THE PAINTING SCHOOL OF MONTMIRAL

BASIL BEATTIE

Basil has had a distinguished career, He has been a second prize winner at the John Moore's Liverpool exhibition and an Invited artist at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Much of his work is very large, but he has also exhibited small drawings, which derive from what he describes as 'private pleasures'. These latter play an essentially mysterious, though fundamental role in the creation of his larger paintings. His work has been widely exhibited and is to be found in many public collections, including that of the Tate Gallery, London. He teaches at Goldsmiths College. One visit, 1992.



ROGER BRACE

For a man with so much knowledge of the history of his subject, Roger is surprisingly reluctant to characterise his paintings in words. He studied History of Art at Central School of Art and Design and has taught that subject in a number of Art Schools in England and U.S.A. and has exhibited his paintings in both these countries. He has contributed to art journals and appeared on television. His paintings are made on the basis of visual information he has abstracted from the landscape. He says "I play intuitively with the paint, the marks and the colour harmonies and discords that evolve on the canvas and I take a lot of pleasure in the sheer sensuality of the paint as material." Two visits, 1999 and 2000.

ANNE-CECILE DE BRUYNE AND PETER FLUCK

Anne and Peter came as a married couple with contrasting artistic experience and gifts. Anne-Cecile, after starting as an abstract painter, now produces highly realistic works. This is a break with the tradition of the Painting School, since previous Invited artists have always gone well beyond straight-forward realism. Peter has gone in the other direction having passed via cartoons and animated puppets to large, abstract, kinetic sculptures. In his latest projects, the natural forces or chaotic systems which set his creations in unpredictable motion also generate their own music. In this work he is cooperating with Tony Myatt, Director of Electronic Music at the University of York. Peter one visit, 1996, Anne two visits 1996 and 2000.

NICK CALLOW

Nick's work is hard to classify as his aim is to respond uniquely to each new situation in which he finds himself. When he first came to Montmiral, he explored his reaction to the place, the people and the artefacts he found here. The result was an intriguing assemblage of disparate elements, some painted, some found, some assembled. He is a deeply reflective man and very popular art school course director. He teaches at Camberwell of School of Art and at the Bath Academy. Two visits, 1989 and 1996.

BARRIE COOK

Barrie has had a distinguished career as a course director, reaching a climax in his appointment as Head of Fine Art at Birmingham Polytechnic. However, in 1983, he decided to retire, so as to be able to concentrate on his work as an artist. His work is difficult to classify, since it has been in constant evolution. However, the words 'abstract', 'expression' and 'colourist' are all appropriate. His paintings have been widely exhibited and are to be found in many public collections, including, The Tate Gallery, London, the Hunterian Gallery, Glasgow and the National Museum of Wales. Two visits, 1988 and 1989.

COLIN CRUMPLIN AND MARIA LALIC

Colin is Head of Fine Art at the Bath Academy of Art. His paintings make counterpoints between highly realistic images and concatenations of strange abstract marks. Perhaps surprisingly, it is the images which are suggested by the marks, rather than visa versa. Maria works within the systems painting tradition in a variety of media. Of all the Invited Artists, none has made a deeper impression, for her single-mindedness and formidable powers of concentration when carrying through projects, which she has thought out carefully beforehand. She exhibits in the Todd Gallery, London and teaches at Bath Academy of Art. One visit 1991.

ALAN CUTHBERT

Sadly, Alan died in 1996. He was formerly Head of Foundation Studies at Wimbledon School of Art. His passion was colour about which he never tired of thinking and talking. He devised colour scales and used colour matching from nature as means of discovering unusual and beautiful colour structures and combinations for his abstract, often systematic paintings. He was an active member of the Colour Group of Great Britain (a body founded to foster cooperation between art, design, science and industry). Three short visits, 1990, 1991 and 1992, during which he gave colour talks to Painting School students.

DEREK DALTON

In 1986 Derek retired as Head of Painting at Newcastle Polytechnic in order to concentrate on his work as an artist. He has been a First Prize winner at the Northern Open Exhibition, Sunderland. His paintings are representational, but within an abstract structure and always painted in watercolour, his great love. What interests him is the way in which the vision of successive artists, the ever evolving condition of the landscape and the the influence of media images combine to change the way we perceive not only the world around us but also the work of artists, such as Turner and Cézanne. Derek has been a stalwart of the Newcastle Group. His work has been exhibited in Britain, other parts of Europe and North America. Twelve visits, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.

ANGELA EAMES

Drawing has always been Angela's main love. Over the years she has become progressively interested in finding ways in which computers can help her (and others) to develop its possibilities. She has two MA degrees, one, in Fine Art, from the Slade School of Art (1976) and another in Computing in Art and Design from Middlesex University (1992 ). She is currently completing a PhD in Drawing (by creative practice) at Wimbledon School of Art. Her research is concerned with extending drawing practice via the development of new approaches to drawing in relation to technological developments. She has exhibited widely and lectured in a number of Art Schools, Universities and Art galleries (e.g. The National and the Tate galleries in London). Of her visit to Montmiral she writes "I'm just imagining a month where I don't use a computer...... Back to nature as it were........" One visit, 1999.

JOHN EDWARDS

John was formerly Head of Painting at St Martin's School of Art. He is one of the many modern artists whose interest hovers between painting and sculpture. This is a natural development for a man who, being inspired by a love both of colour and of materials, seeks to develop their expressive potential: in trying to come to terms with new materials, he finds his imagination pushed new directions. His work has been shown widely in England, Europe, Japan and U.S.A. Two visits, 1996 and 2000.

SUSAN ERNEST

Susan, who is the daughter of an American father and a Swedish mother, was brought up in London, where she started her art education. However, she completed it in Sweden, where she moved in 1969 and stayed until she returned to London in the late 1990’s. In Sweden she exhibited frequently, received government grants and worked on several public commissions. Her abiding interest is in color which she treats with great intelligence and sensitivity in her expressive abstract paintings. She works mainly in oils. One visit, 2000.

JULIA FARRER

Julia, who has now settled in London after various spells living and working abroad (New York and Paris), first made her name as a print maker. She was asked to teach printmaking at the Slade School of Fine Art immediately after completing her studies there in 1968 (more recently, she was asked to return to the Slade in the capacity of External Examiner). For some years now, Julia has been concentrating more and more on making paintings. These owe a lot to her experience as a printmaker and are complex structures in which the use of layering produces colours of great richness. Julia has exhibited widely, in London, New York, South America, and in several countries on the continent of Europe and has work in several public collections, including the Tate Gallery, London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. She exhibits at the Francis Graham Dixon Gallery, London and teaches at Wimbledon School of Art. Three visits, 1993, 1994 and 1995.

ANTHONY FROST

Not to be confused with his celebrated father Terry, Anthony is a colourist of great vitality, in his own right, who has been flourishing in Cornwall. He tries to "clear the decks so that his inteaching, primal energy and subconscious inspirations can flow." The result is both mark-making and colour combinations of power and originality. One visit, 1994.

LYS HANSEN

Lys creates highly colourful, expressive and energy-filled images, often based on her experience of her own body. She is a highly respected member of the artistic community in Scotland, where she lives. Four visits: 1988, 1989, 1990 and 2002.

ADRIAN HEATH

Sadly Adrian died in 1992. In his obituary in the Times, the author wrote: "Adrian was one of the stalwarts of British twentieth century art. He was amongst the first abstract artists, dedicated and consistent; and was generous in his support, behind the scenes of his fellow artists". His paintings always stem from a figurative source: his aim being to maintain the essence of the feelings inspired by the model, while loosing all direct reference to it. They are given structure via use of geometric forms. His work is be found in major collections throughout the world, including the Tate Gallery, London and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, U.S.A.. He exhibited regularly at the Redfern Gallery, London. Three visits, 1989, 1990 and 1992.

JEFF HELLYER

Jeff is Head of Fine Art at Falmouth College of Art. Having made his initial reputation with work within the Constructivist tradition, he turned to figuration. Perhaps as a result, his work has an impressively structural quality. It also takes on symbolic significance. One visit, 1992.

JANE JOSEPH

Jane is unique amongst the Invited Artist in that she concentrates on drawing rather than painting. She greatly admires the drawings of Bonnard and like him obsessively searches for ways of expressing the essence of her experience of place. Her images take a long time to mature, since getting to the central meaning of something is a matter of filtering out the dross: first impressions can be deceptive, often highlighting the dramatic rather than the more lastingly meaningful aspects of appearances and feelings. One visit, 1997.

MICHAEL KIDNER

Michael has had a long and distinguished career. He has been the recipient of several important prizes, including Second Prize in the John Moore's Exhibition, Liverpool, and Second Prize at the Norwegian International Print Biennial. He works within the 'Constructivist' tradition and uses a variety of media. His reputation was made as a colourist, but, while never forsaking colour, Michael became progressively interested in wave-forms and, then, by a natural progression, in the dynamic properties of materials. As a result, much of his work is now three dimensional. Michael has had prestigious solo exhibitions in U.S.A., Britain and several other European countries. His work can be found in many public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Tate Gallery, London. Seven visits: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1998.

JOHN McLEAN

John studied English Literature at the University of St Andrews and Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. However, even before graduating from the latter, the practice of painting had become his abiding passion and he was exhibiting in reputable London Galleries. Since then his work has been exhibited throughout the world, though mostly in Britain, Canada and U.S.A.. Public collections include the Tate Gallery, London. He is an abstract painter in the expressionist tradition, whose work revolves around the exploration of colour relations. His favoured medium is acrylic. He exhibits at the Francis Graham Dixon Gallery, London. Two previous visits: 1993, 1997 and 2002.

GINA MEDCALF

In 1986, Gina returned from New York, where she had spent several years "absorbing the lessons of American painting" and, thereby, discovering her Englishness. Since then she has worked in London. In addition to making paintings, Gina teaches at various art schools, as a Visiting Lecturer. At present, she is external examiner MA Fine Art for the University of Central England, Birmingham. Another important aspect of her work has been an interest in photography on which subject she has published both books and exhibition catalogues, as well as curating a show for the International Centre for Photography, New York. Her paintings reflect a deep interest in the potential of personal gesture as a creative force. She has exhibited mainly in London and New York. One visit, 1994.

JOHN MITCHELL

John is currently Head of Painting at Wimbledon School of Art. Like many painters since the Impressionists, he is interested in the dynamic ambiguity created when 3D space is depicted on a flat surface. Also like many of them, he has been moved to extend his ideas into sculpture. In his paintings, which are abstract, he uses drawing systems both to suggest and to deny space. His favoured medium is acrylic. Two visit, 1997 and 2004.

DAVID ROSS

David makes art which provokes thought. When he came to Montmiral, he was working on a series entitled "not to be you". It consists of a number of canvases each containing a different face, bearing an expression that resists easy interpretation. The mind of the spectator is goaded into reflection by the mixture of the title and the image. On another occasion, he might make something quite different with arrays of metallic shapes. In general, he works in the common ground between art and philosophy. He teaches at Wimbledon School of Art. Two visits, 1990 and 1991.

DILLWYN SMITH

Dillwyn is the youngest of our Invited Artists so far, only graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1986. However, his career has got off to a very promising start, with exhibitions in London and Germany. He is an abstract painter whose work is not easy to classify. However, it centres on an attempt to synthesise the process of picture making with personal experience and depends very much on emotional resonances of colour. Two visits 1993 and 1995.

GARY WRAGG

Gary is a colourist in the Abstract Expressionist tradition. He stresses the importance of three sources of inspiration: nature, which he studies through drawing; the work of artists of the past, including Poussin, Goya, Cezanne, Bonnard and de Kooning, whom he seeks out in the museums of the world; and Tai Chi, which he practices and teaches. His paintings, which are often very large and usually painted in oil, have been exhibited regularly in London and extensively in many countries. They can be found in a number of public collections, including that of the Pompidou Centre in Paris. He has taught at the Slade and Chelsea School of Art. Six visits: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

JILL LANE, BELINDA GILBERT-SCOTT, SARAH KENCHINGTON and MARIE-THERESE ROUFIGNAC

Since 2004 was to be the last season of the Painting School of Montmiral in its then current form, it seemed appropriate to break with tradition and invite a group of four artists who have been influenced by coming to Montmiral as students. These do not have the same impressive CVs as the usual invitees, but they are all produce work of a very high quality. MARIE-THÉRÈSE came as a beginner to the Painting School in 1988, its very first season. Despite the sustained high quality of her work over many years, she remains an amateur. JILL first came in 1989 as a trained artist. Since then she has gradually been evolving into a formidable colourist, who has been inexorably moving in the direction of abstraction. However, this is true abstraction in the sense that everything she does evolves from numerous studies done directly from Nature. These studies gradually evolve to create a theme theme which, in turn, regularly generates a large body of work. BELINDA and SARAH first discovered Francis Pratt's teaching, when they joined sessions given by him in Norfolk. Since, they have both joined sessions in Montmiral. They are young artists, who work in Glasgow, struggling away to eke out a living from their artistic productions. Both have produced remarkable work and both feel indebted to the teaching they received in Montmiral. In particular, like Marie-Therese and Jill, they have made great use of the ideas relating to colour, light, space and surface, which constitute one of the cornerstones of the teaching to be found in Montmiral. One visit 2004.