Deluge 2 is a development of the bottom left corner of Deluge. ‘The pyramid and shiplike structures have been combined in the building/ship structure on the left, while the monalith has been somewhat eroded. To its right a cascade of treasure pours from the destruction caused by the deluge of water’.

Summer Exhibition 2009

50 yards from the Sea: Contemporary Art Summer Exhibition To Launch in Sandgate, Kent

The Cristus Gallery summer exhibition of contemporary art will open to the public from Thursday June 4th 2009. Deborah O’Grady, the show’s curator emphasised the feelgood, optimistic nature of the artworks.

“The thinking behind the summer exhibition is very straightforward” said O’Grady. “It’s about the quality of summer light, the freshness of summer breezes, the hope and energy that a great summer can represent. It celebrates a certain lightness of being, and breaking free from whichever new global crisis we are in the middle of when people come to visit the gallery!”

Cristus Gallery, situated just 50 yards from the seaside promenade in Sandgate, is the ideal place for a Summer Exhibition.

“The quality of the light here in Sandgate is remarkable” said Dan McCarthy, one of the exhibiting artists. “On a clear day you can see France across the channel, the light sparkles on the water, and the sea is a Caribbean turquoise. On a stormy day, the sky and English Channel seem to threaten to burst the sea defences. I spend a lot of my time trying to capture these mood changes, and the ancient, troublesome relationship that man has with the sea in this place”.

We wanted artists who can match their seriousness of purpose with beautiful, colourful works that are optimistic and full of light. Featured artworks include paintings by Sarah Stokes, Jessica Stride and Tracey-anne Pryke; Ceramics by Shaun Hall; digital art by Dan McCarthy.

Summer exhibition opening times are now: Fri & Sat 11 - 7.30, plus the first Sunday of every month. These will be extended during the peak season and will be announced here.

Jessica Stride on why colour is her inspiration

As far back as I can remember, I’ve had a love of colour and when I paint, this is always my first inspiration. The images are unplanned but evolve through balance and instinct and using colours that lift my spirit with their beauty. This series of paintings was influenced by my frequent visits to Devon and reflects the vibrant blues of the coastal area. My process is one of making continual decisions, some conscious, some intuitive which affect the final outcome. I aim to produce imagery that is ambiguous, with many layers, that reveals itself slowly and gradually to the viewer.
[Jessica Stride, May 2009]

See Jessica’s striking abstract and figurative paintings, including ‘Headland’ featured above, at the Cristus Gallery Summer Exhibition, from June 4th 2009.

The Alloway paintings - Loving the art of the near past

Not so long ago, artists lived at the margins. From shabby studios, they produced work that was difficult and abrasive - even brutal. They shunned popularity. For to be popular, one had to conform; and to conform, one had to submit to the general will.

Questions about the nature and purpose of art seldom arose, because art was what they did, come what may. While pandering to the tastes of the mass consumer was unthinkable.

The Alloway paintings, acquired and lovingly restored by Cristus, ‘Nude with Cat’ (1969) and ‘Nude Circle’ (1971), are outstanding examples of this oppositional art. Knocked up on hardboard and skinny laths - themselves an expression of the artist’s condition - they have endured the pangs and scorn of time. Indeed, it is hard to imagine that they have ever been cared for, or displayed with pride. Yet, with the gentle easing of a spirit rag, four decades of filth make way for truths. We are struck by the artist’s thoughts, his fears, his time, his rebellion, and his unquestionable skill; but we also sense that the paintings are as vital as the moment of their conception, and that they are imbued with an integrity that is beyond question.

While other art arrives and is checked for dinks, like any other merchandise, the Alloways interfuse with the viewer. Even during restoration, they were taken from the workroom, hung on walls and examined, discussed and re-examined by us Cristusians.

In these, and in the one other painting we have seen, Alloway describes an urban, modern or near-futuristic vision. Spectral figures appear, writhing in a ring of despair in ‘Circle’, while encased in specimen jars in ‘Cat’. The nude is most present on the crimson sofa, but she too is obscured by the cat and her lower limbs are fading into pools of liquid light. Outside the glare radiates into the spaces and the figures await their fate. The resignation, alienation and loss of faith runs parallel to the themes of absurdist drama. These were the concerns of the artists of the time, and that’s why Alloway painted them. He is part of a rich tradition of British post-war avant-garde artists who have hitherto been much-undervalued. But who is this Dennis Alloway, whom, we are told, attended the Royal Academy School then disappeared from view? Please let us know.

Power and intensity - ‘Fire’ by Tracey-anne Pryke

Joining our list of new artists for the Cristus Summer Exhibition is Hythe-based Tracey-Anne Pryke. Though she paints mainly figurative works, this abstract departure is an example of her extensive range. It is not a painting to be avoided. There is a physical presence here, as if the surface of the painting itself has been set ablaze. Chromatic oils burn and shimmer over the blackness. The sense of immediacy reminds me of Willem de Kooning and the ‘Action painters’ of the 1950s and 60s, as though the painter has just stepped back from the canvas, bespattered and breathless - and the painting continues to burn. It is a great contrast to Tracey-Anne’s meticulous portraits and seascapes, though all possess the same rich pallette and expressionistic verve. See them for yourself, online and at the gallery from June 4th.
* Tracey-Anne has just agreed to demonstrate her skills by painting at the gallery. Date to be confirmed.

‘Every moment is a metamorphosis’ Sarah Stokes at the Cristus Summer Exhibition

Seeking the essence of the English seaside for our forthcoming Summer Exhibition, we found ourselves in the Whitstable studio of Sarah Stokes, a self-taught artist of infectious enthusiasm and natural talent. Inside the creative space, her art adorns every wall. It’s clear at once that her style is unique and yet present in all her paintings. The colours are those of the sea: pale greens, greys and blues with vibrant darts and impasto swirls. Abstract imaginings from the artist, yet from our shared world.

All around, the surfaces are covered in the stuff of painting: pots and canvas and items specific to the individual artist, like a favourite sponge or stick or bubble-wrap daub. While outside, just yards from the shingle beach, is the inspiration behind the work: the North Sea. As muses go, this capricious stretch of coastline is not for everyone. Cold mostly, and briny, and inspite of its recent gentrification into a gallery town, still retaining its honest nautical air.

For Sarah, the ever-changing light and scene are key to her art:  ‘Every moment is a metamorphosis!’ she declares… ‘The paintings seem to form storytelling ’scapes so each viewer can form their own unique connection’.  So, no in-depth analysis required from this reviewer. Come judge for yourself at the Cristus Gallery Summer Exhibition, from June 4th.

The Cristus Summer Exhibition

The 2009 Summer Exhibition opens on Thursday, June 4th, 2009. We are featuring several artists who are new to the gallery including Sarah Stokes, Jessica Stride and Tracey Pryke.

There is a Private Viewing for Newsletter subscribers and other friends(Invitation Only) on Saturday May 30th, 2009. If you would like to join us in appreciating great art and a glass of wine, we are issuing invitations to the next 50 people who join our mailing list. Join the mailing list here.

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