New at Skylark 2: Ken McClymont

Ken McClymont (right) is the latest artist to join Skylark Galleries, showing at Skylark 2 in the Oxo Tower Wharf, London.

Ken is delighted to be part of Skylark, saying: "It's fantastic to show my work and have the opportunity and exposure with committed, devoted fellow artists who take pride in the gallery. It’s a great set-up and unique by being run by the people who exhibit in such an attractive part of the city."

Ken was born in Glasgow and studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee, where he first discovered abstraction. He has exhibited in shows in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Hull and Brussels. As well as being a painter, Ken is an award-winning theatre director and designer, mostly working on new writing. He has directed more than 40 professional plays, details of which can be seen on his website. He enjoys graphic design and typography, designs theatre sets, T-shirts and publicity posters, and makes props.

"In a sense," he says, "my dedication to acrylic abstraction on canvas or board has allowed me the freedom to express more intensely some of the ideas and emotions I convey in the theatre. It is as if I were directing the shapes and colours to enable them to stage an experience. In this context, every gesture finds its place in the creation of depth and movement, not just in relation to the whole piece, but also in the connection established with the viewer. My smaller works in box frames make these relationships more palpable. Members of the audience should be engaged, even if they don’t agree with each other. My hope is that the intensity of the encounter is not quickly forgotten."

You can find out more about Ken’s work by visiting www.kenmcclymont.co.uk or visit Skylark 2 on the first floor of the Oxo Tower to see his work and meet him on the regular days he will be attending the gallery.

Deana Lee shortlisted for top ceramics award

We're delighted to announce that Skylark artist Deana Lee (left) has been short-listed for the inaugural Potclays Emerging Makers Award. This international competition was open to ceramic artists/potters who had completed their studies within the past five years. The finalists consist of four British artists, one American and one Australian.

Deana and the other shortlisted artists have been invited to the 2011 International Ceramics Festival, held in Aberystwyth from 1-3 July, where they will each give 15-minute presentations to the professional and amateur ceramic audience, who will then select the winner of the award.

The International Ceramics Festival is one of the world's most prestigious biennial events for professional and amateur potters, and features demonstrations, kiln building and firings, slideshows, films and lectures, exhibitions, trade stands and bookstalls. The festival attracts more than 800 visitors from across the globe who gather for the weekend to discuss techniques, watch demonstrations and share ideas. At the 2009 festival, Deana worked for Tom Barnett, the well-known kiln maker, helping to create the Fire Capsule.

We all wish Deana the best of luck — check this blog in July to see how she got on in Wales.

You can read more about the International Ceramics Festival here.

www.deanaleeceramics.com

Pictured: Sensual Abundances I by Deana Lee

Introducing Gina Parr at Skylark 2

Gina Parr is the latest artist to join Skylark Galleries, showing at Skylark 2 in the Oxo Tower Wharf London.

Trained as a fine artist, Gina worked in London for 27 years as a production designer for television, designing and creating sets for studio, stage and location for the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV. Always approached with a painterly eye, her production design credits include Shooting Stars, Goodness Gracious Me, the Brit Awards, the Royal Variety Performance, the Mercury Music Prize and major BBC sports events. She has also lectured and mentored in Art and Design and Design for Television.

Gina is delighted to be part of Skylark, saying: "It's such a vibrant and wonderfully diverse collective of artists, showing in such a prestigious spot in London."

She was born in Devon, where rolling hills and dramatic seascapes played a major part in her childhood, and then lived for the past 30 years in London. Both places seep into her expressive, bold, gestural paintings, which she has exhibited in shows in London, Milan, Brighton and Exeter.

Most recently, while visiting France and travelling in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, she has photographed series of transient forms and marks on walls and surfaces, each with their own pictorial resonance or echo. Many are redolent of things half remembered, some resemble fragments of old charts and maps, others feature overt elements of graphic representation.

You can find out more about Gina's work here, or pay a visit to Skylark 2, on the first floor of the Oxo Tower to see her work and meet her on the regular days she will be attending the gallery.

Above right, Rain and Gorse at Boscastle, and left, Dancin'

Sale sale sale at Skylark Galleries!

The January sales have come to Skylark Galleries, with great unrepeatable offers, while stocks last, from Sunday 2 January to Sunday 6 February. There is at least 10% off everything in both galleries, with as much as 50% off some works.

In Skylark 1, at Gabriel's Wharf, on London's South Bank, gallery artists have studio clearance works at knockdown prices - items are individually marked, with some items on sale at half price. Among the great offers are Keith Gretton's ceramic brooches (left), which now have a sale price of £18.

It's a great chance to visit the new Skylark 1 space, just a few doors away from its previous location.

In Skylark 2, in the Oxo Tower Wharf, as well as 10% off everything in the gallery, there is a special sale section, with individually marked works offering discounts of up to 50%. Trinidad Ball's Another? (right) is among the bargains, with a sale price of £50.

The sale is on now, and runs until Sunday 6 February. For details on how to find us, see here.

Ben Mosley: the footballers' artist

Skylark 2 artist Ben Mosley tells us about his recent painting success in the world of professional football.

I was recently commissioned to do a painting by the League Managers Association (LMA), an organisation that represents football league managers from the Premiership to League 2. The LMA, which found my work through my website, asked me if I would be interested making a painting for its Hall of Fame. I was informed that it would be speaking to other artists, and that I would be given a brief and have to come up with a proposal. In the event, the LMA liked my proposal and I was selected to do a painting for them.

They liked the resulting painting, "The Manager" (shown here), so much that they bought it, and they then commissioned me to do another work to be auctioned off at their annual dinner at the Hilton Hotel in London.

The painting the LMA commissioned had to include all the football league clubs, the FA badge, the PFA badge, the Premiership logo and the Football League logo. I also had to include the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Premiership Trophy, the Championship trophy and the League 1 and 2 trophies. My painting, "A Manager For All Seasons" (illustrated below), shows a manager celebrating and consists of everything that is good about the game. The painting also had to be designed so that a famous manager could sign the painting. I designed the work so that Jose Mourinho could sign the advertising boards in the background.

The annual dinner was designed to be a celebration of the FA Cup, and among the people attending were some of the biggest names in football, including Fabio Capello, the England manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United, Jose Mourinho, formerly at Chelsea and now with Real Madrid, and Harry Redknapp, currently manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

The painting was eventually auctioned off for £3,000. Mourinho was particularly impressed with my work and took some of my business cards, as did other football celebrities including Fabio Capello, the England manager.

I have shown in a number of football related shows. “The Beautiful Game", a solo show in Gallery 93 in Bow East, London, in 2006, was a celebration of the World Cup in Germany, and it was televised on "The Lick" on MTV Base. My work was televised on BBC Look North in 2008 during my time as the official artist of Barnsley Football Club, after they had knocked Chelsea and Liverpool out of the FA Cup. I also participated in a show at Wrexham Arts Centre in 2004 that commemorated the 10th anniversary of "Let's Kick Racism Out of Football".

You can see Ben's work at Skylark 2 on the South Bank, London, and find out more about him at www.benmosleyart.com.

Featured artist at Skylark 2: Deana Lee

Until 28 February, Skylark 2's Featured Artist is Deana Lee (http://www.deanaleeceramics.com/).

Deana creates tactile, organic, smoke-fired sculptures that have strong, round profiles and movement (below), as well as wall art (right), all of which are inspired by her passions: the natural world and travel.


Deana has always been drawn to the ancient method of smoke firing and how smoke and fire paint designs on the ceramic canvas, and she has taken these processes and used them in a more contemporary way to create a variety of effects that have depth and fluidity.


Come and visit the new-look Skylark 2 at the Oxo Tower on London's South Bank, and Skylark 1 at nearby Gabriel's Wharf.

Late First Thursday at Skylark: Gregor Harvie

Gregor Harvie is Skylark 2’s Featured Artist, showing a selection of works on paper and oil paintings. Come and have a glass of wine on Thursday 4 February and meet the artist.

Gregor will give a short talk about GENE MEME, a spectacular exhibition he is holding in June about global population. Visit www.genememeart.blogspot.com to find out more.

We’d love to see you there between 6pm and 8pm, Thursday 4 February when there will be 10% off all sales.

Gregor's paintings expose the diverse ways we perceive our existence from one moment to the next. At times we are intensely aware of our inner consciousness; at others it seems we are merely a biological proliferation on the surface of the earth. This duality is reflected in Gregor's two bodies of work: his watercolours and his oil paintings.

His watercolours are emotionally-charged depictions of small groups of people engrossed in their inner worlds. Built up in layers of loose washes and masking fluid, they have a complexity that is both subtle and compelling. In contrast, his oil paintings are abstract representations of the continuum of life; masses of figures progressing endlessly through time. They are painted in a way that mimics the growth of organisms, with dense skeletal layers overlaid by transparent glazes.

Gregor has been exhibiting in London since 2001 when he graduated from art college and received the de Laszlo Foundation Award for Portraiture. He has a PhD in environmental design and is a qualified architect.

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.

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.

Ruty Benjamini at Skylark 2 this Thursday

Meet featured artist Ruty Benjamini at Skylark 2 this Thursday evening (5 November) from 6pm to 8pm where she will be on hand to talk over a glass of wine about her exhibition of ceramic works to the sounds of boats passing up and down the Thames, while fireworks light up the night sky.

All works are for sale. The exhibition continues until Sunday 8 November.

For details on how to get to Skylark 2, look here.

Right, Ruty Benjamini, Fire Flower.

New to Skylark: Gregor Harvie

Gregor Harvie is the second new artist to join the Skylark 2 team, after Deana Lee (see below). He has a background in environmental design and architecture, and his experimental abstract paintings are informed by the works of Jackson Pollock, Terry Winters and David Reed.

"I am delighted to join Skylark 2 and hope it will be a long and fruitful relationship. I have been exhibiting in London since 2001 when I graduated from art college. I also have a PhD in environmental design and I am a qualified architect.

"My paintings explore our sense of ourselves and how we view ourselves in diverse and contradictory ways. At the moment, I am working on GENE MEME, an installation of paintings and prose about world population that will open next year. Please have a look at the project blog www.genememeart.blogspot.com where you can watch a trailer for the installation and vote on whether you think world population is a problem."

We welcome Gregor and Deana to the Skylark group of artists.

Pictured right, 97w, watercolour on paper

New to Skylark: Deana Lee

Two new artists join the Skylark 2 team this month: painter Gregor Harvie, who will be blogging shortly, and ceramicist Deana Lee (left). Deana was born in Hong Kong and left a career in marketing to devote herself to sculpting with ceramics. Here she introduces herself.

"I was thrilled when Skylark Galleries asked me to join their collective as it is wonderful to be a part of an enterprising group of artists that have come together to promote their work and run not just one but two galleries. Prior to becoming a ceramic artist I worked in consumer marketing and I am looking forward to using my skills to assist in all aspects of the team's marketing plan.

"Since I was young I have always enjoyed playing with clay, and the organic sculptures that I create have strong forms and several facets. I spend hours ensuring each piece is highly burnished as this results in extremely tactile forms — my pieces are meant to be touched. As far back as I can remember I have been drawn to the ancient method of smoke firing and how the smoke and flames paint designs on the ceramic canvas. I have taken these ancient processes and used them in a more contemporary way to create unique effects that have depth and fluidity.

"I hope that you will have as much pleasure viewing and feeling my artwork as I have making them. I look forward to meeting you all very soon."

Deana is showing at:
Art in Clay: 13th Southern Pottery & Ceramics Show
www.farnham.artinclay.co.uk
21 - 22 November 2009
Farnham Maltings, Bridge Square, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7QR

Sara Sherwood - Skylark 2 Feature

Sara Sherwood is currently the featured artist in Skylark 2 Gallery.
The painting "Power, Times Square" (above) is one of the paintings on show, oil on canvas £975

Lorenzo's Leaving - 11th October Meet the Artist!

Sad news - Lorenzo Belenguer will be leaving Skylark 2 Gallery.

His last day is 11th of October and he will be having a  meet-the-artists event. Everyone is welcome! That's in Skylark 2 Gallery, OXO Tower, 11th October, open 11am - 6pm. The artists talks will be from 4-5.30pm.

You can see more of Lorenzo's work on his own website: www.lbelenguer.com

Late Last Thursday - with Helen Bolger

"SHADOWS" by Helen Bolger
To coincide with her exhibition "Shadows", Artist Helen Bolger will give a brief talk about how her background working as a therapist in London led her to develop these artworks. Helen says 'what we choose to add or leave out in a work of art conveys a message'. Her paintings and sculptures are about personal space and isolation, even in the middle of a crowd.

Thursday 25th September 2008
6.30pm
Skylark 2 Gallery: Unit 1.09, Oxo Tower Wharf, (first floor riverside) Barge House St SE1 9PH
020 7401 9666
Nearest Tube: Waterloo/ Blackfriars.
ENTRY FREE

The exhibition continues until Sept 28th. Tues - Sun 11-6

Killing Time, by Kate Pelligrini

Back in April, Kate Pellegrini gave a talk about ‘Painting Space’ from the Killing Time Series. This was part of our regular Late Last Thursday event where Skylark invites the public to visit the gallery after-hours and find out a bit more about our artists.

The 'Killing Time' series, pictured here, is based on Simon Armitage's brilliant poem of the same title, commissioned by the Millennium Committee. The thousand line poem is divided into sections, which explore different aspects of man's relationship with his fellow man, and the state of civilisation at the beginning of the 21st Century. Each section of the poem revolves around a specific theme for example bullets of the Colombine School massacre transferred to flowers (‘Suburban Idyll’), the lunar eclipse of the sun (‘Any Minute Now’). The poem provided the springboard for Kate’s painterly investigations. The paintings are door sized stretched canvases, unframed, featuring impasto oil paint on a thin acrylic base.

Please join us for Late Last Thursdays
The last Thursday of every month
6-8pm
Skylark 2 Gallery
Unit 1.09, Oxo Tower Wharf, SE1 9PH
(First Floor Riverside up the stairs)
Tel 020 7401 9666
www.skylarkgalleries.com

Welcome to Loli Cardeñoso!

Artist Loli Cardeñoso is the newest addition to our artist community! So please give her a warm welcome. You can see Loli's work at Skylark 2 Gallery in the OXO Tower and also at her website www.lolicardenoso.com

Welcome Clare Johnson!

Please give a warm welcome to our newest artist:
Clare Johnson

Clare's artwork now will be showing in Skylark 2 Gallery, 1st Floor, OXO Tower
Images left to right: "Crown of South Quay", "The most easterly grain", "Tiara of Pancras Boulevard"