Brighton’s Arty: Go with the flow

Some people questioned why we didn’t list the artists in last year’s book in alphabetical order. Spoilsports. I had the most fun carpeting our house with all the pages then deciding which works should sit against each other, and how the amazing variety of approaches could be ordered to create pace and constant surprises. (George [cat] proffered his assistance, walking over all the printouts and sitting on them randomly, but he doesn’t have much of an eye for colour.)

It’s just fascinating how the same palette can inspire such different executions and how two very different artists can complement each other beautifully. I’ve been working on this year’s edition today and by chance had the layouts of Kellie Miller and George Antoni open at the same time. And they’re just made to be book buddies. To produce his sensational abstracts, George starts a painting with only a loose intention, allowing it to evolve through numerous generations. The piece ends with the idea rather than starts with it. He wants viewers to see different things in the finished work, and the greater number of interpretations the better.

Kellie has a talent for conveying her subject matter and messages in a simplistic manner, yet her approach and the method of construction of her work is incredibly complex. Her unique pieces can require up to 27 stages to complete, and the results are tactile carved paintings. See more in her eponymous gallery in the South Lanes.

Out of town: We’re delighted that a Brighton’s Arty favourite, Louisa Crispin, has been selected to exhibit at the 116th Annual Open Exhibition of The Pastel Society with her exquisitely detailed Lichen on Birch v. at The Mall Gallery, London, from 23 February to 7 March.
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Pic 1: George Antoni
Pic 2: Kellie Miller
Pic 3: Louisa Crispin

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