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Alice by Mark Grieves. |
Art and music have long been considered two of the greatest pleasures in life and now one of the country’s leading contemporary artists, who has made the grand piano his forte, has brought the two pleasures together in a beautiful new collection entitled Classics.
The arrival of Mark Grieves’s new limited edition art collection in Castle Galleries Exeter from Saturday 21 August (whilst stocks last) is sweet music to the ears of his art fans and collectors after a two year break since his last collection.
To celebrate the virtuoso’s new repertoire, the talented artist will be visiting Castle Galleries Exeter on Saturday 28 August from 12-3pm to meet fans and collectors of his stunning oil paintings, which have been transformed into beautiful, signed limited edition pieces by Washington Green Fine Art Publishing.
Featuring five powerful and emotive works, the backdrop to four of the limited edition pieces is the elegant grand piano, painted with almost photographic detail and the evocative use of light and shade. Rich with narrative and exquisite fine art finesse, Grieves has introduced the iconic figures of Charlie Chaplin and Alice in Wonderland into two of his paintings.
With eyes closed, body bent over the keyboard and fingers warmed by fingerless gloves, Charlie Chaplin plays to the ‘Flea Circus’ in a piece entitled The Entertainer, with the ever present street urchin playing his violin in the shadows and adding to the poignant melody of the painting.
Alice in Wonderland remains an iconic figure and with the recent Hollywood blockbuster, Grieves places her on the piano stool in his painting which is simply entitled Alice. With her back facing the viewer, she plays to a magical audience of minute, ebony and ivory faceless characters dancing in front of the piano’s music stand.
Mark Grieves said: “Music is such a powerful medium and I’ve enjoyed combining it with an equally evocative one… art.
“As a child I was always fascinated by the old black and white movies, especially those featuring Charlie Chaplin; whilst Alice in Wonderland epitomises the word ‘classic’ to me. Both these classics have stayed with me through time and have greatly inspired and influenced my paintings.”
Leaving the piano for the first time, Grieves returns to another of his favourite childhood memories, the electric guitar and an old style amplifier. With the word Superstar emblazoned across the amplifier, the title for the piece, Grieves paints one of his faceless black and white men strutting on top of the amplifier, centre stage, in classic electric guitar pose.
Grieves’s dream of becoming a professional artist imploded when he became embroiled in a brawl with his art teacher, which led to him being locked in the stores cupboard and facing expulsion. Although he was given a reprieve, he left school with only a sparse art portfolio and his ambition to go to Art College in tatters.
With the artistic pulse running through his veins, he picked up a camera in place of his paint brushes and earned his living as a photographer, whilst keeping his hand in with painting.
He explained: “I am attracted to shape and shadow, light and contrast. I was able to transfer many of the skills I learnt through photography into my art. In many ways the piano – with its black and white keys, its angular shapes and shadows – provides the perfect platform for me to perform as an artist.”
A publishing deal with the UK’s leading fine art publisher almost two decades after leaving school finally gave Grieves the financial independence to become a full time professional artist.
Fans of Mark Grieves’s work will be able to see the Classics collection in Castle Galleries Exeter from Saturday 14 August. Prices start from £525 and each signed limited edition print has a small edition size of just 150 per image with each artwork presented as canvas on board.
The gallery opens Monday to Friday 9.30am-5.30pm, Saturday 9.30am-6.00pm and on Sunday 10.30am-4.30pm. To contact the gallery call 01392 425 242 or visit www.castlegalleries.com.
