DECADE: ten years of painting

DECADE is the 3rd Space Studios show at Surface Gallery.

The works exhibited are the last paintings I have at present.

I have struggled to exist as a painter in this city since I arrived and before that for 20 years I virtually ceased painting as I had no studio or money for materials.

I will not stop painting and drawing but I see any viable future in the illustration/ comic/ graphic novel area if anywhere at all. Abstract painting is not viable in this city..fact.

I would like to personally thank Steven Ingman for his support over the last ten years ( I moved into 3rd Space in 2010) and hopefully both the studio and myself can flourish in the years to come. We have managed to survive ten years which in current financial climate is an achievement.

Bunnie
Wopadoodle


Groovy Arts Club Day

I have not been updating this painting blog for at least a year. In fact the last painting of any note I completed was probably in Jan-Feb 2018 before the OS Notts open studios as shown below. This is because of traumatic and life-changing events which have led to my current divorce. Slowly I am picking up the pieces and sadly painting was something that took a back seat whilst life well and truly got in the way.

On a more positive note this last Saturday I had the pleasure of visiting a show in Dover Sreet Mayfair co-curated by old freind David Stephenson. The show revolved around Robert Fraser’s legendary sixties galleries. David also produced a double vinyl Lp of songs about the artists involved which included Peter Blake, Ed Ruscha and Basquiat.

As well as visiting the Gazelli show I also saw a great Rauschenberg show, a crazy Martin Creed show and popped into various Cork Street shows with David which after many years away from the ‘international art scene’ was fun.

Contemporary British Abstraction

newart
So after 40…yes 40 years (I started at the tender age of 16 in 1975) as an infrequently practicing artist I find myself finally with a studio and time to paint so as of next Monday there no more excuses….

Artworks 1975 – 2000 ARCHIVE here

https://shaunbelcher.com/painting 

What will it look like? Well going by the last completed canvas above from May 2014 probably a bit cartoony,  a bit abstract, a bit colourful….somewhere along the fault line between Contemporary British Abstraction (see show on now in London poster below ) and a crazed version of Disney trapped in a hunting lodge…so think David Lynch and rabbits…paint…it’s all about the paint..stupid….

So her it is or there it was and now it is or almost now …or something….whir..dribble…splat..thunk….

contemporary-british-abstraction-2015-poster

Read Andrew Parkinson’s piece on the show here Why Abstraction Now PDF

 

July optimism…back in the studio…

Always happens around now..taught content ends (in this case so did the course) and I manage to get some quality time in the studio.

 

Slightly different this year as my future isn’t what it used to be. Can’t say more for now as things have started to move in a certain direction.
Meanwhile trying to get some paint on canvas and some writing done in studio.

coloured

Here the first coloured drawing from a couple of weeks back and a new three part 12′ x 4′ canvas.

trio

 

This connects directly with my mid to late 1980’s work…..especially the Record Sleeve paintings.

https://shaunbelcher.com/painting/

Plus ca change…

12rain