Exhibition runs from 11th November 2011 to January 31st 2012. For immediate release.
Winter Exhibition: Mark Demsteader, Kazuhito Takadoi and Jenny Holm Feature at Balman Gallery
Balman Gallery’s winter show features a rich and varied collection of drawings and paintings by Mark Demsteader, Kazuhito Takadoi and Jenny Holm. The exhibition runs from 11th November 2011 to 31st January 2012.
Mark Demsteader, a leading British figurative painter, achieved acclaim this year for his 34 portrayals of ‘Harry Potter’ actress and Burberry fashion muse Emma Watson (on her 21st birthday). Newcastle-based Jenny Holm is known for her magical, mythical subject matter, whilst Kazuhito Takadoi’s work contrasts with both, created from natural materials and focusing on shadows, seasonal changes, decay and rebirth.
Mark Demsteader was born in 1963 in Manchester and still lives there. Growing up in Manchester’s meat market, absorbing details of bone and line, nurtured his awareness of human form. He studied for a foundation degree, but is largely self taught, having spent years studying the human figure at life drawing classes. He took up a postgraduate position at the Slade School of Art in London. Mark conveys his models’ grace via pastel lines, applied in clean strokes, enriched by collage and skilful tonal variation. Having been widely and favourably reviewed, his career is now spreading into Japan. Mark has won several awards, including the Lyceum Prize and the Sidney Andrews Scholarship.
Kazuhito Takadoi studied at Hokkaido Agricultural and Horticultural School in Japan before moving to the UK to study at the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley. This was followed in 1997 with a training programme at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania, USA. In 1999, Kazuhito returned to the United Kingdom and spent a year working in a large private garden in Surrey. From there, he went on to study at Leeds Metropolitan University, graduating in 2003 with a BA Hons in Art and Garden Design. Kazuhito’s elegant mixed media art is created from natural materials. He interprets his subjects, such as ‘Milky Way’, ‘Rain Drop’ and ‘Creation’ in a pure, distinctive style, using a calm palette. This internationally renowned artist has exhibited in the V and A Museum, the National Vlecht Museum, Holland and Sofa, Chicago, USA.
Finally, Jenny Holm is based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Having studied Graphic Design at the University of Northumbria and completed postgraduate studies in Art and Design at Leeds, Jenny lived in the South of France, where the landscapes and quality of light had a lasting effect on her painting. Jenny’s work inhabits magical worlds of fairytale and myth, rich in atmosphere and dark undercurrents. Human and animal figures are distinctively drawn and compelling. There is a menacing subtext to these outwardly charming images, recalling the wolfish ‘Red Riding Hood’, rather than sweet ‘Cinderella’. The narrative content of the stories within the paintings is intriguingly suggested, inviting individual response. Jenny’s work is held in collections in Canada, Denmark, France and the UK.
Preview weekend, with complimentary wine, Friday 11th November, 10-8, Saturday 12th, 10-5 and Sunday 13th 12-4. Normal opening hours: 10-5, Mon-Sat.
Quotes
Mark Demsteader: ‘My figurative work is about movement, dynamism and expression’.
Kazuhito Takadoi: ‘I like the colours in Nature. I marvel at the constant changes throughout the year. I am fascinated by shadows, from the deepest black in midsummer to pale silver grey in the weak winter sun. I take joy in slow decay, when everything eventually returns to the earth, only to be re-born.’
Jenny Holm: ‘I am interested in exploring the nature of relationships between people and between people and animals, and how this affects the way they perceive their place in the world’.
Ends
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Contact Andy Balman, Director, Balman Gallery, Town Hall Buildings, Princes Street, Corbridge, Northumberland NE45 5AD; tel. 01434 634629; email info@balmangallery.com; Margaret Burt, marketing@balmangallery.com; website www.balmangallery.com. Free admission.
