Ever since I was a child I have been scared of dolls, terrified that they would come to life at night and attack me…
Humans naturally fear the unknown; I feared the doll’s blank lifeless expression, watching quietly, absorbing secrets. I began to convince myself that something sinister laid beneath that flawless facade.
I knew that logically it was impossible for an inanimate object to come to life but I still could not let go of my fear. Using Science I tried to face my fear by dissecting the doll both physically and metaphorically.

The “autopsies” performed on the dolls led to an uneasy juxtaposition of childhood innocence and death. Their cheery floral dresses and ringlets jarred with the skeletal image of decay. For me the loss of childhood innocence is the moment you encounter/learn about Death.
I uncovered that if Barbie were real she would die instantly due to her disproportionate body, this eased my fear. Safe in the knowledge that dolls were physically incapable of coming to life I began building their imagined anatomy, unaware that by giving them a skeleton I was metaphorically bringing them to life…

Here’s the link to my webiste: www.badgemakesart.co.uk and my blog:www.badgemakesart.blogspot.com 

Badge.

A talented, hidden artist from Hassocks, Christopher Dawson paints beautiful acrylic pieces.

Photographs of his work allow a glimpse into the depth, scale and time taken to create such magnificent representations. Having a piece in your home or in an office is an appreciation of what great artists have to offer.

Chris Dawson offers an array of subject matter, from intricate still life of scrumpled paper and decaying machinery, to lucid landscapes of the real and the fantastic, to picturesque portraiture. With the flick of a mouse online, the art pieces will transport you through worlds of nature and technology.

Tailored pieces are also offered, all you have to do is ask.

These pieces are ones you will wish to own, when you do, you will be so glad you did.

http://www.chris-dawson.blogspot.com/

An understated and modest artist with truly inspirational work.

October is a time for art galleries to rearrange collections and swap exhibitions, with a flurry of new works normally hung to re-energise show spaces.

Perhaps there’s something about the changing seasons which makes it the perfect time to reassess through art.

Which makes Swiss artist Franziska Furter’s Stray Currents (until January 2) exhibition at Eastbourne’s Towner Gallery a solid proposition.

The gallery commissioned the sculptor, who is obsessed by the weather and how it shapes humanity, to create her first UK solo exhibition.

The Exhibition Gallery features new work Kamikaze (literally, divine wind), a wire mesh installation all about perspective, and From The Corner Of Your Eye, black plastic knots made into a tumbleweed.

Opening October 20 (until February 19) at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester is the first major museum show for 25 years featuring work by British artist Edward Burra.

The painter was described by critic Andrew Graham- Dixon as “the best British artist you’ve never heard of”. He lived in Rye, and although most famous for his figurative works, he loved to paint views of the town. He was fascinated by subcultures and urban life and, in June, Sotherby’s sold Zoot Suits, his portrait of Jamaicans arriving in London in 1948, for an auction record of £2m.

Also showing at the gallery is The Radev Collection: Bloomsbury And Beyond (until January 22). The private collection tells the story of Mattei Radev (Bulgarian emigrant and EM Forster’s secret lover), music critic Eddy Sackville-West (fifth Lord Sackville) and artist-dealer Eardley Knollys.

Keith Vaughan’s Two Male Nudes, given to Mattei Radev by EM Forster, is the draw, as are works by Duncan Grant, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and Amedeo Modigliani.

There are Sussex connections to another big name further afield: Tracey Emin who, after starring in recent BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?, discovered her ancestry consists predominantly of criminals.

Four new tapestries by Chichester’s West Dean Studio’s resident weavers have been made in response to Emin’s paintings Keeping You In Mind, In The Dark, Rose Virgin and Thankyou. The tapestries are on show as part of a wider exhibition, The Vanishing Lake, of new Emin work being held (until November 12) at 6 Fitzroy Square, London.

A black cloud hangs over Bexhill’s De Le Warr Pavilion following the recent death of director and chief executive, Alan Haydon. But light is provided by its latest exhibition, Warhol Is Here (until February 26), which has already had 16,000 visitors. Among the highlights is Marilyn Diptych (1962), which was made in 1962 shortly after Marilyn Monroe’s death.

Two canvasses contain 25 silk-screened repetitions of an image first used as a publicity photograph taken for Niagra. Not only is it one of the world’s most important pieces of contemporary art, Marilyn Diptych was also created as Warhol turned his approach from commercial interests to fine art.

In Brighton, The Sounds Of Shadows (until November 7) at Brighton University Faculty of Arts Gallery has the first UK exhibition of renowned German artist, Peter Vogel.

Two innovative and interactive large-scale works, Sound Wall and Shadow Orchestra, are the centrepiece as the artist explores sound in gallery spaces.

The window at Wagamama in Kensington Street, Brighton, makes for an interesting exhibition space for Pam Glew. Her giant fine art print, Window To The World, and two specially commissioned flags that draw inspiration from terrorism, American culture and horror films, are complemented by more work inside.

Italian collector Claudio Moscatelli’s rare collection of 24 Indian Ragamala paintings (medieval pictures with stories from across the subcontinent) arrives at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery from Saturday (until January 8).

At Fabrica, in Duke Street, Melanie Manchot presents Gathering, two installation films examining identity and group behaviour (until November 27).

In the city’s private galleries the debut solo show of one of the UK’s leading female street artists, Missum, opens at Ink_d Gallery in North Road on Friday (until November 20).

Naked Eye Gallery, in Western Road, have Erotica showcasing Priapus the phallic chandelier (until October 31),while Art At Five’s nostalgic Summer Reflections show (in Bartholomews in The Lanes) features recent works by Brightonians Cecil Rice, Philippa Stanton and Louise Brooks (until Sunday).

via Art round-up, various locations across Sussex (From The Argus).

Jim McElvaney from Sebastian Canning on Vimeo.

30th September – 23rd October

No Walls Gallery

13a Prince Albert Street, Brighton

Private view 29th September, 6-9pm

No Walls are delighted to present the third exhibition in their Brighton space with an exhibition by one of the UK’s most promising young artists, Brighton based Jim McElvaney.

Bringing together an eclectic mix of figurative drawings, paintings and prints Stop Looking at the Walls, look out the Window encourages the audience to look beyond the familiarity of ideological portraiture and see things from a different perspective, highlighting the complexity of human emotion and it’s various interpretations.

Following the success of his solo show earlier this year at The Outsiders, Newcastle, Stop Looking at the Walls, Look out the Window precedes shows in Seoul, Moscow and London in what has already been a big year for the young artist.

 address

No Walls Gallery

13a Prince Albert Street

Brighton

BN1 1HE

opening hours

Monday – Saturday 10:00 – 18:00

Sunday 11:00 – 17:00

prices

Free

As the popularity of 3D films and televised sporting events grows, perhaps the art world is now ready to jump on the third dimension bandwagon.

Peter Oldfield-Edwards constructs miniature replicas of football stadiums to within minute accuracy. Each piece has an individual style and aesthetic, but still represents the original structure to the finest detail.

All his pieces are completely hand crafted with each individual component made from scratch by Peter using materials such as balsa wood, metal, card, clay and even in the case of the trees, actual branches from his garden.

“That’s part of the fun.” Peter said. “It’s about being creative and making something totally unique. I’m an artist, it’s like a 3D painting that’s a solid shape. What I aim for is to make it seem like they’re 600ft tall and you’ve picked it up out of the ground and put it in a plastic box. I want people to be able to look at it in 50 years time and be able to see what it [the stadium] looked like now.”

Peter spent around 1,000 hours building a detailed model to a scale of 1:220 of Brighton and Hove’s new Amex Stadium. The piece stands at nearly 1ft high and around 4ft square and is the first of his models he intends to sell.

His model of Old Trafford took around 3,000 hours and then went on loan to the Manchester United museum for their stadium’s centenary exhibition, he was also commissioned to build a replica of Chesterfield’s Saltergate.

In 2001 Peter created a model of Brighton’s previous ground, The Goldstone, and later he constructed an impressive version of the old Wembley Stadium complete with working floodlights.

Mr Oldfield-Edwards has been a long suffering Brighton and Hove Albion fan, since 1977 in fact, through the Goldstone, Priestfield and Withdean years. As a result he has given the club first refusal to buy his work, but he will also take offers from the public…at the right price.

He is also available for commissions if people want to request a specific stadium model (not necessarily football), but bare in mind it would not be cheap as he plans to charge around £20 an hour.

To view some of Peter’s previous work visit www.modelfootballstadiums.com.

written by Chris Dyer

No Walls Gallery presents Sorry We’re Closed, the highly anticipated new solo show from Famous When Dead.

2nd – 25th September 2011

No Walls Gallery

13a Prince Albert Street, Brighton

Opening night 1st September, 6 – 9pm

No Walls, Brighton’s most exciting new gallery, are thrilled to present the second exhibition in their Brighton space with a new body of work by one of the UK’s most promising young artists, Famous When Dead.

Sorry We’re Closed blurs the boundaries of surrealism, abstract and pop…. Cinematic icons with their heads on fire meet decaying spacemen and plantation villas set ablaze in a body of new original works and prints that represent almost a year in the making and encapsulates where Famous When Dead is as an artist today.

“With ‘Sorry We’re Closed’ I’ve tried to push my technical abilities to new levels, surpass previous work and add real substance to my paintings whilst maintaining an element of fun and excitement. I’ve matured as an artist without losing my roots and this latest collection of work shows that.” Famous When Dead, 2011

Address

No Walls Gallery

13a Prince Albert Street

Brighton

BN1 1HE

opening hours

Monday – Saturday 10:00 – 18:00

Sunday 11:00 – 17:00

prices

Free

Nicola of my-shell-me-shell.com is looking for some people to share desk/table space.

She owns and runs a knitwear company and a leather goods company, both with very exciting opportunities and prospects. Because she mainly works alone, she is left with a large desk space area and not enough people around her…

Yellow Zone is within http://www.rodhus.co.uk/, sharing an impressive warehouse with other designers/creatives and also having access to an onsite art gallery, office and a design library, wifi, a kitchen and open 24 hours/7 days a week.

The space available has working sewing machines/pattern cutting table and threads etc, so if you are interested in sewing and fashion, then it would be great for you.

Nicola is looking at charging £6 per day, negotiable if you book blocks of time or regular.

Message her for more details or forward this link to anyone you think maybe interested.

Contact Nicola at info@my-shell-me-shell.com

The sculptures of Coachwerks artist-in-residence Josephine Dimbleby will be taking over the front area outside 19 Hollingdean Terrace for the duration of the May festival. Every day, you’ll find her scouring the streets, harvesting discarded rubbish from the pavements and roads to use in transforming her ‘human chrysalises’.

After a month of transmogrification inside the tape shells, the rebirth of a new creature is likely to occur conveniently during a performance at the final show on Tuesday 31^st May, 6pm-8pm. All are welcome to attend.

The month-long metamorphosis of the sculptures from simple shell to their elaborate conclusion will be captured on time-lapse video, which will be available to view on the Coachwerks website from the beginning of June.�

Community workshops during May

Josephine is keen to teach others the simple techniques she uses to make her sculptures. (Please note – under-14s are welcome to join the workshops, but must be accompanied and supervised by an adult.)

Tape people workshop: Come along on Sunday 8^th May, 1-5pm to learn how to make your own tape person or object. Once we’ve made our tape sculptures, we’ll take them on a mini-tour, exploring how we can place them in the environment to make street art. All our masterpieces will be photographed for display on the Coachwerks website.

Suggested donation: £3

Chrysalis workshop: On Sunday 15^th May, 1-5pm, Josephine will be hosting a workshop to show you how to make a chrysalis for a creature of your own design – even better, she’ll show you how your chrysalis can be set to burst open of its own accord, releasing your bizarre little critter into the wilds several days later. Intrigued? Make sure to be there!

Suggested donation: £3

Josephine Dimbleby is a Brighton based artist who works with junk and biodegradable materials to create both inhabited and uninhabited suits. For upcoming performance dates or more details about her work, see her website and blog at www.josephinedimbleby.com

Luxury and decadence can come in many forms, from the pristine white of lead crystal and linen sheets to the opulence and colour saturation of jewels and tropical flowers. Of course, each person’s ideal of decadence will vary from the next, but I think that most will agree that the craft and deliciousness of the artisan chocolate falls lushly into this category. And at this springy time of the year, what could be better than combining the two – true decadence of the eyes and the taste buds.

Choccywoccydoodah in Duke Street, Brighton solidifies my own ideas of decadence in a way which borders on the fantastical, with constantly changing and awe inspiring front windows reminiscent of my childhood visits to the beautifully crafted Father Christmas grotto in Hanningtons.

The skills of the chocolatiers are proudly displayed to the world with giant sculptures, hand painted birds and flowers and pretty much life size skulls, shaded with perfection. The front window is wonderfully framed by the deepest of blacks, which ensures that the glorious colours glow from within the display, and is offset by traditional sign written script in a lush blood red.

This red continues into the womb like interior walls of the store, where clinical stacks of chocolate are banished in favour of mounds balanced on vintage cabinets, lit by cut glass chandeliers and reflected in opulent gilt mirrors. It feels like walking into a scene from a Tim Burton film – you are enclosed by the blood red and each glance reveals yet more wonders from the last. It is all beautiful, with a touch of eccentric madness, akin to the wondrous sculptures in the window which entice you in like the witch in the gingerbread house in Hansel and Gretel .

Flocks of chocolate birds rest on vintage china and reclaimed timber boxes contain more edible creations, shining like golden doubloons in a pirate treasure chest. Truffles glisten from within a stunning glass fronted cabinet, which doubles up as the serving desk and bunches of heart shaped chocolate lollies dangle from hooks like prizes in a funfair.

And a funfair is exactly what the interior is – a treat laced with a little edginess – the sauciness and naughtyness of a beautiful tattoo laden woman, with bright red lipstick, black flicked eyeliner and fishnet stockings. Hearts and flowers, skulls and birds.

So if the chocolate doesn’t get you in the mood, the interior most definitely will.

Claire Potter

I was drawn like a moth to the flame by the powerful, colourful and spiritual oil paintings by Brighton artist Annett Bank. They are awe-inspiring and joyful expressions of the female form, a celebration of the body and movement. The life force within her artwork is so compelling, it is as though the graceful forms on the canvas are literally dancing and leaping before your very eyes.

Annett’s motto is ‘to make the world a better place, by making oneself a better space…’ Her striking paintings have the ability to uplift and transform the dreariest of rooms, the dreariest of thoughts. They provide sensuality, spirituality and positive energy.� Annett tells me that the figures in her paintings ‘simultaneously combine power with gentleness, and strength with feminine beauty’. The female form is truly revered in Annett’s art. The feminine is linked to life, power, joy and vibrancy. In an age where the female body is objectified daily, Annett presents the female form leaping, springing, literally vaulting themselves into the subject of the painting. Obliterating the idea of ‘women watch[ing] themselves being looked at’ -they are claiming the canvas and space as their own.

It is therefore not surprising that Annett’s paintings of expressive, graceful dancing figures have been the most popular. The images are lively, fresh and uplifting. You can view these and more on her website at www.annett-bank.co.uk or visit her studio (by appointment) in Brighton.

Taking inspiration from her favourite artists such as Picasso, Matisse and Schiele; Annett’s art is a fluid series of broad, emotive sweeps of colour, swirling brush strokes of vigour and vivacity. � Annett takes commissions, and has been asked to create triptychs to match the interior design of household rooms, and often is asked to paint single, romantic pieces. � Her style is fluid, flamboyant, feminine and very colourful. Her intuitive, free-flowing style enables Annett to create stunning pieces that will surely not disappoint.

Annett is currently working on 40 small pieces in 4 different sizes: 10cm x 10cm; 15cm x 15cm; 20cm x 20cm� and 30cm x 30cm; all for a French gallery chain called Carré d’artistes (www.carredartistes.com) of� which one branch is based in London.� These new works will be available from around March 2011 onwards.

You can also view a video of Annett talking about her art for last year’s Brighton festival here:

http://www.annett-bank.co.uk/videos-of-my-exhibitions

Hannah Bradbury