STEVIE DEAS

Stevie Deas was born in Scotland in 1962, he came to art education as a mature student, completeing both his BA and MA at Manchester Metropolitan University by 1999, Deas showed in Manchester and abroad before being awarded a 4 year residency in a work/live unit at ACME’s Fire Station in 2001.
 
Deas has long standing interests in psychology, sociology, economics and politics; subjects which inform his work. Using a wide variety of different media to produce everything from drawing and painting to film, photography, performance and complex installation work, Deas explores reactions and interactions between individuals and groups; the micro and the macro of human life. Much of Stevie’s current work focuses on the ways in which the mass mediarepresent war and terrorism.

"When I was invited to contribute to ‘Never be Seen’ I began thinking about Christmas, what its symbols are and what they mean to me,-green and red are the colours most associated with Christmas and hence my choice for these drawings. The double vision effect of these drawings refers to the intoxication which abounds as this time of year and the sale of ‘fake’ Christmas trees ties in with a theme I often return to in my work, that of simulation. Whilst walking around East London working on photographic projects I’ve found loads of ‘magic tree’ car air fresheners discarded in the street and part of my practise involves using found objects I’ve collected quite a few, using them as templates I’ve created Trees I & II for this show".

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PETE MOUNTFORD

Pete Mountford has been practising for 10 years. Educated at DJCA,  (Dundee BA, 1992) and at Montclair State University, NJ,  USA (MA, 1995).  Exhibitions include ' Showcase' City Without Walls' Newark, NJ, USA (1994), ‘259 & Drawn'-Stables Gallery, London (2002)) 'The Prosperous Reapers' Alma Gallery London (2005) and ’42’ 3  Colts Gallery,London (2006). Moving forward projects for 2007 include 'Borderline' at the Patriot Hall Gallery, Edinburgh and a show at The Brownston Gallery near Plymouth, Devon. Originally a ceramicist, these days Pete’s work encompasses Painting, drawing, digital imagery and other mixed media. His approach utilises sequence and correlation in relation to existing systems, such as cycles of nature, landscape, numbers, energy waves and colour therapy bottles. These are often unified by colours originally designated by Cuisenaire Rods and can involve dialogues between individual works or from modules within multi-component works

"Using Cuisenaire Rods the numbers 2,3 & 6 equate to red, light green and dark green respectively, ‘This Configuration’ is not actually a work in itself, but a flexible arrangement of numbers and wave patterns that cross-communicate with the oeuvre of this exhibition that i have curated. I played with various combinations and this is just one of the results (that may or may not be displayed in this way). I felt drawn to using nine works for 'This Configuration', it seemed a balanced number in which the space around the components could interact well, plus i kept thihking of noughts and crosses for some inexplicable reason"

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JANE STOTHERT

Jane’s training as a Graphic Designer is evident in her work through her love of colour, shape and rhythm. She moves between being purely non-referential to careful analytical observations of London scenes and interiors. More recently she has been inspired by not only the landscapes to be found in London, but also from her trips abroad. Through her unique vision she simplifies her observations into colourful geometric shapes, often incorporating her motif the stripe, but not always. Josef Albers and Bridget Riley are a great source of inspiration.

"'Into Grey I’ was inspired by looking at Albers’ ‘Interaction of Colour’. My aim was to blend the paint into stripes using complementary colours, ie red and green plus the grey being a the mixture of the two. My idea was to blend the colours in such a way that a haze would be created in the middle. I failed to achieve this, but what resulted was a misty grey behind the bars of colour, creating an almost transcendental effect, an other worldliness". 

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SARAH SPARKES

Sarah Sparkes is an artist and curator. She graduated with a BA hons from
Kingston University and with an MA from Chelsea College of Art, where she
was a recepient of the Herbert Read Scholarship. She recently curated the acclaimed ’42’ exhibition at The 3  Colts Gallery, London E2, you can read a review by Chris Schular in The Independent of this exhibition here Born in Reading, she lives and works in London, where she exhibits widely. Other recent shows have included, 'For Peel' at Nomoregrey gallery, 'Summer Show' at London Contemporary Projects, 'Eastin2West' at Alma Enterprises and the Wine Gallery, 'Real Strange' at Lounge Gallery, 'Long Weekend' at the Scholars House, 'Landscape' at Vertigo Gallery, 'First Chutney Preserves' at Lambeth Country Show.

"With 'The Maiden Over' and other wallpaper works, a repeat motif is hand painted on to a popular, mass produced wallpaper surface. Applied by hand, with thick viscose paint, which is then scratched into, the pattern repeats itself and yet each individual element is unique. The motifs have been drawn from my past drinking haunts in Reading. They also pay homage to the many fabulously grotesque wallpapers that grace the walls of public houses and the memories such patterns may conjure up"

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Sarah also previously showed with Art 3 in 'Local' in May 2006

LEONARD VUCINIC

Leonard Vucinic is combining his 30 years of photographic practice and 12 years experience in the digital and digital print media, with his involvement in book jacket, business logo and stationery design, to produce digital Giclee images that are at home in both graphic and abstract contexts. Leonard showed his work at The Battersea Art Fair (2002), Paralax Gallery (2003 – 2005), Autumn Fair, NEC Birmingham (2004), various bars and restaurants - including Freedom Bar, Soho (2004). His work is permanently exhibited in the lobbies of the Conrad Hotel suites in Chelsea Harbour, and in the Rosemary Lane restaurant, E1. His most cherished exhibition spaces, though, are the walls of homes in various countries, over four continents, where his canvases went over the past years.

"This four floral abstracts come from my “e floribus” (from flowers) cycle of photographs and digital mages. The idea was to challenge our usual perception of a plant or flower, by either digitally transforming them into the art nouveau-ish candy floss kitsch or, as in this case, deconstruct that perception by stripping them of the anthropomorphic “character traits” which are projected onto them by us, or better, our inability to fit into the
overall order of things."      

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Leonard has shown twice previously with Art 3 at The Wine Gallery “e floribus” a 2003 solo show, and  in '3 Years of Art 3' at the end of 2004

TRAFFORD PARSONS

Trafford Parsons is from Manchester and was involved in performance art in the 1980's and 90's. He also has a parallel career as an international funk Dj and is probably the only art student to have his degree show reviewed in D.J magazine. Trafford has an overwhelming interest in British Popular culture, designing event and club flyers and posters. He also worked on community arts projects, painting murals, and as a dancer and taught dance at Manchester University before going to London. Here he studied fine art at Goldsmiths University, where he still works.

"music and art are the same thing when there good they effect you emotions and the way you think about the world … it's everything the pictures the sounds, the party, the way you think, the people who come, the press, the beat of the modern world its NOW"

The current influences on Trafford Parson’s art involves monsters & mascots, taking as a starting point "what we fear defines us", the domestic terror within the familiar.  Pop culture, comic books, street art, record covers, natural history photography, hammer horror films, the bizarre and satirical, popular culture that immerses us in multi media visions of post modern confusion, myth and mischief.  He is fascinated and enchanted by the process of screen printing and has produced works on sheet aluminium, MDF panels, raw canvas and paper.He has experimented with colours and techniques to create a 60's B-movie aesthetic which allows space for the absurd.

"Monsters and Mascots combines my interests in B-movie culture and natural history to inspire a set of animal prints including Blofeld's Cat, the iconic pet of James Bond’s most notorious nemesis. . Pet animals often appear in films alluding to a deeper understanding of the villain's psychosis. The close-up shot is characteristic of film noir, and the feeling that we are being watched highlights the vulnerability that has to exist to sustain tension and danger within a narrative. These animals connect with the value system we have about ourselves, and therefore are both expressive and introspective".

Trafford has previousl;y shown with Art 3 as part of 'Twisted, Cognitive, Sublime'(part 3) at the Sun and Doves in Camberwell as recently as October 2006

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Sooz Belnavis studied fine art at Manchester Metropolitan University 2003.  Prior to her BA, she has a background in fashion, costume and textiles.   Along with other media interests, these particular areas are proving to be a rich source of inspiration for her artwork today. Her process lies in systematic exploration of the brush mark and of the surface tension of the picture plane.  Her use of nail varnish and tape relates to a culture in pursuit of a quick fix of perishable consumables and ever changing fashions.

Important shows include: -The Hans Brinkler Hotel, Amsterdam.(2002), 'Fresh Art' London (2003 and The Hourglass Gallery,Hebden Bridge W.Yorks (2-person,2004).

"For me Red and Green is such a powerful contrast of complimentary colours.  I am seduced by it every time.  For a long time it crept into everything, even the clothes I bought.  My particular use of green on raw canvas seems to resonate strongly with the viewer.

These four paintings are part of a series in which I experiment with the shallow field in contrast to the brush mark and where the trace and physicality of the mark is solidified and frozen in the materiality of the paint. The construct is governed by the grid.  I am playing with juxtaposition of the hard, unyielding structure and the mutability and fluidity of the brush mark.  The size of the paintings, give them the appearance of a “bite”, belonging to a bigger picture. Other than the traditional plastics, the other materials allow me to assimilate the ever changing and very influential trends that emanate from the world of fashion.”

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ELLA BERTHOUD

Ella Berthoud lives in the wild woods of Hertfordshire, where she paints
what she sees while walking in the forest. She read English Literature at
Cambridge University, then studied Fine Art at the University of East
London. These two Arts are often fused in her paintings, which are oils on
wood. She has been Artist in Residence at various institutions including
Pentonville Prison and Friends School, Saffron Walden, and has exhibited
in many metropolitan hubs of artistic excellence.

"These paintings are all based on recent experiences in the woods. I often
meet strange creatures there, such as Pan, Bottom, and members of my family.
The Potter Tree is in a beautiful clearing where I go to
read magical books and hang out with dryads"

Ella previously exhibited with Art 3 at The Wine Gallery in 2004

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LETITIA TUNSTALL

Letitia Tunstall is a printmaker working predominantly using collagraph and monoprint. After working as an Art Director in publishing, designing book jackets she embarked on a teaching career. About five years ago she decided to pursue her own practice as a printmaker, combining this with teaching from her own studio. Recently she has been artist in residence at Bradbourne School for the Visual Arts and has shown at Landmark Art Fair and Prelude which was a new public art initiative from Inspired Art and Spitalfields Estate.

"My monoprints are explorations of colour and pattern. Using etching ink, I ink acetates in cyan, magenta and yellow and work into each one removing ink to create the image. These are then printed sequentially on the press allowing the colours to fuse and realise a unique, one off print. 'Baubles' is a celebration of the colour and shapes associated with Christmas".

Letitia previously exhibited with Art 3 at The Wine Gallery in 2003 

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