Louise McNaught
The main undercurrent to Louise’s work is the journey of the Soul, and the spiritual messages we get through moments of clarity and dreams. In essence, her work is quite symbolic in nature and the subject matter tends to have a surrealist depiction to it, though the messages behind the pieces are often strong and very real.
Dreams are essentially in another dimension, another paradigm, another ‘reality’. Louise was often labelled a ‘dreamer’ as child by teachers and by friends, often gazing out of the window in lessons or ‘in her own world’. Dreams have become very important to her and in her work, as she has very vivid dreams of which she feels often symbolically hold important messages within them. She feels they can often express your inner truth, as dreams deal with suppressed emotions, our inner most fears and desires, that perhaps could not be dealt with at one time as they were too much, too ‘real’.
These ‘messages of the soul’ or ‘messages to the soul’ are what inspires her, and paint is the medium which feels she can express herself and the messages most clearly and imaginatively. There is often bold us of colour within her work, as she wants her paintings to grab the viewers attention, and carry the strength of the message though the canvas.
She believes art is a gift that should be shared with others, as it is not just a gift for the person who possesses it. It is another form of communication, that has always seemed beautiful and almost magical to her, the way it can transcend and move people. Her work may come across as surreal, dream-like and perhaps ‘other worldly’, but the reality of the message behind them is usually deep and poignant . To her, the Soul’s journey though life is the most important subject one could deal with.
Cathryn Kemp
Cathryn Kemp is an award-winning artist, based in Sussex, making large yet delicate abstract paintings. She studied at Central St Martins in London and completed her MA in Fine Art at Winchester School of Art’s Barcelona studios.
She has exhibited her work in Russia, Europe and currently the South East, and won a London Arts Board award for installation work completed as Artist in Residence in Moscow.
Cathryn’s work is abstract and painterly. She manipulates real and created space in her paintings which also describe an emotional place; a landscape of the soul.
She is interested in secrets and lies. What we reveal and what we hide and she imagines veils or shrouds as she works on the delicate yet large-scale pieces.
In between the layers of paint and mixed media such as tile grouting and charcoal, Cathryn writes out her personal diaries to us, the viewer, in loose, flowing script.
This is her way of revealing her ‘self’ whilst simultaneously hiding her ‘self’ by making the writing illegible and beautiful as mark-making in its own right.
Dani Humberstone
Born in London in 1965, Dani was educated at Michael Hall School (Rudolph Steiner School) in East Sussex.
She trained as a fashion designer in Brighton and developed a design business which won the Princes Youth Business Trust award in 1988.
She then worked in graphic design and book illustration, for an eclectic mix of art and design clients. Highlights included: nightclubs, a Tokyo-based Internet Corporation, authors, BT (in house magazine), restaurants, an Osteopathic clinic, psychotherapy treatment rooms, offices & reception areas, waiting rooms and schools – including a commission from Glaxo Smith Klein.
For ten years Dani owned and created the artwork for a greetings card company called ‘Cards That Won’t Cost The Earth.’ Principal customers included: Boots, Athena, Paperchase and Books etc. International customers included HEMA in The Netherlands.
More recently she has spend time as a freelance Gallery Manager and curator and is Chairman of the prestigious East Sussex based ‘The September Art Exhibition‘.
Dani has been a professional painter for twelve years and exhibit work in galleries, art fairs and group exhibitions.
She has recently finished work on her second teaching book on Abstract painting and has a third book of her own work called Going Dutch’ due out this summer.
Artists comments
Dani’s painting technique is a combination of modern and traditional oil painting methods. She uses ‘glazing’ to create three dimensional, luminous effects. ‘Chiascuro’ – strong light and shade give the paintings their atmosphere and depth. All paintings are made freehand and are painted from life, she says:
“Painting from life gives the work richness in tone, figurative realism and a glow only really found in objects reacting to their surroundings and being translated by the human eye‘s ability to see three dimensions.“
“My Current work features strongly lit still life oils, predominantly fruit. Some combine an elements of abstraction, landscape or something entirely different. By way of a description I call it ’Synchromatic Realism‘.”
“The viewer of a painting is an essential participant, the final piece of the jigsaw, so to speak, – giving it validity and significance.”
Tina Earthlingcool-Donovan
My name is Tina Donovan, I am 39 and have 2 teenage children. I currently live in Kent. I have always loved art and decided back in 2004 to apply to an art school and study a degree in Fine Art. To which I did and then graduated in 2007. I have exhibited in many local art events and will be exhibiting in Chicago as of January.
How I describe myself now is that of a Romantic Surrealist. This is my conclusion and my artist statement is this…
“To take the viewer into another world of romantic surrealism. To create a world of colour and composed narrative. Bordering on the psychedelia of imagination and day dreaming.”
“Trying to find an ideal utopia within a mechanical world. Nature prevails in many aspects of our lives.
Over time layers build up within the memory of the human mind just as nature layers her organic constructions over derelict pasts. Fighting the rigid architecture of man-made ideas and tendencies towards the natural world evolve in order to work in harmonious balance of progress and technology with what the eye and the heart feels. Visualising the needs for freedom and creativity.
Suzy Philips
My interest in art goes back to school days when I studied A’ Level Art. Painting, Photography and Ceramics have been an important part of my own exploration and development which led to studying these in evening classes and summer schools to combine with my work as a learning and development consultant.
I have become more prolific over the last four years and have exhibited in Galleries in North London, East Grinstead, Tunbridge Wells and have taken part in SE and Cornwall Open Studios.
My passion is now abstract painting using acrylics or watercolours combined with mixed media to create texture. I am inspired by the natural landscape of Kent/Sussex and by my many trips to Cornwall and the Mediterranean. I notice the formation and textures of buildings, the lines and colour of landscapes and the seashore.
I tend to paint from the heart and use painting as a way of expression my feelings and emotions – it’s the way I mark my life’s path.
Jess Levine
My work stems from various sources which include personal travels, Kentish landscape, current affairs, childhood memories and textile designs.
I don’t like to limit myself to one discipline, instead preferring to use a wide range of materials and to draw on a wide variety of sources. However, I often initially explore ideas using collage, as I find this a useful process in realising more finished pieces of work or in translating ideas using paint.
My work is often deliberately open ended in terms of impact. I like the viewer to bring themselves to the piece, rather than having meaning imposed by the maker.
In that respect, I like work to be loose and to have a meaning which is beyond intention, that is the piece in a sense answers back to both the viewer and the maker - Jessica Levine 2009
Doorway - Mixed Media