Exhibition extended until 3rd of July!
“Human Glue”, a show by Beverlie Manson, Mark Paulding, Thea Penna and Johnny Cole; a collection of paintings and drawings themed around the family.
All four artists express their response to family life in different ways. Thea Penna portrays the changing relationship between herself and her daughter, Johnny Cole deals with the politics of the family from the viewpoint of someone alienated by the experience of adoption, whilst Mark Paulding (also adopted) paints photo-realist canvases based on found family snapshots. Finally, Beverlie Manson adds a magical touch to the exhibition, evoking a fairytale world while bringing a hint of cynicism with the dark creatures that populate her drawings. In real life, these four artists, through their long term and close friendship, have paradoxically become another type of family.
The exhibition “Human Glue” reflects current attitudes to the family and it’s changing form in contemporary society.
For more information: Art Rabbits First Thursdays
Review: “Human Glue”, the family life from another point of view
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Artists:
Beverlie Manson originally came from Manchester, north-west England, and went to Manchester College of Art.
After graduation she moved to London to become a children’s book illustrator, working for most of the major publishers in the UK and the US. She specialises in magical fairy scenes, which capture the imagination of adults and children.
In 1986, she collaborated with comic actor Kenneth Williams on his only children’s book ‘I Only have to Close My Eyes’
The large scale drawings exhibited in Hundred Years Gallery are made in Graphite.
She lives and works in London.
beverlie@bmanson.com
www.beverliemanson.com
Mark Paulding was born in Hackney, East London and grew up in Harlow, Essex. He returned to the East End in 2001 to embark on a BA (hons) in fine art, at Central Saint Martins in the Charing Cross Road. Living in Stepney Green, he soon fell in love with the area. His father had lived in Roman Road, a few hundred yards from where Mark lives now. As he got to know and love the areas of Stepney, Bow, Whitechapel, Shoreditch, Hoxton and Bethnal Green… the gradual realization of the fragility of all that is set in stone, slowly grew into a sense of urgency… Before settling in London he worked as an illustrator and a furniture designer, as well as a manual worker many times. He has exhibited his paintings in numerous mixed shows, including the Royal Academy of Art and have sold work all over the world. Also, in the past, he has practiced the fine art of wasting time.
Thea Penna was born in Harlow, Essex, and after completing her Art Foundation course at Harlow college Thea moved to Wakefield for three years and studied Surface Pattern Design at Bretton Hall college of Art (part of Leeds University). After graduating with a First Class honours in 1997 she gained a place at The Royal College of Art, London, where she studied Printed Textiles for two years. Thea has worked in design studios ever since. Along side her textiles career she has worked on a variety of commissioned portraits and other figurative works for exhibitions around London. She currently lives in the East End of London, Tower Hamlets, UK.
Johnny Cole first got interested in art when, as a young man, he found himself in a pub one Christmas, and so he entered the Christmas raffle. To his surprise, he won the second prize which was a basic tattoo kit, starter edition. He eventually staggered home and immediately started practicing on his own face. Some months later, by the time he had got down to his knees, his designs didn’t look too bad. He has been encouraged by this and has continued working ever lower. He has also been drawing on paper, and it is these that are on show in “Human Glue”. Anyway, please don’t be too alarmed if you see him covered from head to foot in his inky scrawls as you see him walking down the street. Just see him as a work in progress. He graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1994.