Monday, February 19, 2007

James Blinkhorn Signed by Demontfort Fine Art

Cityscape artist, James Blinkhorn, has recently been signed up by top UK publisher Demontfort Fine Art.

Blinkhorn was previously represented by North West publishers, Artworks, but has just had his first pieces published by Demontfort Fine Art. The wider audience open to his work from the large network of galleries supplied by Demontfort should be a great boost to Blinkhorn's popularity. Demontfort Fine Art are the national publishers that have helped Doug Hyde become the best selling UK published artist in 2005.

Blinkhorn's latest large atmospheric cityscape canvas editions retail in galleries at £895. We are pleased to have been able to source a similar sized piece published by James last year, Good Morning New York, which currently available for only £595 framed - saving a fantastic £300!




The overall size of the piece is an amazing 64" x 34.5" and would make a superb feature piece in anyones contemporary home.

To purchase this piece or for further information see http://www.hepplestonefineart.com


More about James Blinkhorn:

James was born in Manchester in 1966 into an artistic family. At school he was considered outstanding and from a very young age he was actually taken out of lessons to paint. He received commissions from staff and parents and as a teenager he was runner up in a major art competition. So in the matter of a career choice he says quite simply, "there was no choice!"

After studying at Tameside College of Art James set up his studio in Cheshire. As a result of featuring in a series of successful one-man shows in th local area, he quickly established a formidable reputation in the artistic community as a creative and versatile young talent.
In the early days James was inspired by unconventional outdoor scenes that combined interesting shapes, textures and colours; a particular favourite was his local scrapyard, especially on a rainy day. He liked to explore the idea of man's incursion on the environment and the obvious next step for his work was the cityscape. With success came the opportunity to travel the world in his quest to absorb the sights, sounds and atmospheres of his chosen subjects, and this experience has informed his stunning depictions of New York as well as various European locations .

James loves to experiment with art materials and creates his atmospheric images in a wide variety of media. He exhibits in galleries in Europe, the USA and across the UK and has a range of prestigious private and corporate collectors. His work is on show in the boardrooms of such prestigious companies as BT and Siemens.

James’s powerful, ultra-stylish compositions stop us in our tracks as effectively as the speeding Ferraris they portray. A striking example of modern male success, James is talented, innovative and competitive, with that traditional masculine weakness for the sexier things in life – particularly fast cars. His images contrast the myriad greys of sidewalks and skyscrapers with occasional ventures towards the bolder end of the spectrum. To achieve this distinctive look, James approached a bespoke pastel manufacturer and had over 50 different shades of grey individually created ranging from oyster to ash, from iron to dove, from seawashed pebbles to cloudy skies. These allow him to describe every nuance of concrete, smoke and sky to stunning effect with minimal use of the more conventional range of colours, a stylistic achievement which has won him a unique place on the contemporary art market.

James Blinkhorn looks like being one of the hit new arrivals on the contemporary art scene for 2007.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Spring Art Releases Launched

Sunday 4th February saw the launch of the Spring Collections by the UK's biggest fine art publishers.

New collections were unveiled by publishers including Washington Green Fine Art and Demontfort Fine Art to name but a few. With some of the best known UK contemporary artists coming from these two stables, it was a key milestone in the contemporary art calendar. Artists on display included:

  • Doug Hyde
  • Peter Smith

  • Jack Vettriano
  • Caroline Shotton
  • Mackenzie Thorpe
  • Fabian Perez
  • Sarah Jane Szikora
  • Lorenzo Quinn

A brief run down of the key new releases are detailed below:

Doug Hyde

Two new Doug Hyde limited edition prints were released, following on from "Together" which hit the galleries a couple of weeks earlier in time for those romantic art collectors purchasing for Valentine's day.


I Love You by Doug Hyde



Friendship by Doug Hyde


Both "I Love You" and "Friendship" are strong Doug Hyde images with the uplifting feel that has become synonomous with his work.

Each piece is from an edition of 395, a smaller edition than some of his earlier pieces, and retail at £395 mounted. The image size of both pieces is 26" x 26" - making them rare examples of Doug Hyde working with a square format as most of his pieces have tended to be in landscape or portrait format. Both images are currently available to purchase at http://www.hepplestonefineart.com


Together by Doug Hyde

Together reunites Doug Hyde's famous smiley character with the black dog that was the subject of possibly his most sought after image, Beware of the Dog. With Beware of the Dog now selling on the secondary market at well in excess of £1000, Together promises to be another sell out hit with collectors.

Released in conjunction with the standard edition of 395, 95 additional pieces were made available with an original sketch (remarque) by Doug Hyde himself. The sketches have been drawn on underneath the main image, in line with the signature, and offers Doug Hyde collectors the opportunity to own something penned by Doug's own hand, without having to spend in excess of £10000.

The original issue price of the standard edition is £370 mounted with the rare remarque edition retailing at £749 mounted where it is still available! Once again, both images are currently available with free UK postage at http://www.hepplestonefineart.com



Together (Remarqued by Doug Hyde)


Peter Smith


The Spring Collection sees an exciting new era for one of the most popular artists of 2006. Three new releases are available which will surely appeal to Peter Smith's die hard existing collectors. Theses three images offer an interesting twist on Peter's style, whilst not diverting too far from the appeal of his earlier work.

The Boys by Peter Smith

"The Boys" is nine individual images, all with different coloured ties, that have been mounted together to create one fabulous piece. A nice twist on Peter's existing style that creates great visual impact. RRP: £376 mounted.



The Love Collection by Peter Smith

"The Love Collection" consists of nine individual box pieces that can be displayed together as shown, individually or in smaller groups. This piece offers the ultimate in flexibility allowing you to display them as a square, in a horizontal or vertical line, or even have one or two in each room of your home.

The original issue price for the set is £695, making it only £77.22 per image!


We Are the Boys by Peter Smith


"We Are the Boys" is reminiscent of the popular characters that appeared in Peter Smith's early works, "Meet The Firm" and "The Management". The addition of the moody sky back drop adds to the impact of the piece. RRP: £340 Mounted.

This is where we depart from Peter Smith's well know style and enter into the darker, more edgey work that Peter has started to produce.

Peter Smith - Far Beyond Driven


The Far Beyond Driven collection is a symbol of how Peter Smith has changed over the last 18 months with him now able to tackle much deeper issues in his work including subjects like isolation, aspirations and family life. Anybody feeling some similarities to Mackenzie Thorpe's journey through art?








Whether Peter Smith's more expressive work will hit a cord with collectors remains to be seen, we will watch on with great interest. Full details of the Far Beyond Driven collection can be found at http://www.washingtongreen.co.uk


Govinder


Govinder appears to be on a rich vein of form at the moment with more strong releases. Influenced by his recent trip to Japan, Govinder has released three new limited edition prints along with new limited edition sculptures.

Strange Love by Govinder

RRP: £293

King Tut by Govinder




RRP: £246

Big in Japan by Govinder



RRP: £500 Framed

Why Can't I Be You by Govinder



£398 Framed



Hungry for You by Govinder



£398 Framed


Caroline Shotton


Caroline Shotton has been the star performer from Washington Green over the past 6 months with all of her releases selling out almost immediately after publication.

Caroline has followed up with two of her strongest images to date that are sure to wow existing and new collectors alike. Expect these images to follow her previous box canvas offerings and sell out very quickly indeed.

Wakey Wakey by Caroline Shotton



Hide n Seek by Caroline Shotton



Mackenzie Thorpe

New for 2007, Mackenzie Thorpe has released a four seasons collection of limited edition prints depicting Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. At only £141 each mounted, they will make a refreshing addition to any Mackenzie Thorpe collection, either individually or as a set.



Sarah Jane Szikora


Two new limited edition prints are now available to order by Sarah Jane Szikora. The first, "We are not Amused" is a humourous portrait of the Queen, featuring the Queen wearing a lollipop crown and sat on a cake thrown - a trademark Sarah Jane Szikora piece.


RRP: £210


The second piece, "The Biscuit Factory", is a self portrait of Sarah Jane Szikora sculpting a giant gingerbread sculpture.

RRP: £188

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Todd White - UK Gallery Appearance

Grammy Awards Artist is coming to the UK!

Todd White is the hottest artist on the contemporary art scene. He has already taken the US by storm where he is the official artist for the 2007 Grammy Awards and collected by the richest and coolest in Hollywood.

His popularity is set to continue with his first UK gallery tour kicking off at Hepplestone Fine Art in Lancashire on 29th March 2007. More information on the event can be found at http://www.hepplestonefineart.com/events.htm

About Todd White:

Once a tennis instructor, White was giving a lesson in San Antonio, TX, when one of his student's sons, who worked for Warner Bros., happened to be visiting and saw him drawing.

"He took my sketches back to L.A. and I was offered my first job as a cleanup artist on 'Tiny Toons Adventures,'" he says. "The year was 1989. A thousand years later, or 1994, I became the lead character designer on 'SpongeBob SquarePants,'" a position White held until 2000.

Although he started with "Toons," White's paintings of the nightlife scenes with their over-the-top characters have made him a favorite with Hollywood art buyers, among them Hugh Hefner, Vin Diesel and Eric McCormick.

Hands are a focal point for White, reflecting the subject's state of mind as much as any body language or facial expression. "Everyone's hands are full of personality," he surmises. "Take Al Pacino--without his hands, he's not nearly as interesting to watch."

Demand for Todd White's work is continuing to grow with him being named as the official artist for the Grammy Awards 2007, and two of America's largest investment firms "have recommended that their clients buy the original art of Todd White for their portfolios because of the works' investment value" (French Art Network). “White's work now might be a better investment than a mid-century house in the hills purchased for $200,000 in 1985” (Boulevard Magazine).

Todd White Originals

His original pieces sell for up to $200,000 and are in very short supply globally -at this moment in time there are currently only two available on the open market in the UK, both of which can be viewed below or at http://www.hepplestonefineart.com






















"Winding Wheele" is one of the two rare original Todd White paintings currently available and demonstrates the comments above about hands being a focal point in Todd's work. Winding Wheele is loosely based on singer songwriter Ryan Adams and is Todd' s homage to him. The other picture shown is the original photograph that Todd White used to produce the painting - as you can see, Todd has added the distinctive hands to enhance the impact of the image and express more about the subjects character.



"Purple Lake" is the second Todd White original available. Although a more subtle piece than "Winding Wheele", this image stille exudes Todd's "Rat Pack Meets Picasso" style and would sit equally comfortably in a traditional or comtemporary environment. Full details of the sizes and prices of both pieces can be found by clicking here

Todd White Limited Edition Prints

Todd White's limited edition prints were first released in the UK in early 2006. In his debut year, he was announced as the 3rd best selling published artist in the UK by the Fine Art Trade Guild, a fabulous achievement for a debut artist.

All of the debut collection are now completely sold out with the UK publisher and are becoming increasingly difficult to source. The most sought after image from the collection was undoubtebly "Piano Bar" closely followed by "Drinking Boas".









Although both of these images are now sold out with the publisher, 25 rare Artist Proof editions will be released as part of Todd White's UK tour and will be available to purchase on the opening night (29th March 2007).

Todd White's second UK collection, the Style & Swagger tour, were released in September 2006 and can be purchased at http://www.hepplestonefineart.com

"Heaven Beside You" & "Someones Pretty Baby"


"When Angels Sell Their Wings" & "Get a Sense of Humour"


"Dibbs" & "Surrounded by Sharks"


Interest in Todd White's work is set to increase further this year with the publicity surrounding his UK visit and the fact that he is the official artist for the Grammy Awards. Todd White images can be reserved prior to his visit by calling 01257 451121 or emailing sales@hepplestonefineart.com

Along with the above images, three new canvas limited editions will also be released to coincide with the visit. Todd White has kindly agreed to personally remarque (add an original sketch) to any of these pieces purchased at his live appearance. Again, please contact the gallery for further details.

These new editions are on canvas unlike the existing editions that are giclee prints on paper. It is worth noting that the editions that have been released previously in the US have also been on canvas, making them more expensive than the UK paper editions. Although each image in the Style & Swagger collection is limited to a small edition of only 295, the new canvas editions will be from even smaller edition runs of 125 and 75 - making them truly collectable, especially with an original remarque from Todd White himself.

Below are some pictures of Todd White mingling with the cool people in Hollywood, maybe these pictures will be of you after his UK visit!

Todd White with Cindy Crawford:



Todd White on Entertainment Tonight:



Todd White with Glen Close:



Todd White at the Grammy Awards:



(Top Row Left to Right)
James Blunt, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Ludacris, Rascal Flatts,

(Bottom Row Left to Right)
KT Tunstall, Mary J. Blige, President Neil Portnow, Evanescence's Amy Lee, Corinne Bailey Rae, Todd White.