this 13-15 December.

Art For Youth are celebrating their 30th year supporting artists and changing the lives of young people across the country. Over 1000 works of art between £200 and £5000 are offered for sale from 130 artists with 35% of sales going to the charity.

Always a very special event, tickets are available via the Art For Youth website.

PAINTING COURSES

Sarah is continuing to teach at The Heatherley School of Art next term (from 25 September) at both beginners and advanced level. She is also taking the Open Studio classes for portraiture (Tuesdays & Thursdays) from 17 October-2 November.

You can also book now for Painting People, a two day Masterclass at Trinity Buoy Wharf with The New School of Art on 2&3 December.

PAINTING AT COTEGRANGE FRANCE 2018

Sarah’s first residential painting course in May of this year went amazingly well with brilliant weather that made the colours of the landscape really come to life.

The food, accomodation and atmosphere at Cotegrange are second to none and she is already looking forward to the next week in May 2018 with brilliant chef Stephanie Dean on board.

All painting levels welcome. Places are limited to just seven participants so if you would like to join us please do get in touch with Sarahfor more information and to book.

Sarah Jane Moon

The Art of Reading heads for Heatherley’s!

If you haven’t yet seen the Art of Reading exhibition that opened at Waterstones in Bloomsbury last year, and toured to the Cambridge Literary Festival, you can catch it as it completes its tour at The Heatherley School of Fine Art at the end of this month.

Artist Katherine Firth portrayed Dame Gillian Beer DBE, ex-President of Clare Hall and King Edward Vii Professor of English Literature and a distinguished author and literary critic.

If you would like to learn more about her reading habits – and those of others portrayed – go to http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/7438580-the-art-of-reading to find The Art of Reading Catalogue.

The exhibition at Thomas Heatherley 75 Lots Road SW10 0RN (closest tube Fulham Broadway) runs Tuesday 26- Saturday 30 September 10am – 4pm. It is staged in association with Book Trust.

Alla Broeksmit – MFA New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting & Sculpture

Lots Road Group member Alla Broeksmit has gained her MFA from the New York Studio of Drawing, Painting & Sculpture.

At her thesis exhibition earlier this year, Alla said, “Memories are central to how I create images. In this new series of paintings, I am referring to incidents from my past as a mean to dissect my own identity as an immigrant. I was among the ones who have lost everything, the disinherited, the poor, the abandoned. Forty years ago, I escaped the repression and totalitarianism of the Soviet Union. I left my people behind, members of my family, my friends.

“Before I paint, I keep my eyes closed and they appear again, as clear as it was when I was lost in Vienna, my child in my arms. These images are behind each stroke of paint. I utilise this particular psychological content and emotion, embedded in my origins, to feed me and to develop — visually — my new iconography within the layers of paint in my paintings.”

Biljana Sykes by Laurence Collis

 

As Laurence’s portrait of Biljana Sykes has joined us mid tour, it was not included in The Art of Reading catalogue, which can be found on Blurb.

As The Lots Road Group’s motto is Our Portrait, Your Story, words that accompany our work is equally as important as the portraits themselves.

Here is what Laurence had to say about her sitter, and what she, in turn, has to say about reading.

My sitter

I have painted my friend Biljana Sykes who is a yoga teacher and she is reading her father’s first novel, published last year.  She’s originally from Macedonia but has lived in London since 2000. Biljana is currently working on her biography which is about how her life has evolved since her divorce and the discovery that she had cancer.  She reassessed her life, she changed career, and with the help of many people she met on her journey, she is now happy and in remission.

Biljana Skyes on reading

In Laurence’s painting I am reading my father’s novel which has been published in his native Macedonian: Life: thoughts and wisdom. I like to read at home on my sofa, and occasionally on the plane – in fact, whenever I have a spare moment. I enjoy a mix of fiction and non-fiction, and if I had to choose a Desert Island book I would select Paolo Coelho’s ALEPH.

I like it because I can relate to both his voyage of self-discovery and his discovery of the world, which is relevant to the writing of my own biography. For me, reading means travelling into another person’s reality – their world.

Laurence Collis

Based in West Ealing, Laurence has a BA from Oxford Brookes University, studied portraiture at Heatherley’s and continuing studies at The Chelsea College of Art.  She has exhibited locally twice with the Ealing Art Group and twice in the Ealing Open Exhibition at the PM Gallery.  Her latest group exhibition was at the London Oratory School.  She also takes commissions.

New portrait for Art of Reading

We’re thrilled at the Lots Road Group to have Heatherley’s trained Laurence Collis join our Art of Reading exhibition at the Cambridge Literary Festival with a portrait of her friend Biljana Sykes reading.

The art of reading now on tour at Cambridge Literary Festival!

Lots Road Group members Hilary Puxley, Mark Stevenson and Katherine Firth (and her daughter) selflessly turned their backs on the glorious Spring sunshine yesterday to set up our latest exhibition The Art of Reading at the Cambridge Literary Festival.

Festival Organiser, Anna Millward, said, “We are delighted to be supporting Lots Road Group The Art of Reading Exhibition. The portraits are exquisite and will make a lovely contribution to the festival vibe.”

And we’re just thrilled to be at such a festival, which runs from today until 23 April and celebrates the subject of our show.

The exhibition, created in association with BookTrust, celebrates the pleasure of reading. It is exhibited in the hub of the Festival, The Old Divinity School, St Johns College, where book signings and sales will take place, and where visitors can relax and socialise.

The portraits depict readers from two to ninety, some of whom are well known authors and academics, including Dame Gillian Beer, Honorary Patron of the Festival. Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear and Caroline Dawnay, doyenne of Literary Agents are amongst the sitters, as are other authors, students, friends and family members of the artists and children taking their first steps as readers.

Lots Road Group at the Cambridge Literary Festival!

The latest exhibition by the Lots Road Group, ‘The Art of Reading’ will be shown, appropriately, at the Cambridge Literary Festival, which runs from 18 to 23 April inclusive.

The exhibition, created in association with BookTrust, celebrates the pleasure of reading.  It will be exhibited in the hub of the Festival, The Old Divinity School, St Johns College, where book signings and sales will take place, and where visitors can relax and socialise.

The portraits depict readers from two to ninety, some of whom are well known authors and academics, including Dame Gillian Beer, Honorary Patron of the Festival.  Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear and Caroline Dawnay, doyenne of Literary Agents are amongst the sitters, as are other authors, students, friends and family members of the artists and children taking their first steps as readers.