John Sims and the art of ‘useless maps’

Maps are deadly serious things, the painstaking product of the cartographer’s scrutiny. Not so, for John Sims. He challenges their status as functional, documentary or even decorative artefacts. Why do so many people put them on their walls? Why, looking out to sea, does Sandgate seem more of a bay than the map suggests? What would a place look like if you fell on it from the sky? Well, John’s maps could provide the answers, or none at all. After all, they are ‘useless’.

As John says: ‘I love the way that at first glance they appear to be real maps, look closer and longer and you see that they are more or less abstract paintings… just marks, colours and lines…’

John’s inspiration for his map-making came from the time that he was Artist-in-Residence at the Cyprus College of Art. Working with archeologists, he would make oil-pastel reproductions of ancient finds from memory, adding to them until they took on new abstract forms.

‘Useless maps’ of Folkestone (featured above), Dover, Whitstable and Sandgate are currently on display at the Cristus Summer Exhibition, but if you would like a map of anywhere, John is ready to take commissions, at a fixed price of £150, framed. Please contact Deborah@cristus-gallery.com to place an order, or visit the exhibition.

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Cristus summer show our best ever!

A last look at the sea - gentle waves, turquiose and purple-grey, then back to the gallery for the final checks. Everyone expects everything to be right; and on this special evening it is. Then, it begins. Artists, clients, fellow business-owners, arts’ people, and dear friends - all relaxed and having fun. Deborah, the girl who makes it happen, the link that unites everyone. Perfect. And there are sales too! Red stickers that tell us that it’s all worthwhile, and the next show will be even better.
Thanks everyone.

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Cristus Summer Exhibition 2010

Cristus Gallery’s summer show begins with a private view on Saturday 21st August and runs until 18th September. On display will be new works from our established artists: Dee Taylor, Farid Aouni, Paul Bergin (featured above), John Sims, Tracey-Anne Pryke, Ian David Baker and Sarah Stokes.

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Farid Auoni’s Impressions of Folkestone

There is something special about the light that falls on this fair corner of England. Artist friends are inspired by the huge skies above the channel, which seem to intensify the shapes and colours of the foreshore; but so often the land and seascape art we see is purely representational and, to be honest, a little dull.

That’s why Farid Auoni’s paintings appeal to us, because they bring a new vitality to the familiar local scenes that have been rendered a million times before. So Farid’s Old High Street bustles with life and colour, and his Leas and Kingsnorth Gardens bloom and spangle as they do from time to time. When asked, Farid says that this is just how they look to him. And one thinks of Renoir’s way of seeing Algiers through impression and imagination fused, and Farid returning the complement to Folkestone.

Farid’s paintings will be exhibited at Cristus throughout the summer, with new works planned for a special exhibition to coincide with the Sandgate Festival in August.

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Victoria Fontaine-Wolf ~ ‘ideal beauty’

Victoria, good friend of Cristus, has twice been reviewed on this site and has for some time been available for portrait commissions at the gallery. This is, however, the first time that we have tempted her to exhibit, with two paintings in the winter exhibition. Both feature contemporary pre-Raphaelite subjects of exquisite charm and beauty. I say contemporary, because they are not the lost or fallen mid-Victorian females of the PRB; rather, in their contentment and demeanour, they are more representative of our times. Isabella (and the pot of basil), featured above, even wears Victoria’s own favourite dress, though painted in a style that would no doubt find Ruskin’s approval.

Sumptuous in colour and detail, elaborately framed, they look magnificent!

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A time to reflect ~ Cristus winter exhibition - starts 30th October

Please call the gallery for opening times, or to arrange a special appointment (01303 223005 or 07759 33 77 499)

Deep rich colours feature in our winter exhibition, with raku ceramics from Shaun Hall, digital art by Dan McCarthy and paintings by Anna Phelps (featured above), Philip Lee, Tracey-Anne Pryke, Saffron Eve, Dee Taylor, Sarah Stokes, Marjorie Wilson and Victoria Fontaine-Wolf.

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Jane Kelly: Britain’s most controversial artist?

Opening Night Private View on Friday 25th September 6.30 - 9.30. Public Exhibition 26th September - 18th October

Please call the gallery for opening times (01303 223005 0r 07759 33 77 499)

Jane Kelly’s retrospective at Cristus Gallery starts on Friday 25th September, 2009 with a Private Viewing from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. The exhibition covers Jane’s work from 2004 to the present and includes three stunning new paintings on spiritual themes.

We will also be showing Jane’s two most recent paintings which were specially produced for the HG Wells Festival. In typical Jane Kelly style, the interpretation of Wells and his life is far from conventional to say the least, and she forces us to question the boundaries of private lives and public art in the context of both “The Invisible Man” and “The War of the Worlds”.

Please email us for an invitation to the Private View.

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The Tripods are coming… HG Wells Festival

We’re delighted to include a specially commissioned Tripod by Neil Jones in the upcoming HG Wells Festival. The Tripod - inspired by Wells’ War of the Worlds - will be on display at the gallery from Friday September 4th.

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HG Wells Festival - Griffin’s Escape by Dee Taylor

To mark the upcoming HG Wells Festival, Dee Taylor has created “Griffin’s Escape”. According to Dee, it is an image that refers to a take on two of Wells’ creations - The War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man.

“…A chaotic scenario of the inexorable, destructive march of the tripodic extra-terrestrials, and a single clue that Griffin, the Invisible Man, has been present. His abandoned sun-glasses lay broken, reflecting his fleeing figure”.

Cristus Gallery will be exhibiting Wells related pieces by Dee Taylor, Neil Jones, Jane Kelly and Parallax from 4th - 20th September.

See more Dee Taylor paintings…

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A special weekend for lovers of contemporary art

Bank Holiday Weekend Specials at Cristus

To mark the final weekend of the summer exhibition Cristus are discounting prices by 20% this weekend (does not include ceramics) so that we can make way for our exciting new season of exhibitions.

In addition, we have some very special offers which are open only to our Newsletter readers. To take advantage, sign up for our newsletter here and we will send you a coupon code. Then drop into the Gallery on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday (28th - 31st August 2009) and simply tell us your coupon code to qualify for these offers…

1.Buy any painting, ceramics, prints or photographs with a retail value of £400 or more and choose from one of two free gifts

• EITHER a) any unframed print currently on display in the gallery, including signed limited editions!
• OR b) Two packs of high quality art reproduction greeting cards (5 cards to a pack). Normally the two packs would retail at £30.

PLUS

2. Receive a massive 20% discount on future opening night Private View purchases (as a Newsletter subscriber you will automatically be invited to all future Private Views)

PLUS

3. Collectors Special: we would like to keep our artist’s work together in single collections as far as possible. We want to encourage this with the following offer: buy two works by a single artist and receive a third at a 50% discount - this weekend only! This offer applies to the lowest priced work of the three pieces. Paintings, photographs and prints only - does not apply to ceramics.

More importantly… here is a selection of some of the beautiful art available this weekend…

 

Plus lots more art by many more artists… we look forward to seeing you at the weekend - have a great Bank Holiday.
Tel: 01303 223005
Mob: 0759 33 77 499

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