Andrew Gifford Cities of the North East. 17 October 1 November. John Martin Gallery

Transcription

1 Andrew Gifford Cities of the North East 17 October 1 November John Martin Gallery

2 I had a yearning to paint the North East for some time my last few painting trips had been in hot countries with bleaching light and shadows and distances filled with blue violets and mauves. I wanted to paint the heavy leaden skies that you often get over the Tees or the Tyne, turning everything into a palette of muted greys and blues. I also longed to spend a bit of time in the northeast to remind myself where I m from and reconnect with it. I traveled up in early April planning to paint the cold rivers and grey bellied skies, but those plans were scuppered by a freak sunny spell where there wasn t a cloud for a week. When I was a student at Newcastle university I painted in Wallsend quite a bit, so I thought it would be interesting to revisit it. On my return I immediately noticed that the cranes that once stood behind the high street like huge blue and yellow metal dinosaurs, and which made the houses look like miniature models, were all gone. I made a painting of the high street, probably because it is such a typical North East street with the red brick and the blue star pub, I painted it from a bus stop and so had an almost constant queue of locals chatting to me in that strong but soft and lilting Geordie accent that you get in Wallsend. With an hour left of spring sunshine I moved down to the river and the industrial area to start a painting. Something magical happened to the river and the sky as the concrete jetties and warehouses turned the colour of molten steel from a blast furnace. I returned over three afternoons finishing the final study late in the evening with a head torch. These studies were the starting point for four large studio paintings that I worked on later that spring. I spent about a month in all, in Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough painting things that interested me, some views were places that I ve wanted to paint for a long time,some I just came across, but I do think that if you re from a place and are completely familiar with it to an extent that it is part of your psyche,then it is much easier to see beyond the obvious and find the nuances that make a place particular, and that is what I tried to achieve with this body of work. Andrew Gifford Cover: Towards St. Andrew s Church, Hebburn oil on panel, 19¾ x 19¼ ins, 50 x 49 cm

3 Wallsend High Street oil on panel 19½ x 19¾ inches, 49.5 x 50 cm

4 The Tyne at Wallsend, Study oil on panel, 9¾ x 10 ins, 25 x 25.5 cm

5 The Tyne at Wallsend, Study oil on panel, 9¾ x 10 ins, 25 x 25.5 cm

6 The Tyne at Wallsend, Study oil on panel, 10 x 10 ins, 25.5 x 25.5 cm

7 The Tyne at Wallsend, Study oil on panel, 10 x 10 ins, 25.5 x 25.5 cm

8 The Tyne at Wallsend, nos 1-4, 2014 oil on canvas 48 x 37½ ins, 122 x 95 cm (each)

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13 Towards the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, 2014 oil on panel 6 x 6½ inches, 15 x 16.5 cm

14 Towards St John s Church Middlesbrough, 2014 oil on panel 6 x 6½ inches, 15 x 16.5 cm

15 St John s Church Middlesbrough, at Night, 2014 oil on panel 8¼ x 8¾ inches, 22 x 21 cm

16 Grangetown Cemetery, Sunderlan oil on panel 12 x 11¾ inches, 30.5 x 30 cm

17 Sunderland by the River 2014 oil on panel, 11¾ x 11¾ inches, 30 x 30 cm

18 Elswick Church and Tower Blocks Looking West. (Mid-Afternoon Clouds) oil on panel, 42¾ x 43¼ ins, 108 x 110 cm

19 Elswick Church and Tower Blocks Looking West. (Grey Sky) oil on panel, 42¾ x 43¼ ins, 108 x 110 cm

20 Elswick Church and Tower Blocks Looking West. Golden Evening oil on panel, 42¾ x 43¼ ins, 108 x 110 cm

21 Warwick Street, off Ayresome Street, Last Light, Middlesbrough oil on panel, 14 x 14 ins, 35.5 x 35.5 cm

22 Towards the Transporter Bridge from Haverton Hill, Middlesbrough oil on panel, 12 x 11¾ ins, 30.5 x 30 cm

23 Towards the Transporter Bridge, Dusk oil on panel, 6 x 6½ ins, 15 x 16.5 cm

24 Towards the Transporter Bridge, Night oil on panel, 6 x 6½ ins, 15 x 16.5 cm

25 The Navigation Pub and Middlesbrough Skyline 2014 oil on panel, 43¼ x 43 ins, 110 x 109 cm

26 The Navigation Pub and Middlesbrough Skyline 2014 oil on panel, 43¼ x 43 ins, 110 x 109 cm

27 Riverside Stadium and Navigation Pub, Middlesbrough oil on panel, 19¼ x 19¾ ins, 49 x 50 cm

28 Newcastle Looking Towards Pilgrim Street (Winter) oil on panel, 31¼ x 31¼ ins, 79 x 80 cm

29 Andrew Gifford was born in Yorkshire and grew up outside Middlesbrough. He graduated from the University of Newcastle in 1992 and has since built an international reputation for his innovative landscape paintings, based on a deep understanding of the physics of light. His paintings and light installations have been widely exhibited, including solo public shows at Leeds City Art Gallery (2004), Fruitmarket Gallery Edinburgh (2001) and Middlesbrough Art Gallery (2000). In 2013 his exhibition, Two Cities, Paintings from Jerusalem and Ramalllah, toured to the Middle East with the British Council. Collections include the New Art Gallery, Walsall, Middlesbrough Art Gallery and Chatsworth House and in private collections in Europe, USA and Asia. A monograph on the artist was published in 2005 * * * This exhibition first shown at the University Gallery, University of Northumbria Andrew Gifford, Cities of the North East. 30th May - 4th July 2014 * * * A complete e-catalogue is available on request or can be downloaded from An interview with the artist can be seen at For all enquiries please contact Tara Whelan or Laura Campbell, info@jmlondon.com, +44 (0)

30 John Martin Gallery 38 Albemarle Street London, W1S 4JG T +44 (0) Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 11-4