Brilliant New Canvas Prints At The Emporium

Jeremy has been one of our top selling Artists since we first started trawling the art fairs back in the day and we are very excited to be able to offer great value open edition prints at last! Our suppliers use high quality canvas, an Epson printer and Epson pigment inks to ensure a quality product that will look great and last for many years. All our deep-edge canvas prints have a water-based clear lacquer applied to them as a UV barrier and to protect the canvas prints from scuffing. It also makes them easier to clean! All canvas prints are stretched over a sturdy, hardwood frame, Eucalyptus Regnans to be exact.

And don't forget there's FREE delivery to UK mainland addresses too!!!! We're just too good to you!

Print size: 31x46cm
Price: £114.99

For UK mainland deliveries the price includes postage and packing. All other delivery destinations please e-mail us before purchase in order to obtain the correct postage & packaging for an item. Please read our terms and conditions. All dimensions are approximate only. Please be aware that photography and individual monitor settings can alter the appearance of colours.

Click here to see more!

The Bullet- Issue 3

Open publication - Free publishing - More ovenden

Needhams Open Art Competition 2009- The Finalists Exhibition

Needhams Restaurant & Art Gallery proudly presents 'The Finalists Exhibition', the mixed group exhibition of works submitted to the inaugural Needhams Open Art Competition 2009, as selected by the judges John Lyons, Craig Kerrecoe & Kaine Kulczak.

Featuring:

Georgina Vinsun
Christopher Lessware
Esther Albone
Daniel Young
Ami Shin
Donna Carter
Andrea Rowbotham
Marc Allen
Carol Tarn
Cathy Smale
Nash Francis
Stuart Bush
Fernando Edwin Cari Chavez

Needhams Restaurant & Art Gallery
186 Main Street, Witchford, Ely, Cambs CB6 2HT

3rd April to 14th May 2009

Since autumn 2005, the charming Needhams Restaurant in Witchford, near the historic city of Ely in Cambridgeshire, has hosted a visual art exhibition programme specialising in and providing opportunities for new and emerging artists from around UK.

In the true spirit of the now well-established exhibition programme, the Needhams Open Art Competition was launched in 2008 to create an exciting opportunity for new and emerging visual artists from around the world, culminating in this exhibition of the shortlisted work in April/May 2009.

The first prize, awarded to one of the shortlisted artists/photographers selected by our panel of judges, will be a solo exhibition at Needhams during 2009. The winning artist/photographer will also be offered non-exclusive representation from Ovenden Contemporary.

New Member Coming Soon- Caroline Hall

We are close to finishing the profile of another new OC member- Caroline Hall, from Winchester. Caroline came to our attention with an excellent entry to the Needhams Open Art Competition, receiving a commendation from the judges.

Caroline completed a degree in Visual Art in 2005 with First Class Hons, and then a Masters in Fine Art in 2007. Since graduating she has exhibited throughout the UK and held her first solo London exhibition with degreeArt.com in November last year. She was a named finalist in the Chelsea International Fine Art Competition in New York which was judged by Manon Sloane and her work was subsequently featured in the arts magazine ARTisSpectrum 2008.

Her profile should be up tomorrow sometime. Let us know what you think...

New Prints From Jo Tammaro at The Emporium!

We are now offering framed and mounted prints and stretched-canvas prints in a variety of sizes from several of our artists at the Emporium on-line boutique gallery. Look at these fantastic new photographs from OC Artist Jo Tammaro of Margate Harbour and Lighthouse. Don't they look beautiful in these wonderful frames?

Our fine art prints come with a beautifully-crafted, charcoal coloured custom frame made with quality timbers 3cm wide by 2cm deep. A mount (minimum of 6cm wide) surrounds the print to emphasize the artist’s work and bring the piece to life. Premium ultra-clear perspex provides a superior finish and means the piece is lighter and easier for you to move without breaking.

And don't forget there's FREE delivery to UK mainland addresses too!!!! We're just too good to you!

First FILM Entry to the Self Competition

Title: Becky 2007 (2008)
Medium: Animation (2:09)
Artist: Becky Moore
Location: Manchester, UK

We are really pleased to have received our first film-based entry to the SELF competition. This one, an animation, is from a UK-based Artist and is the first of many we hope! Thanks Becky!

New Photography/Digital Entries to the Self Competition

Title: Lady Would Grain (2007)
Medium: Digitally edited photography
Artist: Emma Thackham
Location: Cheshire, UK

Title: De-Faced (2009)
Medium: Digitally edited photography
Artist: Jason Walton
Location: Loughton, Essex, UK

Title: Machine Head (2008)
Medium: Photography
Artist: Tiffany Bisconer
Location: San Francisco, California, USA

New Sketches/Printmaking Entries to Self competition

Title: Autorretrato Con Conejito (2006)
Medium: Graphite on panel
Artist: Teresa Dunn
Location: Lansing, Michigan, USA

Title: Self-portrait (2009)
Medium: Pencil on paper
Artist: Rosa Balgarnie (Aged 8)
Location: Cheltenham, UK

Title: Self-portrait With Found Object (2007)
Medium: Coloured pencil & pastel
Artist: Brian Fencl
Location: Wheeling, West Virginia, USA

New Painting Entries to the Self Competition

Title: The Red Hat (2007)
Medium: Oils on canvas
Artist: Tudor Francu
Location: Romania

Title: Self-portrait, Weeping (2008)
Medium: Acrylics & oils on canvas
Artist: Beata Harasim
Location: Crewe, UK

Title: Demise Of Commitment (2004)
Medium: Oil pastels
Artist: Tiffany Bisconer
Location: San Francisco, California, USA

Title: Fractured Flash Of Clarity (2009)

Medium: Acrylics on canvas
Artist: Suzanne Bort Gray
Location: Poland, Ohio, USA

Title: Guarding St. Francis (2008)
Medium: Oils on panel
Artist: Teresa Dunn
Location: Lansing, Michigan, USA

Korporate Soldiers...

Korporate Soldiers..., originally uploaded by korp.

Just finished this two layer stencil of my boys. It's on a 40cm x 40cm canvas and is another addition to my urban portraits portfolio.

Urban Portrait

Minikorp 1 and 2...WIP, originally uploaded by korp.

A little work in progress shot of my latest urban portrait. This halftone stencil is one of two layers that I hope to have finished this weekend.

New Artist Member- Jason Walton

Jason Walton, a successful Graphic Designer based in London, creates vibrant digital images using illustration and photography, heavily influenced by his design training. A keen traveller, many of his images are derived from his travel photographs, edited into abstract forms. Alternatively, using Photoshop on his trusty Apple Mac, he will create cloissonist illustrations with thick black lines enclosing bright colours.

"...with digitally collaged images like 'Cockerels', you can see a desire to recreate, reform reality, turning random items into something else, something abstract."

Walton is inspired by images or photography that show texture, contrast, linearity and unusual perspectives or angles. He will often repeat an image to form a pattern and this, in itself, changes the quality of his images. He cites the British collage artist Richard Hamilton as one of his favourite artists and, with digitally collaged images like 'Cockerels', you can see a desire to recreate, reform reality, taking everyday, random items and turning them into something else, something abstract.

His images are available in a variety of sizes and formats. Please contact us if you are interested in talking about printing options.

Click here to see Jason's profile.

Do something good with your money...

Do something good with your money..., originally uploaded by korp.

Winston's Wish is the leading childhood bereavement charity and the largest provider of services to bereaved children, young people and their families.

Help raise a little money for this great cause by bidding on one (or all) of several pieces of artwork to be auctioned starting on the 25th March 2009.

Click here to bid.

Self: Competition Entries

Title: The Devotee (partial) (2009)

Medium: Sculpture
Artist: Stephen Farley
Location: Birmingham, UK

Title: Self-portrait in Paynes Grey (2009)
Medium: Acrylics on canvas
Artist: Lynsey Storer
Location: London, UK

Call For Art! Peterborough Young Carers Charity Art Exhibition

Click here for more details...

Dreaming Methods: New Forms Of Fiction

New forms of fiction

Dreaming Methods, known also as Digital Fiction, evolved from obscure, floppy disk-based collections of short stories that were available for free in the Amiga Public Domain during mid 1990s. It is now an experimental venture into combining fictional narratives with atmospheric multimedia designed to be read and experienced on-screen.

Dreaming Methods is inspired largely by abstract concepts that would perhaps be difficult to capture using writing alone. The multi-layered complexity of dreams/nightmares and real/imagined memories that feature in many of the narratives are represented by a heavy mix of media that is designed to be compulsive and immersive. Projects are inspired by music, film and web design as much as literature, and attempt to take strands of each and weave them into something entirely new.

Dreaming Methods is however experimental. Our plan is to continue to attempt to produce challenging hybrid fiction projects that push the boundaries of digital writing.

Click here to visit the Dreaming Methods website.

'The Bullet' Issue 3- Out Now!

We are pleased to release Issue 3 of our 'quarterly' magazine...

New Sculptural Entry for SELF competition

Title: Building My Future Robot (2008)
Medium: Oils, pastels and marker pen on board with christmas lights
Artist: Ami Shin
Location: Surbiton, Surrey, UK

This is a new entry to our SELF competition from Surrey-based illustrator Ami Shin. Ami is one of the finalists in the Needhams Open Art Competition 2009 and features in the Finalists exhibition opening on 3rd April at Needhams Restaurant & Art Gallery.

2009 News

2009 is shaping up to be a landmark year for Ovenden Contemporary. We have some fantastic events booked or in development, which we'd love to tell you about:

April
The finalists exhibition for the inaugural Needhams Open Art Competition 2009, for new and emerging artists, opens on 3rd April. This competition has been a great success for OC and Needhams, bringing new artists to our organisation and raising the profile of Needhams locally. We look forward to announcing the winner of the competition very soon.

June-July
OC Team Member Kaine Kulczak has organised the Peterborough Young Carers Charity Exhibition in aid of the city's many young carers, at the Coca Cola BSC in the city. A call for artists will be issued shortly for this charitable event and we hope that many of our artist members will consider donating work to the project.

July
We also have another event planned for the summer (dates TBC), this time just outside the famous horse-racing town of Newmarket in Suffolk. This event is in partnership with an exotic car specialist based in a historic flint barn in the beautiful Suffolk countryside, surrounded by stud farms. This event will hopefully take the form of a weekend long combined launch party and art exhibition with supercars provided by our event partners and fantastic art provided by us. More details to follow...

July
The deadline for 'SELF', our on-line competition for self-portraiture arrives in May and will culminate in our first large online exhibition planned for July. We have had a huge number of entries to this competition from around the world and are really impressed with the quality of many of the entries.

August (TBC)
We are in the process of organising a major open art competition for the City of Ely in Cambridgeshire in partnership with Sue Ryder Care. The competition will be open to all art forms and artists from around the world. There will be an exhibition in the magnificent Long Gallery at The Old Palace in the centre of the city and a share of sale proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to the Sue Ryder charity fund.

October-November
We have booked the charming Courtyard Arts Centre in Hertford for two weeks towards the end of this year. The group exhibition will feature work from many of our artist members and will be launched with a Preview Reception on 27th October.

Keep reading the blog for news updates as and when they occur. Please contact us if you are interested in becoming involved or attending any of the events.

Illustr-Eight presents 'Transitions' at Courtyard Arts

Courtyard Arts Centre in Hertford is open with contemporary art on show and for sale Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm and to 5pm on Fridays.

The gallery houses a gift shop which stocks a range of ethically sourced home accessories (rugs, cushions, bags), gifts, handmade cards and jewelery. The private view for each exhibition is generally on the first Tuesday of the opening week.

Exhibitions change fortnightly and for details of current and forthcoming exhibitions please contact gallery for details on 01992 509596.

Our programme of classes offers a wide range of subjects for all age groups and abilities, including those with special needs. The centre offers a range of classes to choose from. Classes are held in the well equiped ceramic studio and studio1. Class sizes are small (6-10) and repeat bookings confirm the popularity of these small but sociable weekly workshops.

To book, please contact us on 01992 509596 or admin@courtyardarts.org.uk

Recent Sketch Entry to SELF Competition

Title: Self-portrait at 42 (2009)
Medium: Colour Intaglio
Artist: John-Mark Schlink
Location: TBA

Recent Photography/Digital Entries to SELF Competition

Title: Untitled from the 'Timeless' series (2008)
Medium: Cyanotype Photography
Artist: Natalia Skobeeva
Location: London, UK

Title: Queen Of The Recently Undead (2008)
Medium: Digital
Artist: Barbara J. Lloyd
Location: Danbury, Connecticut, USA

Title: At Seven (2008)
Medium: Digital
Artist: Carol Radsprecher
Location: New York, USA

Recent Painting Entries to SELF Competition

Title: Self-portrait (2005)
Medium: Mixed-media
Artist: Lisa Sayles
Location: Amboy, Washington, USA

Title: Meditation Moment (2009)
Medium: Oil On Canvas
Artist: Fanny Diaz
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Title: Gray Matter: Inside The Insight (2009)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Artist: Suzanne Bort Gray
Location: Poland, Ohio, USA

Title: Me (2008)
Medium: Acrylic
Artist: Mark Whelan
Location: Wirral, Merseyside, UK

Title: Mrs. Kenan Davis (2007)
Medium: Oil on board
Artist: Jennifer Drinkwater
Location: Ames, Iowa, USA

Title: Stillness (2007)
Medium: Mixed-media on board
Artist: Dorothy Fitzgerald
Location: Buffalo, New York, USA

Title: A Shabby Tale (2008)
Medium: Mixed-media on board
Artist: Maria Holohan
Location: TBA

Title: Self-Portrait If The Artist Could Grow A Beard (2008)
Medium: Oil & Gloss
Artist: Graham Lister
Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Click here to submit your own entry to our SELF competition.

Sonja Benskin Mesher- Coming to OC Soon!

In a medieval long-house in Llanelltyd, North Wales, surrounded by mountains, lakes and rivers, and also very near to the sea, is the studio of a highly-rated Artist called Sonja Benskin Mesher. Sonja has lived in this spectacularly beautiful part of the world for more than 15 years now and the ancient landscape has been affecting her work profoundly ever since. The sense of freedom, peace and sheer space of the environment has given Sonja's work an almost inherent, sensual, rhythmic quality. She uses a dialogue of shape and colour to create ideas about the landscape and inherent memory.

She is well known for her prize winning sketches as much as for her abstract work. She says, “I like to draw. I like the immediacy and physical connection I get with the media. I like the memories that form themselves on the paper. I like the marks, and patterns. In quieter moments, the drawing work occurs, reflecting on life, remembering childhood, and unravelling problems.” Many of her sketches have been submitted in our 'SELF:' competition for self-portraits. Click here for more information.

The sense of freedom, peace and sheer space of the environment has given Sonja's work an almost inherent, sensual, rhythmic quality. She uses a dialogue of shape and colour to create ideas about the landscape and inherent memory.

Sonja was born in Bournemouth in the late 1940's and became a full-time professional artist in 1999 after a period of study. She has won many awards and prizes since then and also runs art workshops from her studio.

Photography/Digital Entries to SELF:

Title: Swing
Medium: Digital media
Artist: Chris Beetow
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Title: Smoking Mirrors (2009)
Medium: Photograph
Artist: Catalina Piedrahita
Location: Miami, Florida, USA

Title: Self-portrait (2009)
Medium: Photograph of sculpture
Artist: Dominic Chinea
Location: Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK

The Bullet- Next Issue Coming Soon!!

It's been a bit of a wait, but Issue 3 of our new quarterly (ahem) magazine The Bullet is nearing completion and should be released by next week. With a new look to go with the new OC branding and proper on-line browsing courtesy of the brilliant ISSUU system, it should be worth the wait!

For those of you who can't possibly wait, or haven't seen our magazine before, have a look at the previous issues...

Issue 2



Issue 1

Saatchi's Art Talent Show

SAATCHI'S BEST OF BRITISH

Do you think you have the talent and ambition to be among a new group of great British artists?
The BBC and The Saatchi Gallery are launching a search for people who possess the drive and passion to make great art. To apply and to find out more about becoming part of a major BBC series, please go to:

www.submityourart.com

The search is now open for submissions and closes on Sunday 29th March 2009 at midnight. Applicants must be resident in the UK, over 18 by April 2009 and not currently represented by a gallery. You don't need an art education to apply.

"I am looking forward to the prospect of finding undiscovered British talent. Anyone with a fresh creative approach should enter - because nobody knows where the next art star will emerge from."

Charles Saatchi

TO APPLY:
You can apply by uploading between 3-5 images and/or videos of your work and by telling us a bit about yourself. The artwork you submit can be in any medium e.g. instalation, digital media, painting, sculpture, printmaking, perfomance art and other. You can also upload a film of yourself talking about your artwork if you wish.

Pictures Hung at Bannold

Got in to Bannold this morning and hung 8 of our pictures. After two hours drilling holes in 400 year old beams, we managed to attach the chain and hang the pictures.

Regards, Neil & Sion