New at Skylark: Dwayne Shirley

Painter Dwayne Shirley is the latest arrival at Skylark Galleries. A graduate of Medicine Hat College, Alberta, Canada, he also shows his work with his wife Sara Shirley at pitch 235 (www.gallery235.co.uk) at London's Bayswater Road railings each Sunday (weather permitting). We all welcome him to the Skylark team.

"I am a self-taught painter specialising in oil on canvas for the past 11 years. My work has always been intensely focused on 'self-transformation'. It is an ongoing project, which has lately been heavily influenced by my experiences of living in London.

My work is usually created in one sitting. This is because I am interested in true expression from being in the moment, always with the complete honesty of self but without distraction or external influences. This is what defines my art.

I am less concerned with identifying the individual concern; rather my work portrays the universal truth. My work attempts to explore current and relevant issues that are underlining the problems that affect us all. I cannot provide a clear explanation on what one may encounter from viewing my art, nor why. Perhaps the work is a reflection of our deepest pain or a feeling of uncertainty. In any case, my work stands without an artist’s explanation — it is up to the viewer to discover."

To see more of Dwayne's work see his website.

Top image: Sara with Hat, oil on canvas.

Sara Sherwood's jewellery range

Skylark artist Sara Sherwood has launched a range of jewellery called Silver Sketches, with the inspiration coming from her line drawings. This new medium is fuelling her painting further, and her cityscapes have also taken on a new dimension with this cross-fertilisation of ideas between art and jewellery.


To see more of Sara's work visit www.sarasherwood.co.uk

The new-look Skylark 2 opens

Sally, Liz and Gregor spent Monday this week reorganising Skylark 2 in line with the changes that were agreed before Christmas. Much to their surprise, all the necessary materials were delivered on time and the changes all went according to plan.

The main difference you will notice is a new panel in the window (shown left and right) providing a high-profile position for the Featured Artist — currently Gregor — that will grab the attention of passers-by and draw them into the gallery.

The second big change is that the desk has been re-positioned so it isn't staring out towards the door, and the browser has been moved to create a sales area in front of the desk.

There is also a new leaflet holder on the wall for the artist's A5 leaflets (right). This makes the leaflets much easier for visitors to find and see what they want. All the other leaflets, business cards and flyers have been removed, making the gallery much less cluttered. Visitors only need one source of information for each artist — it was just a bit confusing when there was a choice of business cards, leaflets and flyers.

We think these changes have made a big difference to the feel of the gallery. Pay us a visit at Oxo Tower and let us know what you think.