In 2010, unlike the judges I'm not proposing to work as a team in selecting my shortlist from works in the Threadneedle Prize 2010 Exhibition - so my perspective is a unique one!
My shortlist for the Threadneedle Prize
Interestingly, three of the works I've chosen for my shortlist this year are sculptures and seemed to me to be strong pieces which I certainly rated higher than some of the works included in the selectors' shortlis. They were all pieces which were really memorable for me - and ones which i walked around and looked at a lot more than some of the paintings in the exhibition.
Two of the works are on the selectors' shortlist and a third is by an artist on the shortlist.
Inscape I by Patricia Cain
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Inscape I by Patricia Cain Pastel, 170 x 105 cms £5,500 |
It's really good to see works in pastel being appreciated in a competition of this kind.
You can see more of her Riverside Museum drawings on her website
Road Side by Paul Cummings
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| Road Side by Paul Cummings Acrylic on canvas, 240 x 240 cms £18,000 |
This work definitely leaves an impression when you see it for the first time. It leaves even more of an impression when you see it in person for the first time as it is huge.
It's also shortlisted for the prize. I guess of all the works shortlisted it's the one that will be most probably be remembered by those visiting the exhibition.
Car Boot Closing by Thomas Doran
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| Car Boot Closing by Thomas Doran Oil on wood, 10.5 x 13 cms SOLD |
This work is on the selectors' shortlist for the Threadneedle Prize.
I was absolutely amazed when I saw this in person as I thought it was quite a large painting. In fact, while not a miniature per se, it is certainly a very small painting.
I loved the incongruity of the objects and setting and it seemed to me to take a somewhat wry look at the urban landscape. This was the work I voted for because it was the one I remembered the next morning.
Never mind urban foxes, I give you car park elves. On a flat January day I glipsed this sub-Narnian scene through a wire fence and felt obliged to commeromorate it.....some conjecture and good old artistic licence was necesssary but I resisted the temptation to tidy up too much, staying true to the basic compsition as first seen for better or worsePlexus by Valerie Jolly
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Plexus by Valerie Jolly Tissue paper, water, PVA glue, 106 x 62 x 21 cms £8,000 |
There's an amazing translucence in Valerie Jolly's cast sculpture - in tissue paper. I think this might very well have been my winner if it had been included in the selectors' shortlist.
I cast objects in sticky wet tissue paper and when the paper dries, what I peel off carries the form and marks of the original, only it is colourless and weightless. This technique enables me to capture, almost literally in the sense of “stealing”, all the details, even the most minute ones, of the original object without damaging it. The formal and material qualities of the tissue paper also allow me to deconstruct, reconstruct, transform the original object/space into something else.You can see more of her sculptures on her website - I also particularly liked her 3D drawings
Sunlight in Rodins House by Peter Kelly
Sunlight in Rodins House, Oil on canvas, 54 x 39 cms, £3,500
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| Sunlight in Rodins House by Peter Kelly Oil on canvas, 54 x 39 cms £3,500 |
This painting has a wonderful grasp of tonal values and subdued and muted colours. The artist is a master of the art of contrast.
It's one that I could live with very happily should it be hanging on my wall.
Its a Bloomin Marble! by Garry Martin
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Its a Bloomin Marble! by Garry Martin (Ed 1 of 10) Marble dust, polyester resin, 35 x 25 x 25 cms £2,500 |
I just kept walking round and round this completely audacious work by Garry Martin which challenges your perception in a major way.
To all intents and purposes it looks as if it's solid marble sculpture of a balloon resting purely on the balloon's tied 'end'. It made me feel like I dare not breathe and certainly couldn't go too close in case I might knock it over.
Learning that it is in fact marble dust and polyester resin persuades me that it might not be damaged if its balance should be disturbed for any reason.
I liked walking round and round it just looking at how the cast shadows and reflected light changed as I did so. I took more photographs of this one than any other in the show and was hard put to choose just one for this post.
Oil Baron by Martin Roberts
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| Oil Baron by Martin Roberts Mixed metal, 158 x 95 cms £12,500 |
I loved the way I couldn't quite tell whether or not the thighs were designed for the piece or were yet more found objects
You can see more of Martin's sculptures on his website - which is also good fun! How nice to be able to smile when viewing an artist's website!
Announcement of the Threadneedle Prize 2010
Tonight, I'm off to the Awards Dinner at the Mall Galleries where the winners of the prizes will be announced.
More about this tomorrow! I did however have a read of some of the comments in the Comments book and there are certainly others like me who thought that the £10,000 Visitors' Choice Award should have been chosen from any of the pieces in the show - as happens for The BP Visitors Choice Winner
Links to earlier posts about the Threadneedle Prize 2010
Thank you for introducing me to Patricia Cain. I would not have known her work, had I not stopped in here and viewed this post. TY
ReplyDeleteWhy is it called the Threadneedle Prize when no one actually has...threaded a needle?
ReplyDeleteBacked by investment bankers www.threadneedle.co.uk/
ReplyDeletePlus Bank of England is in Threadneedle Street! See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threadneedle_Street