Brian Sinfield Art Gallery
Current Exhibition
Lee Madgwick 16 October - 30 October 2021
'Sense of Abandon'
"Lee Madgwick’s paintings have the unearthly power of a disturbing dream in which familiar places are cut adrift from everything reassuring and become outposts in a desolate spinal landscape. But a dream is indistinct, and fades; here they with the unfading, scrupulous, fascinating detail of a Dutch Master. Silence hangs over every canvas and poetry is found in meticulous renderings of every form of decay. Not death, though – his scenes are alive. The natural world thrives and reclaims, people have been here recently (thought they might not have meant well), and the weather is about to change." Will Wiles
The artist explains: “I hope to achieve a sense of drama in my work. Presenting a familiar image yet placing it in an intimate and moody setting. A narrative is very important – but intentionally never fully explained. I like to leave it for the viewer to come up with their own interpretation.”
Lee paints on canvas in oils and acrylics. A play of light is used to generate an abundance of seemingly inexplicable moods to contrast with a brooding sky. Lee has exhibited in Norfolk, Cambridge, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Amsterdam, Milan, Stockholm, Singapore and New York. He is a member of the Royal Society of British Artists (RBA), and in 2015 was asked by Banksy to showcase his work alongside internationally acclaimed artists at a large temporary art project called 'Dismaland'. In 2018 his drawing ‘Shroud’ was selected for the Derwent Art Prize and in 2019 he was commissioned to paint a piece to feature as the cover art on the Kaiser Chiefs album ‘Duck’.
Lee was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk in 1980 and later graduated in Graphic Design from Norwich University College of the Arts, 2003.
Image illustrated: HILL HOUSE | oil on canvas | 40 x 60 cm. To view the exhibition click here
Featured Artist
Chris Sims
"Abstract art in Britain has always had a mixed press, mainly because few people understand it, or are prepared to understand it. Essentially it might be summed up in three words: Non Representational Art. Many of the greatest abstract artists - Picasso being a prime example - began by producing strictly representational art, but by a process of elimination arrived at abstraction. Of course this is a mighty simplification, but when you consider all the 'isms' - Abstract Impressionism, Cubism, Constructionism, etc, etc, you can see the need for simplification. Abstraction is 'saying something without actually saying it.' It is a different way of looking at the world and at objects, and undoubtedly allows the artist to express his or her deepest emotions through mark making and colour. Abstract painting, like modern art in general, has a language of its own which has to be understood before it can be fully appreciated, rather than dismissed out of hand. Then again abstract art can simply appeal to the senses, often possessing that 'wow' factor - you either love it or you don't, irrespective of whether you understand it or not; it goes no deeper than that.
No-one can question the integrity of Chris Sim's abstracts. They stand on their own merit as works of art, and lead the viewer on an adventure, not found in representational works of art". Brian Sinfield
Image illustrated: Occupied | oil on board | 62 x 77 cm
To view all available paintings click here
Just In
James Kerr
In the 1980’s James spent ten years as a decorative painter creating the successful partnership Kerr & Erskine and his clients included many of London’s best interior designers. Although not formally trained, this is where he learnt his craft, to understand the use of colour, paint & materials, and has painted ever since.
James explains: “I have, over the years, built an enviable reputation for gutsy abstracted work. To quote the illustrator and commentator Ralph Steadman: ‘The paint itself is also an object – it is subject to its own motivation, rules and dynamic which the artist must overcome, ignore or amplify’. This in so many ways expresses so much the ‘why and what’ I paint. An admirer of many of the great 20th century masters from Cezanne onwards, it is the likes of William Scott, Paul Feiler, PatrickIn the 1980’s James spent ten years as a decorative painter creating the successful partnership Kerr & Erskine and his clients included many of London’s best interior designers. Although not formally trained, this is where he learnt his craft, to understand the use of colour, paint & materials, and has painted ever since.
James explains: “I have, over the years, built an enviable reputation for gutsy abstracted work. To quote the illustrator and commentator Ralph Steadman: ‘The paint itself is also an object – it is subject to its own motivation, rules and dynamic which the artist must overcome, ignore or amplify’. This in so many ways expresses so much the ‘why and what’ I paint. An admirer of many of the great 20th century masters from Cezanne onwards, it is the likes of William Scott, Paul Feiler, Patrick Heron and Roger Hilton that have had the greatest influence. More recently I have fallen under the spell of painter Nicolas de Staël, something which is becoming evident in my more recent work.”
James paints in oil on board and canvas, working occasionally from pencil sketches. His studio is based in Warwickshire.Heron and Roger Hilton that have had the greatest influence. More recently I have fallen under the spell of painter Nicolas de Staël, something which is becoming evident in my more recent work.”
To view all available work click here