Grahame Ashcroft – Dave Bullock.
Recent (and not so recent) Paintings.
10 June – 10 July 2010
Hare & Buzzard series #7
Hares & Buzzards.
A selection of paintings from a series based upon and inspired by a ‘Mad March Day’ in the hills of Wales.
Dave Bullock
Cadenza
My paintings arrive like strangers at the door, I invite them in, get to know their stories. Exterior landscapes, interior landscapes. The seen and imagined. Perhaps, after all, They’re the same thing.
Grahame Ashcroft
In the show, entitled ‘RECENT (and not so recent) PAINTINGS’, Dave Bullock, who has work in collections in the UK, USA, Canada and Europe, is showing a selection of paintings from his series entitled ‘Hares and Buzzards’, based upon and inspired by what he refers to as a ‘Mad March Hare Day’ in the hills of Wales.
In a paper delivered by art historian Steve Baker at ‘The Animal Gaze’, London Metropolitan University in November 2008, it is noted that ‘Only in a very few of these paintings do the gazes of hare and buzzard seem to meet, and even then with no sense of how either species might read the other’s gaze, or even see the other.’ The question is then raised as to whether this imagery of open form is to be read ‘as dark, or as joyful’.
‘Joyful’ is perhaps a description that more obviously sits with the work of Grahame Ashcroft, who has a wide range of paintings in private and municipal collections, including a growing number in hospitals on Merseyside. Grahame also currently has 6 paintings exhibited in Stanley Park, 2 in the Chamber of Commerce and has a two-person show opening at ‘The Orchard’ in August.
In the publicity for a solo show at Birkenhead’s Williamson Art Gallery in November/December 2009, it is noted that his paintings have been described as ‘brilliantly coloured, rather magical pieces, including landscapes which have a nostalgic, picture-book quality, like images of a world like ours, but not quite.’ The quote is taken from Liverpool.com article ‘Capital of Colour’ published in 2008, Liverpool’s Capital of Culture Year. In this article by Nicola Mostyn, Grahame goes on to describe creating a painting as being ‘Like taking a dog for a walk and the dog starts leading you’.
Well what is all this about hares and buzzards and dogs and gazing? Grahame and Dave each ‘gaze out’ from their studios into the Mersey estuary as it enters the sea – Grahame from New Brighton and Dave from Formby. They are indeed of the same species – 21st century human, male artists – so it may well be that they ‘read the other’s gaze’, and they certainly regularly ‘see the other’ in Liverpool to catch up on work updates and relax (I think?) over a game of snooker. Come and see what you make of their paintings at the View Two Gallery in Matthew Street – please note opening times.
