Artist Information
Current exhibition
FROM GREEN PARK TO THE RED SEA
Icons in colour and form
KEVIN O'CONNOR
Kevin O'Connor has been a professional artist for over forty years with interests that have included graphic design, exhibition design, painting, sculpture performance art, music and drama. He has exhibited regularly in the UK and abroad.
Artistic education began at Wolverhampton College of Art, studying Graphic Design to National Diploma level (1961-4) on leaving college employed as exhibition designer and design consultant with a firm of architects under contract to the Ministry of Defence.
In 1966 became a full time lecturer at Portsmouth College of Art and Design teaching Foundation Course students. During this period moved into fine art practicing as a painter and exhibited widely in the UK and USA. 1972/3 Exchange Lectureship with Hope College, Holland Michigan USA. 1976/7 studied art education at the University of Sussex awarded Masters Degree in Curriculum Studies.
1981. Moved to London becoming involved in community based arts in the voluntary sector. Founded Brixton Art Gallery the Brixton Artists Collective and the Brixton Festival between 1981/4 With small group of community activists. Work during this period included performance art, and experimental sculpture focused on political issues.
1986 Set up home in a derelict barn in the Northern Lakes with partner Ruth Charlton. Worked in partnership with Ruth in small business producing sculptural artefacts mainly for small craft outlets in the UK and abroad.
Whitehaven
Awarded Millennium Fellowship. Rural Initiative Scheme 2000.
Recent exhibitions have included the Millennium Art Center in Washington D.C. Hutton-in-the-Forest, Hebden Bridge Sculpture Trail, and the Edinburgh Festival. Current projects include a tribute to Paul Cezanne at Keswick Museum and Art Gallery and a ‘Learning Festival’ at St Benedict’s High School, Whitehaven Cumbria.
Pause and Out-takes
MAZZ IMAGE
Mazz Image is a designer, performance artist and an award-winning photographer who has been chronicling the LGBT community for 20 years and her photo-media continues to be published and exhibited internationally. She divides her focus between her home city of Sydney and the UK where, elected as the chair of Oxford Pride in 2008 she not only continues to document the world's queer history she is also helping to make some.
Past exhibitions
Corfu to Corinth
ISOBEL PRAVDA
After taking A-level art, Isobel Pravda did not paint again for 10 years. In the intervening years she trained as a actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 2001. At drama school, her creative energy had a different outlet. During her career as an actor, she played in theatre,film and television, a highlight being the lead female, Camille Monet, in the 2006 BBC 1 drama 'The Impressionists'. In 2007, Isobel decided to move to Greece and during that time felt the energy and need to paint again. Isobel feels that the source of her creativity, expressed both in her acting and her art, is the same. She further believes that, in both disciplines, the accumulation of experiences and influences enriches and informs her work. Isobel's grandmother. Hana Pravda: Holocaust survivor; actor; director; and painter, took a young Isobel around the galleries of London and Europe. This was Isobels' true art school and these European experiences feature heavily in her work.
New begginings
JASON GRAIN
Jason is 20 years old and lived in oxford all of his life. He is currently studying for a HNC in photography at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College. He s been doing photography for about 3 years so far, and in terms of subject matter he shoots anything from portraiture to landscapes, and everything in between.
Artist s contact:info@basephotography.com
UNCANNY?
Hollis & Dyer
Hollis - Surrealist / abstract painter and visual artist. Medium: Paints / photographs / video stills / collage / raw data / waxes and layering. Interests primarily about life. Through the aid of a visual diary, I record events of interest. Metaphors, the uncanny and subliminal messages on sub-conscious levels are a very important part of my work. Recent research includes looking at the uncanny, i.e. memory, people, places, déjà vu, paranormal and scientific observation.
Dyer – Abstract painter and visual artist. Medium: Oil and Acrylic paints, photography, raw material, collage, drawings, charcoal, layering and visual diary. My inspiration chiefly comes from memory to present day, aspiring to express my work best through visual forms and abstract painting. I document my ideas through a series of walk, people and place observation, aided by a personal diary (recording words and doodles), always keeping an open mind. Interests / Research: Nature, people, places, the weird and uncanny, supernatural and science observation
REFLECTIONS OF OXFORD
Rob Judges
Rob Judges was born in 1951 in Buckinghamshire. He went to Rushmoor and Bedford Schools before getting a BSc. at Bristol University. He has since completed a BA via Cintinuing Ed., at Oxford and the Open University.
Shows include the ICA London, RPS Bath, Carlisle and Stirling Museums as well as group shows at Association of Photographers Gallery and two Oxford Artsweek years.
He works as a photographer for several top 100 companies, Oxford University, Oxford Brookes Univeristy, local publishers and most of the national press especially the Daily Telegraph,and The Times feature departments. His work also appears in magazines as diverse as The New York Times and Home Building and Renovating.
He has two girls and lives with Mary-Ellen in Oxfordshire.
www.robjudges.com
CAPTION COMICS COLLECTIVE
Jeremy Dennis
Jeremy Dennis documents her struggles with the strangeness of modern life, her snowballing job-list and the strange creatures that crawl out of her head in elaborately decorated nine-panel grids. Her comics and drawings have been widely anthologised, and are also available online, and as small-press hand-finished comic books.
Website: www.jeremydennis.co.uk
Andrew Luke
An Ulster-born promoter and reviewer of mini-comics currently residing in Oxford. Entering the final year of his degree in Media, Society and Education at Oxford Brookes. A maker of mini-comics about pop culture, Andy recently attracted critical acclaim with a comic produced in 24 hours about his relationship with the life and afterlife of his grandmother.
Website: http://andyluke.livejournal.com/profile
Deirdre Ruane
Irish-born cartoonist on her self-published 'Wasted Epiphanies' book about love for life, festivals, and a temp-work bear. Shes also mixed her comics with visually-accompanied readings and enjoyed success at the Zoom In / Zoom Out interactive map-making exhibit at the Magic Cafe in Janurary. Amongst all this, Deirdre just about manages organising the Oxford Literary Festival, and the Caption Comics Festival.
Website: http://epiphanycast.com/
D'Israeli
Matt Brooker has contributed to Deadline, and co-created cyberpunk series Lazarus Churchyard. He has a rich history as a professional comics writer, artist, inker and letterer, in 2000 AD, Sandman, and as the artist on Grant Morrison's Kill Your Boyfriend. Major works with writer Ian Edginton are Kingdom of the Wicked, the H.G. Wells influenced Scarlet Traces, and steampunk horror Leviathan. He also created XTNCT for the Judge Dredd Megazine, a satirical series involving genetically modified dinosaurs. Most of his recent work is created directly on computer using Adobe Illustrator, with 3D modelling software used for some complex designs.
Website: http://www.disraeli-demon.com/
Terry Wiley
Co-creator of the wonderfully strange Sleaze Castle, Surreal School Stories and the award winning Petra Etcetera. His current work is Sisters of the Head with author Daniel O'Mahoney in the Factor Fiction Press webcomic.
Website: http://factorfictionpress.co.uk/webcomic/tag/terry-wiley/
David Baillie
A freelance writer and artist born in Scotland, he now lives and works in the East End of London. Has previously written a monthly column for Judge Dredd Megazine about life at the bleeding edge of independent comics in the UK, and contributed to the success of London Underground Comics.His latest comics are Tongue of the Dead and RocketBoy, and the Belly Button Chronicles, a meditaion on life in his thirties. He has recently been working on web projects for Digital Punk and VOIP Express, as well as designing logos for Mojopig, OsCar, Hedonism and the Dead Roads. He is available for illustration, design and writing projects of any size, in and out of comics.
Website: http://www.davidbaillie.net/
Sally Anne-Hickman
A graduate of The Surrey Institute of Art & Design in England, majoring in animation, which she loves almost as much as puppies and cloud shapes. Interested in illustration, reading and creating comics."I like watching science fiction films and movies by Tim Burton. One day, when I grow up, I would like to make comics for a living, or be a rock star.Whatever I do I think it's important to be a good and happy person and eat lots of chocolate."
Website: http://www.cheesecomics.com
Daniel Merlin-Goodbrey
A comics creator and new media lecturer based out of St Albans, England, with a masters degree in the Digital Practices of Hyperfiction. The Last Sane Cowboy won the the Isotope Award for Fiction in 2005, and his recent eponymous collection has gained critical acclaim. Gail Simone has remarked insightfully of his hypercomics, "I'm afraid he might not only be making comics for the new century, but for the one after that, as well,"
Website: http://e-merl.com
Ellen Lindner
Educated at Smith College and Camberwell College of Arts, Ellen Lindner is a cartoonist, writer and illustrator. "Little Rock Nine", drawn by Ellen and written by historian Marshall Poe, will be published in July by Aladdin Paperbacks
Website: http://www.littlewhitebird.com
Jess Bradley
Jess Bradley graduated from the University of the West of England, Bristol in 2003 with a BA Hons Degree in Illustration (First). She works primarily in acrylic paints but also like to use pen and ink, watercolour and a graphics tablet. Jess writes and draws her own self-published comic called Guide Dog Detective and has appeared Jamie Smart's Fat Chunk anthology, published by Slave Labor Graphics.
Website: http://www.jessbradley.com
OUT & OPEN
Mazz Image – MA – Photo-Media COFA/UNSW
Specialising is portrait and event photography, Mazz been documenting the colour, beauty and drama of the LGBT lifestyles since the 1980's. Her work is held in many private collections around the world and her limited edition book
“You & Mardi Gras” is available via www.mazzimage.com
Robert Taylor Photographer - www.taylor-photo.co.uk
Specializing in portraits, nudes, Robert's work is held in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, The Victoria & Albert Museum, the Royal Society, and several private collections.
Sam Axford just finished his national diploma in art and design at Oxford and Cherwell college and be will be starting an illustration degree course at Swansea Metropolitan in September.
He has a keen interest within the creative industry he is an artist with many different quality’s and still learning at the young age of twenty. He has always shown an artistic talent; Sam had a natural drawing ability at a very young age.
His work is mostly based around the human form Sam approaches his work with extreme seriousness and perfection focusing on detail and explosive colours. The work has a real sense of character you can almost relate the work to your life someone you know personally. He really gets the essence of a persons personality and there life style they live. He captures the moment like it was a photograph. He has a real dedication towards learning new processes and techniques with in the arts industry.
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Andi Whiting studied photography at North Oxfordshire College of Art where he graduated with a distinction in the medium. He has always been into photo–manipulation, inspired by the work of artists like Oscar Rejlander and Man Ray.
He began to tentatively experiment with digital photography in the mid nineties, impressed by the scope and speed of the process compared to chemical photography.
Since late 1997 the focus of his work has shifted away from conventional photography towards digital imaging and most recently film. The context and content of his work has also undergone a transition. Early pieces, like Trade Resurrection and Acid Galatea, were digital composites constructed from images he had taken in nightclubs. These were then combined with paintings that had a religious theme, predominately early renaissance works.
Intent on learning new creative strategies he continued his learning at Oxford Brookes University where he graduated in 2000 with a 1st class honours degree in fine art. He then stayed a further year Brookes to take an MA in electronic media.
His most recent work consolidates a more autobiographical theme following the death of his parents coupled with the loss of a close friend due to the HIV virus. AIDS has played an important part in his life; it has claimed the life of one of his closest friends and as such has made him re-evaluate his own life and beliefs.
He has exhibited his work abroad and in this country, including an exhibition at the Springfield Gallery in Oxford along one of the countries premier contemporary painters Jenny Saville.
Tom Caley hails from Sydney, Australia. He is an actor working predominantly in musical theatre.He moved to the UK in March 2006 and intends to stay for quite sometime. He says he loves it.
Zac Bonhay has always been a chemist but always messes with paint. Science focuses the mind. For him painting messes it up again restoring the balance.
Daramoto is British born, multi ethnic, openly gay artist, showcases a selection of retrospective works. Having studied fashion, graphic design and photography at the Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, he is now embarking on a long awaited destiny to become a fully fledged artist and is about to finish an MA in Contemporary Arts & Music at Oxford Brookes University with a clear vision of the future and a mission of inspiration. Daramoto is a chameleon. Who are you today?
Afroditi Aparti graduated the International Baccalaureate in 2000 doing high level in Art. She completed the 1st year of architecture in Brookes but subsequently changed her studies to fine arts. She graduated in 2004 having specialized in painting.
Later she was honored from the Greek Para Olympic team for the donation of money that was raised from her final project. All sculptures that were not sold are still being hosted at the Mayor’s Hall of her hometown in Greece Rafina.
In 2005 she attended a year’s course in video art, in Greece Athens, using Premiere and in September 2006 she started her part time MA in Contemporary Arts and Music at Brookes. She is now in her 2nd year and the materials that have become to inform and shape her practice are walks, sound, time, space, mythology, objects as instruments, human senses, painting and writing, always accompanying her personal sketch book.
During 2006 - 2008 she took part in a sound improvisation with Raul Keller in Mao, collaborated with Deborah Hirst in a group exhibition at the Jam Factory and also in Mao. Now, she currently manages the exhibition program at the Jam Factory Gallery and has started a new collaboration with Wasma Mansour, working with projections on sacred ground.
ENRIQUE AGUILAR
Enrique Aguilar Montalvo was born in Latacunga Ecuador. His professional work with photography dates back to 1972. He has always focused his work on the culture and people of Latin America. He has had numerous photographic exhibitions in Ecuador, Spain and Mexico.
He is a member of FOTOIMAGEN USA and winner of various international photographic competitions such as second prize in Europe of ‘Best photograph of Routes of the World 2000’ and second Prize in the international competition ‘Exploring the Planet 2001. Enrique is the author of the book Amanecer en los Andes and in 2000 he started his documentary production company: Pueblos de America as well as the virtual magazine: Worldvillages, www.worldvillages.net He is in permanet colaboration with cultural institutes such as SHAAM which works in the amazonian region of Ecuador and FINAE (Federa\cion Indigena Achaur) as well as IDSI, the Institute for the Social Development of Indigenous people of Ecuador.He has been living and working in Mexico since 2000 during which time he has worked on 12 documentaries which he filmed and developed in Ecuador, Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru and Mexico.
These documentaries have been acknowledged at international festivals such as Amiens and Biarritz France, Documania in Madrid, Festival de Albacete Spain, Festival de Boltana y Malaga, Spain. Festival Cultural Guadalupe USA, Festival de La Habana Cuba as well as various others in Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador. He was invited to participate in the Italian festival of UN MONDO DI MUSICA Palazzo de Venecia 2006 and in the Brasilian festival, MOSTRA CINEMA DIREITOS HUMANOS 2006. His documentaries have been shown in Europe through TV5 France and in Mexico through CANAL 40 together with the HABITAT project. In Mexico it has also been shown in TV UNAM (University of Mexico). His documentary projects have been done with the support of the following Mexican anthropological institutes: Instituto de Investigaciones Antropologicas de la UNAM, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, la Comision para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indigenas and Instituto de Investigaciones Esteticas de la UNAM. He is currently working on a new documentary series related to Archeoastronomy in Middleamerica and his most recent production is: OLMECAS, las primeras huellas.
aarght! has launched a new web site
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