2024 is a very exciting year for Utopia.

Not only are we celebrating 10 years of utopian living but we also plan to expand this year to bigger, more central premises in the town. 

Mick's retirement from making lighting means that we now have more room for art. So 2024 sees the start of our new venture. Each month we will have a guest artist who has been specially selected to exhibit at Utopia. I'm choosing artists that each have a clear narrative, make beautiful work and have a philosophy which dovetails into our own. Expect stunning sculpture and work that you can connect with.  Each artist will have something different to offer and not everyone will like them all, but that's the beauty of art. The exhibitions will last around 4 weeks. We hope that you are as excited about this new dimension to Utopia as we are.

We start the programme on 25 March - here are the first two artists we're showing, so do make a note in your diary. All the work is for immediate sale as always, which we know is very popular with you. And all the artists accept commissions, but note each piece is unique.

Best wishes,

Jac

We are delighted to welcome David Cooke and Mick Kirkby-Geddes to our unexpected fold of exceptional artists.

Fur & Feathers

The Extraordinary Ceramics of David Cooke

25 March - 24 April 2024

Prize winning nationally renowned wildlife sculptor, David Cooke, has been studying animals all his life. He draws from his childhood in East Anglia and his current home in Yorkshire, to create sculptures that are as individual as the subjects he studies. Whilst always experimenting with new materials and techniques, Cooke particularly enjoys the challenge of ceramics and bronze.

.   . 

Animal Crackers

The Playful Sculpture of Mick Kirkby-Geddes

5 May - 1 June

Mick Kirkby-Geddes's metal sculpture is incredible. From his workshop in the Yorkshire Pennines he transforms the old into something new with a fresh engaging dynamic. Curiosity and a healthy dose of 1970’s kids tv and comics informs his often humorous pieces and brings them to life.

 . . . 

Drawing in the Air: Botanical Studies

NEW Exhibition

30 September - 28 October 2023

Guest Artist Sarah Luxford

Artist Sarah Luxford draws in the air with a single, unbroken line of wire to create beautiful, elegant sculptures that resonate her passion for the natural world.  Her intricate compositions illustrate not only her dexterity, but also her insightful eye and attention to detail.  Sarah's creativity reflects her vision of the endless potential of using a single medium.  Whilst the interplay of light and shadow adds depth and dimension, breathing life into her sculptures.

Sarah uses soft iron wire in gauges 0.5mm down to 0.2mm to form her sculptures. After building her delicate tiny pieces, she sprays them with a matt black paint to prevent rusting. The work is presented on gesso canvas in simple white frames to protect the work, whilst not detracting from it. 

We are delighted that Sarah has created a new collection of botanical studies for our exhibition Drawing in the Air: Botanical Studies

From the internet...

Step into a world of ethereal beauty at ‘Drawing in the Air,’ an exquisite art exhibition showcasing the mesmerising creations of renowned wire sculptor Sarah Luxford. Through delicate twists and turns, Sarah Luxford breathes life into the intangible, transforming rigid wire into fluid forms that seem to dance with grace and elegance. Each sculpture in this collection is a testament to the artist’s mastery of their craft, capturing the essence of fleeting moments and emotions, frozen in time. ‘Drawing in the Air’ invites you to explore the delicate balance between structure and freedom, inviting you to see the world in a new, enchanting light. Join us in experiencing the poetry of wire at its finest.

Plated Collection

I have had a passion for antique white plates for many years and collect reticulated ones - they make a lovely display on the wall with unusual shadows through the holes. My collection is not extensive as good ones are hard to find and those with chips or cracks are not of interest. Displaying them in groups makes a strong statement. So it was this love of old white plates that ignited the idea of collecting interesting vintage white plates. They have to speak to me in some way.  Painting original still lifes on them hopefully makes them covetable again.

It's fun to do and I enjoy the immediacy of it. My drawings and paintings take so long to do, whilst the plates are relatively quick - although of course the oil paints still take weeks to dry.

I confess I only paint subjects that interest me and those that seem to 'sit happily on a plate'. That expression is hard to define but see if you agree.  Beautiful vegetables and fruits, some picked from my own garden, glistening fish and antique cutlery are first to be captured. These simple still lifes look great on their own or even better in a group. Building a plate-scape is simple as I sell them ready to hang with a brass plated hanger (with protective ends) and a wall fixing, so super quick and easy to attach to your wall. Alternatively, you could place the plate on a special stand. It's fine art on a plate only - don't ever use them for eating or put them in your dishwasher!

Artists throughout history have been drawn to designing plates - strange but true. Even Picasso in the 1940s embraced the art form, creating unique pieces as well a limited edition designs with a local pottery.  In the 1970s Julian Schnabel and Judy Chicago famously harnessed the power of the humble plate to send their eloquent messages. But does this question the traditional hierarchy of the art world - is it subverted?  How delicious.  Does the fine art element diminish - is it of less value because its on a plate - does the association of domesticity devalue it? What do you think?

To find out more about the history of painting on plates click on this link

https://www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/art_market/artist_designed_tableware-51836

I have spent my life in black and white studying greys. My obsession with colour meant that I needed to extricate it from my career palette in order to draw. To draw in detail, to observe, to edit, to mark and mark again. The employment of colour would confuse my goal, so it was purposefully ignored. When I did introduce colour into my work it was restrained, limited and controlled. Only one colour at a time. Its role was functional - to pop!

Creativity is energising. I'm having fun experimenting with relationships and exploiting the dynamics of colours - always learning and enriching my portfolio. This excitement is nurturing - my curiosity sparked - enquiries into 'what if?'.  I'm not interested in slumber, but being awakened inside to discover new and more. Experimentation means that mistakes are plenty and have be worked through - I expect to go wrong sometimes. It is calling on my depth of experience to find solutions and execute them. The mastery of techniques and materials is a lesson for life, so curiosity is helpful and perseverance too. Getting older helps as one's inner voice reminds one that 'you can do this - keep going'.

Now that I am indulging in paint, I am wallowing in colour - luxuriating in all the millions of nuances and hues.  The joy of creating thick, multi-layered colours, embracing impasto painting with relish, has engineered a sense of freedom unknown before. Yes, my paintings are experiences that envelop the viewer - emotional responses laced with energy. Just as with my drawings, the more you look the more you see, but with paint it is very much a physical event. The quality of the paint assists in the translation of different narratives. The viewing distance alters the experience significantly. The paintings are invitingly tactile with textured surfaces - multiple layers of paint on paint, colour on colour.  The depth is vital, for it resonates the emotion that I am layering and transposing, from vision to canvas.

Colour can be bewitching.  It speaks to us and entices our personal stories to relate to it. Everyone has a favourite colour, that is a colour that resonates with them, shaped by their life and memories. Whilst nurturing this relationship we can enhance our own perception of what we need around us to fuel our moods. Yellow is a prime example of the power of colour. Depending on your innate response to this hue, its impact in its most vibrant form can be seismic, with the potential to lift moods and bring joy. Whilst its darkest tone can be miserable and mysterious. But this is not a rule - colour is amorphous. Ones reaction is guided by the viewer's inner world. So colour is personal and therefore the emotional intelligence behind each painting plays with the power of colour.

My dark paintings are moody with chiaroscuro being a favoured technique to evoke the ever changing balance of the elements. The aim is for them to be dynamically atmospheric by transposing an emotion in response to stormy skies or the depth of midnight. So the energy of the palette is not focussed on being menacing or gloomy, even though some interrupt that message, but rather of embracing the celebration of the interplay of light and dark.

In contrast, the more sunny paintings shout out the sheer joy of being alive in such wonderful places. They are statements luxuriating in colour.

Fields of Wonder

This new collection was created as an exhibition to be launched as part of Holt's Arts Festival 2023. 

BELOW: Inspiration - the wild poppy meadow discovered at Walsingham

BELOW: Inspiration - the wild meadow discovered at Fulmodeston

BELOW: Inspiration - the wild meadow discovered at Swanton Novers

BELOW: Inspiration - the wild meadow discovered at Fulmodeston

BELOW: Inspiration - the meadow discovered at Fakenham

Focus

Scott's aim is to create a painting that is almost a joyful meditation on a piece of land. For this she researches in the field, making preparatory studies, wordscapes and taking photographs.  A low perspective emerges from the submersion, creating purposefully limited sight lines and a narrow focus. This concentration enhances the caress of the plants and their sway in the breeze.

Morning
by Charles Tennyson

It is the fairest sight in Nature’s realms,
To see on summer morning, dewy-sweet,
That very type of freshness, the green wheat,
Surging thro’ shadows of the hedgerow elms;
How the eye revels in the many shapes
And colours which the risen day restores!
How the wind blows the poppy’s scarlet capes
About his urn ! and how the lark upsoars!
Not like the timid corn- craik scudding fast
From his own voice, he with him takes his song
Heavenward, then, striking sideways, shoots along,
Happy as sailor boy that, from the mast,
Runs out upon the yard -arm , till at last
He sinks into his nest, those clover tufts among.

BELOW: Inspiration - the wild meadow discovered at Walsingham

It is always a pleasure when a client decides to commission a painting.  I have spent 40 years of working to commission and enjoy deciphering what is really desired. The subject is of course very important and the style of execution too. Knowing the location in a room always helps, so we can discuss the light and size of the potential work.

 BELOW: The Best of Days painting commission for Ms. W

Commissions vary widely in size and content - a recent one was quite specific, so I was delighted when the client emailed this to me,

"It's beautiful. I love the light on the horizon and the movement in the waves - you have captured exactly what I wanted but was having difficulty articulating."

It is important to have a simple agreement drawn up to make the process straightforward and transparent.

The basic commissioning process

1. We agree a brief, cost and timeline.

2. A non-returnable deposit is required to schedule the work.

3. The canvas and materials are ordered.

4. The painting is researched and executed.

5. The finished work is shown to you for feedback BEFORE it is framed. Any alterations are made. The painting or photo of the revised final picture is shown to you.

6. The picture is then framed. On completion you will be notified and asked to collect it from the gallery and to settle the balance.

 BELOW: Rain Dance 2 commission for Mr & Mrs D.

If you would like to discuss commissioning a piece of art

then please get in touch.

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The Agony and the Ecstasy of Oil Painting

A friend recently asked me if I ever get bored painting the coast? My reply came easily - the coastline is always changing, in every second it metamorphoses. Aiming and failing to capture that energy or tranquility is so bewitching that I'll never master it or tire of trying to do so.

Painting the Norfolk Coast

The elements of sky, sea and shore dance and shift continually. It's the movement and the interplay of the elements that is beguiling. Standing before the ocean and absorbing the sights, sounds and smells to carry home to the studio, is both humbling and invigorating. I find making short videos of the panorama can help the journey, but nothing matches the initial excitement of the moment. Doing quick sketches and colour studies are an intrinsic part of the process. The large scale I prefer to work at demands a big set up, so it is highly problematic working on location.

Painting Simple Compositions with Complicated Layers

The compositions are rudimentary - I really like that. Capturing the viewer's eye without an obvious focal point demands other elements of interest and nuance. Colour and texture are key.  The process is dynamic. It makes it even more challenging to carry that simplicity and create a picture that has depth, movement and spirit. The techniques I use embraces this - nurturing the notion of shifting layers. Visualising and then building the layers is a multi-pronged operation where understanding three-dimensions is critical. One is building from the back of the painting and seeing forward - therefore planning is key.

Each element is faceted like colours - their translucency or opaqueness is important to exploit the medium's variables. Subject matter such as skies and seas envelop the multi-layered approach and react well to embracing different strengths of coloured layers.

Emotional Painting

Yes the paintings are emotional expressions, not copies of anything stagnant.  I want them to be transitional - to carry one to another place - to form a ticket to ride. Painting requires concentration and control, and yet however much you master the materials, there is always an element of serendipity that I love. That unexpected joy or horror that emerges when you think it's safe. This duality of agony and ecstasy whilst painting becomes a canvas full of problems to solve and I am elated if I manage to master them. Such an absorbing activity is demanding both mentally and physically, especially when I work on the big panels. The width and longevity of my art practice definitely informs my painting. It has nuances towards sculpture - planning in three dimensions, layering and cutting back.

Moving to North Norfolk

I grew up by the sea and regularly spent hours watching the waves, never thinking that those early memories would guide my focus now. When we moved from Bournemouth to the Lake District I was still needing to regularly visit the coast and share the big skies away from the brooding mountains. Moving to North Norfolk was liberating - it is a special place: a sanctuary and a stimulus for my spirit and my art practice. We had visited for seven years before we decided to move permanently - it was the best thing we ever did.

Captivated

When Michael and I first saw Cindy Lee Wright's sculptures at the Cley Wildlife Centre we were mesmerised by the linear drawing quality of the pieces. It was as if she had drawn them in the air, creating animals and birds with a sensitivity not often found in this style of work. It was easy to imagine a visual dialogue with my drawings - a counter play of materials yet a meaningful conversation. The marks of ink contrasting dynamically with the pierced steel.

Materials Matter

The laser cut sculptures are clearly defined making identification of the subject a joy. Whilst the careful selection of wooden mounts and bases enhance the subject in a considered manner. Cindy also selects the finish of the steel, polished, rusted or flamed, to add another layer of interest. 

Locations

The sculptures can be situated inside or out making endless exciting possibilities for locations. Against a sunlit wall the shadows of the sculptures echo the graphic. Placed amidst a garden the plants form a natural backdrop but also a moving infill. Inside, the skeletal forms can create complicated windows through which to peer. When lit the tracery forms a ghostly doppelgänger to admire.

Big Wild Sky

Norfolk is a place of big skies and beautiful wildlife. Norfolk artist, Cindy Lee Wright, writes about her passion for the local wildlife as a constant inspiration. 

"I am so lucky to live on a marsh bordering the Norfolk Broads with so much wildlife for inspiration; the barn owls, the nesting herons, the cries of passing curlews. I hope these steel pieces help to bring a sense of the beauty of the wild that we are privileged to live alongside in this county." Cindy Lee Wright

We are honoured to have Cindy as a guest artist throughout November and look forward to creating a stunning exhibition of her wonderful work.