ink and tea

The E17 Art Trail – Exhibiting the Violence of flowers

 

I’m getting ready to show work in this year’s E17 Arts Trail.  I will be exhibiting a selection of work from the Violence of Flowers in the castle pub and will be bringing a portfolio of the remaining pieces on Thursday 8th for the private view. You will be able to pick up trail guides at the Castle Pub to see make your way around the 130 or so exhibitions which form the E17 Trail!!

Thanks to those of you who managed to come along to the preview in Leytonstone where the mural drawing undergrowth was displayed last week- if you were unable to make this show I do hope you’ll be able to join me on the 8th of September for a few drinks!

Also available at the castle will be a collection of postcards and giclee prints of work available to buy from £5 to £75 – Hope to see you during the Trail –

if you can’t make the show and are interested in the work, or prints they are of course available here.!!

Cheers – Carne

 

Somewhere Else

Unusually a second post in the same day but I have been catching up with some work in the studio and am about to send this piece over to the Ben Oakley Gallery in Greenwich – hopefully tomorrow.  It is titled ‘Somewhere Else’ and is another piece that has derived from the violence of flowers series but as it is more contemplative – I don’t think it belongs with the others.

Today in the studio has been great – if I stay inside the sun shines – if I go outside for 5 minutes it lashes down with rain.. best stay inside for everyone’s sake! – hope you like the new work, something different about this one..

New set of work in full – The Violence of Flowers

Here is the set of work that I have called ‘The Violence of Flowers’ – I hope you enjoy them

 

Uprooted from the Violence of Flowers

Good day in the studio yesterday – after collecting work from the Contemporary Romantics show I got back in the studio just before the heavens opened and finished off a new piece of work.. was a strange drawing experience and one of the more ‘automatic’ drawings I have carried out recently.  Thought I would post it to the blog as I haven’t decided whether it fits with the series ‘Violence of Flowers’ but maybe it works because it is so different to the others.  Most importantly it was a really euphoric experience making the work and I’m keen to share it so here it is!

Good News / Bad News / Carry on Regardless

Its turning out to be a rollercoaster week – with great news hearing of sales of  The Harvest, The Vine, Nectar, Metamorphosis Strength and Comfort – thank you to Ink’d Gallery, Eyestorm, Art Republic and Opus – meanwhile in the studio work is building up quickly on ‘The Violence of Flowers’ a series of work which I am fully immersed in at the moment. This may have been the reason it hadn’t really sunk in that the studios where I work are being considered for redevelopment and a planning application slapped on the lamp-post outside the entrance. If things go according to (their) plan – Norlington road studios in Leyton will turn into a mews providing some nice new flats for the area, meanwhile a growing community of artists from the surrounding areas will be without studio space which is becoming increasingly scarce!! especially in E10/E11

This on the back of a wonderful Arts Trail Experience leaves a real bitter taste in the mouth… well I have decided that it’s something I will become actively involved in opposing – whether it means I have to find a new workplace or not the main thing is that life and the current project of work goes on for the time being and I intend to make the most of it. I have only released detail shots of the work so far and a couple of development pieces so I thought I would add one finished piece to the blog, it misrepresents the series slightly but it is the first piece to reintroduce portraiture to the series. The piece shown below is as yet untitled – it’s title will depend on the completed series of work but I think it reintroduces a bit of vigour to the drawn line – I hope you like it

I will be holding a small private preview of the series on the 27th of August in Leytonstone, and will be showing selected works as part of the E17 Arts Trail which begins on the 1st September. In the meantime I am looking for a venue to display the full collection of works towards the end of September… just need to find a gallery that would be interested in showing the series as a whole.

The Violence of Flowers

Yesterday I took 5 new pieces down to Inkd gallery and talked about some of the new work.  It was good to air the new pieces as there was a slight change in direction and the work was starting to focus solely on floral forms.  I have recently received good feedback from some purely floral works, poppy and undergrowth especially, and I think it is this that has given me the impotus to move into this project without any portrtraiture or human elements both with more confidence and a renewed sense of energy.

It was surprising to react in such a strong way to what are essentially to me study drawings of wild flowers that were picked from the grounds of the studio at Norlington Road, but the reaction has reintroduced a vigorous line and mark making to my drawing that I felt had been missing from the initial pieces I made recently exploring bees… I learnt that sometimes it is good to follow this impulse and not tobe stubborn about the route that the work takes.

below are a few images of detail from the works which include partial studies of thistles roses and other wild flowers … I will be posting completed images of the work fairly soon when I have an idea how the project will develop.  For now I can only say that these pieces are intense emotional responses to the plants and floral forms in front of me, hope you enjoy them as much as I did making them – Carne

Summer Exhibition with Opus

I have been invited to display 2 of my pieces of work in the Summer Exhibition, with Opus Fine Art, Newcastle.

The exhibition will take place on Monday 8 August – Friday 2 September 2011
Private View: Friday, 5 August, 6-8pm

The Summer Exhibition kicks off with a themed party on the evening of Friday, 5 August by invitation only, where guests can view and buy the works on show, meet artists showing, and enjoy summery cocktails and canapés courtesty of 1OAK restaurant.

Opus will be showing a “huge selection of artwork by the cream of artists on their roster, including Chris Acheson, Andrea Allan,Kim Baker, Lee Chantler, Richard Davidson, Teresa Duck, Michele Fletcher, Nick Fox, Carne Griffiths, Kelly Jayne, Brian Jones, Linda Lencovic, Miranda Lopatkin, Ali Miller, Geraldine Swayne, Natalie Tkachuk and Karl de Vroomen.”

The exhibition opens to the public from Monday, 8 August until Friday, 2 September, by appointment only.

Please contact Opus Fine Art, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1NR T: 0191 232 7389
E: enquiries@opus-art.com

Norlington Road Video of work in progress

I have taken a short video of the work on the mural / drawing so far at Norlington Road – I will be making a finished video and a short book of the completed piece but until then…

A drawing made as part of the Leytonstone arts trail over a period of about 2 weeks spending  40 hours drawing, the piece is an unplanned organic drawing in Ink and tea which explores floral forms. Drawn in fountain pen ink and painted with various types of tea, specifically chai, Rooibos, blackcurrant & nettle and camomile vanilla & honey. The artwork references plants from both the front and rear of the house.

3 New Giclee Prints @ £75 each by Carne Griffiths

This thursday at 6:30 pm we will be opening the doors of SORTED london’s exhibition featuring 10 artists and illustrators. I will be showing 5 original pieces of work 4 of which have not been on show before.

To go with these pieces I will be launching 3 giclee prints of the work on display.  The new prints are Metamorphosis, Sunlight and Coma, the original of which sold through Art Republic. It would be great to see you at the exhibition which runs daily 10am-8:30pm until the 15th of June at East Gallery, Brick Lane – full details

I will also be showing work at 3 other shows this month,

Old Boots New Laces, which opens at the Vibe Bar Gallery on the 17th June
Modern Vices – opens 23rd June  London Miles Gallery, 65 Hanbury Street
Picture Show – East 17 Art House 25th June

New work from the Studio

After a short break in Thassos, Greece it has been nice to return to drawing in the studio and preparing for several group shows this summer. shown below are 2 pieces inspired by the recent break – firstly by a book I read whilst away and secondly by the variety of different forms of nature experienced.