I recently got an email from Mrs Thompson, a primary school teacher from Stephenson Memorial Primary School in Wallsend. She told me all about the enthusiastic and talented 7-8 year old children in her class. They've been studying my paintings, and produced some amazing work inspired by my style. She wasn't wrong.
I received a large envelope at my studio, full of fantastic children's artwork, it absolutely made my day. Some wonderfully observed views of the Tyne bridges. Great use of colour using pastels and/or felt tips.
My paintings are all about working from memory, how I remember the recognisable structures in the city, similar to how I used to paint as a child. I came across an imagined cityscape I did when I was about 6 yrs old, full of skyscrapers and the sky crowded with planes and parachutes, [mental note: must include more parachutes in future paintings of Newcastle]. I could tell I enjoyed myself, looking at it now, and not worrying about it looking truthful or credible. I'll add it to the blog later in this week. When I paint, I try to hold on to that level of childish enjoyment, where I can play with form and colour, and not concern myself too much about accuracy. And this really comes across in these childrens pictures of Newcastle. Mistakes and alterations can be the best parts of a painting.
The compositions were all familiar, and it was interesting to work out which paintings of mine they were based on. A couple of pictures really caught my eye.
I was particularly impressed by the Great Rorth Run picture by Georgie Teeney, and the amount of work gone into it. An amazing eye for detail and exceptional line drawing/mark making. And I know from my version how exhausting it was painting all those runners, so I'm very impressed by the young artist. Even managed to add Mr bump! Can't quite tell if Spiderman was also added. I love the structure captured on the towers of the Tyne Bridge, very abstract with hints of cubism in the angles, loved it! A really interesting perspective on my own version.
My second favourite has to be the Fishquay by Jack Allenby. He has thoughtfully captured the boats and buildings. Interesting angles, and a fabulous use and understanding of colour.
All the Newcastle cityscapes were good, but in particular these two budding artists. I'll be sending them a couple of limited edition prints for their great work.
In a few days, this years NewcastleGateshead Art Fair takes place at the Sage, Gateshead. I will be representing myself once again, as Jim Edwards Gallery, showcasing my latest paintings and prints. For this years event I've decided to change my location to Stand P18. Instead of being at the top of the stairs at the Sage, I have moved further round the first floor, towards the bar. Could be a risky move.
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