Robin´s Gold Leaf Gallery: June 2009

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Picasso is one of my favourite artists. Not all his work I like but there are some very powerful painting that he has done.
This one was a drawing that he did, but it lacked colour, and at the stage of painting this I was into these colours so hey presto!

Title: Thanks Picasso
Medium: Oil on Masonite
Size: 50*39cm
Year: 1997

Small African Trees

This was one painting that I did twice, this is the smaller one. The larger one is a mirror reflection of the first. Also taken from a Windsor and Newton lesson. They were very worth doing the lessons.

Title: Small African Trees
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 65*50cm
Year: 2000

Rubens Woman

Paul Peter Rubens is also one of my favourites. It seems that I have many favourites. Including Schiele, Modiglianni and Klimt. Anyway, this was one his drawing that I thought could be used to practice with.

Title: Ruben´s Woman
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 81*54cm
Year: 1998

Restful Field

This painting was done under compulsion, one of those moments that I just have to stop everything that I´m doing and try what I have been thinking about, before the feeling or mood is lost. Normally when this happens that is when I paint at my best. This was also one of those pictures that I felt very reluctant to let go, but one can not keep everything. It went so quickly that I did not even get a chance to write down its size.
Title: Restful Field
Medium: Oil
Size: Small
Year: 2006

Reddish

Title: Reddish
Medium: Mixed
Size: 30*21cm
Year: 2002

New Look

Title: The New Look
Medium: Oil bars on canvas
Size: 40*30cm
Year: 2002

Modi

This painting does no justice to the original, I take my hat off to you Modi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Title: Modiglianni
Medium: Wax Crayons and Gold leaf
Size: 40*50cm
Year: 2001

Baby Eyes

Title: Here´s Looking at you Baby
Medium: Oil
Size: Don´t remember
Year: 2007

Large African Trees

There exists a smaller version of this painting but in a mirror image reflection. The framing was also done by me.

Title: Large African Trees
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 130*97cm
Year: 2000

Jazz Band

This was one of those feeling good paintings, where the result was unimportant. When this happens the results are normally satisfying.

Title: Jazz Band
Medium: Oil bars on canvas.
Size: 100*81cm
Year: 2006

Jade

Saw a photo of this statue, and at that stage I did not have a model to pose for me I painted this. It is a very bight shocking colour painting, but it illustrated nicely the relationship between complementary colours

Title: Mrs Jade
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 100*70cm
Year: 2001

Flying Whales

This painting was the result of seeing one of the drawings of my son Benjamin. I thought the drawing was just so fantastic that I copied my sons own drawing. What is happening to my artist creativity?

Title: Flying Whales
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 92*73cm
Year: 2002

Flower Shopping

Another of one of the paintings that I copied when I first started out. This is still one that is a favourite with my wife, so it has been given to her.

Title: Flower Shopping
Medium: Oil bars on Canvas
Size: 81*65cm
Year: 2001

Family Bonds

Title: Family Bonds
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 100,5*75cm
Year: 2001

FaceUp

Windsor and Newtons oils bars are fantastic to draw with as they dry just like oil paints. Not like the oil pastels that remain sticky and never dry - horrible stuff. This was done as an illustration on how to use oil bars at the time that I had a art supply shop

Title: FaceUp
Medium: Oilbars on Canvas
Size: 97*65cm
Year: 2002

Red Woman and Green Man

These paintings have been given to Chantelle for a wedding present. They will probably shock some, but they were done to show the relationship between complementary colours. It is idea taken from another artists paint a few alterations.

Title: The Red Woman and The Green Man
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 195*73cm
Year: 2001

Blue Spray

The blue that surrounds the image is not part of the painting. This paint was painted on a whim and to my surprise it was sold. It is amazing that some of the paintings I have done, that I thought were not that great have been the first to go. And something that took a lot of effort with better results have not been sold as fast.

Title: The Blue Spray
Medium: Acrylic spray on Masonite
Size: 77*77cm
Year: 2001

Algarve

Title: Algarve.

Medium: Acrylic and canvase.
Size: ?
Year: 2005

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Whirl

Title: The Whirl

What do You See

Title: What do You See?

What do you see?

Title: What do you see?

Untitled

Trumpet

Title: The Trumpet

The Taker

Title: The Taker

Lone Helper

Title: The Lone Helper

The Drip

Title: The Drip

THe Sunset

Title: The Sunset

Stairs

Title: Stairs

Monday, June 15, 2009

Simple Metals

Title: Simple Metal
Year: 2002
Size: 108*82cm

Spiderman

This was done for my son Benjamin
Title: Spiderman
Size: 146*81cm
Year: 2004

Sax

Title: The Sax
Size: 100*81cm
Year: 2006

Rubens

This ideas was taken from a drawing done by Paul Peter Rubens, one of the greatest artists of all time. I still feel that I have not done justice to his drawing by just covering it on gold and silver. But it was part of the drawing process when I first stated with this medium.
Title: Rubens Study
Size: 160*90cm (Three panels)
Year: 2001

The Robe

Title: The Robe
Medium: Gold and Silver Leaf on canvas
Size: 100*81cm
Year: 2004

The Poppy Field

Title: The Poppy Field
Size: 146*100cm
Year: 2003
Medium: Gold & silver leaf, and Oil

Yellow Orchre

This painting started off as a demonstration as to the process of painting one of my pictures. I like the result so much that on each occasion that some wanted to buy it I refused to sell.
Title: Yellow Ochre
Size: 46*55cm
Year: 2004

Artist Statement

I create because I can not help it. It is an addiction that I have not been able to get ride of , but on the other hand, I truly like my addiction and I do not want to be cured. There is this innate habit that makes humans what they are: the unexplainable need to create. We all create to some degree or another; some sculpture, paint, draw, design jewellery or invent meals. This reminds me of what Pablo Picasso said “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”. Some create with more passion and frequency than others, and I like to think of myself as one of those .

I prefer to create using gold/silver leafed canvases as my foundation, with the addition of other objects attached to the canvas. This method of creating is commonly known as “Assemblage”. Assemblage is an artistic form or medium usually created on a defined substrate that consists of three-dimensional elements projecting out of or from the substrate. It is similar to collage, a two-dimensional medium. It is part of the visual arts, and it typically uses found objects, but is not limited to these materials.

My preference of objects at the moment is electronic circuit boards. Digital circuit boards are so ubiquitous that they exist in all electronic items that we use on a daily bases. They have a had a profound negative effect on our world in terms of the pollution that is caused in their construction as well as their deposal. We all need to think and act responsibly about recycling our old electronic equipment. However, each circuit board is an object of art in it’s own right, and an art object of another’s creation, therefore adding to the continuity of the work that I’m in the process of making. When I hold a “motherboard” in my hand, I can not help but marvel at the patterns created by the circuits, the way that the precious metals reflect off the surface and the placements of the chips. When holding the board, my mind begins to ask. “How can I use this gorgeous, but rather redundant piece? It is just too fascinating toss it out, without a second thought” . When I mention these ideas to some people, they do look at me like I’m missing a few marbles. Maybe I am, but it always makes me smile inwardly.

The process of creating my art is as follows: After I have prepared the canvas with gold and silver leaf, and having antiqued and stressed the metal, the circuit boards or any other objects that suit me at the time, are added. Only once I’m satisfied with the layout and positioning of the circuit boards, does the painting commence. Usually with a combination of acrylics and oils. Unfortunately I can not lay claim to being the inventor of this technique. The origin of the art form dates to the cubist constructions of Pablo Picasso (1912-1914) The origin of the word (in its artistic sense) can be traced back to the early 1950s, when Jean Dubuffet created a series of collages of butterfly wings, which he titled “assemblages d'empreintes”.

There seems to be a never ending challenge to do, make or experiment with physical things. In my experimentation, I have used traditional as well as contemporary objects, and as a result my art was born. Gold and silver leaf paintings are the offspring of my fecundate creatively.

So with great pleasure and pride I present my oeuvre to you, and hope that in observing my art, you will experience the same joy that I had in its creation.

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions:

2018 - Casa do Tempo - Castanheiro do Tempo, Portugal.

2016 - Banco Portugal Leiria, Portugal

2014 – Restaurant Casa M, Figueira do Foz, Portugal

2012 – Restaurant Moinho de Rouco. Leiria, Portugal

2010 - Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Portugal.

2008 - Villa São Marcos - Telheiro, Portugal.

2008 - Orfeão Velho - Leiria , Portugal.

2007 - Signal Art Centre - Ireland.

2007 - Galeria Capitel - Leiria, Portugal.

2006 - Signal Art Centre - Ireland.

2006 - Casa do Tempo - Castanheiro do Tempo, Portugal.

2004 - Galeria Capitel - Leiria, Portugal.

2004 - Barrington’s Sports club - Vale do Lobo, Algarve, Portugal.

2003 - Municipal Library Alfonso Lopes Vieira - Leiria, Portugal.

Collective Exhibitions

2015 - Art Show, Expoeste, Centro Empresarial do Oeste, Portugal

2014 – PerArte – Terras de Peralta, Portugal

2014 – Art Show, Expoeste, Centro Empresarial do Oeste, Portugal

2012 – Arte Algarve – Lagoa, Algarve, Portugal

2012 - Cultural Centre of Mercês – Lisbon, Portugal

2010 - ARTM – Association of Rehabilitation of Drug Users – Macau

2009 - Orfeão Velho - Leiria, Portugal.

2009 - Instituto Politécnico da Juventude - Leiria, Portugal.

2004 – Barrington’s Sports Club – Algarve, Portugal

2003 - 111 Bienal Artes Plásticas - Nazaré, Portugal.

2003 - 11 Bienal de Artes Plásticas - Escolas e Jardins de Serra, Portugal.

2002 - Exposalão de Batalha - Batalha, Portugal.

2001 - Galeria 57 - Leiria, Portugal.