Introducing 'Take 5' by J R Oatts and her five highlights from the upcoming sale of Modern British & 20th Century Art Part I: Early Modern to Post-War and Modern British & 20th Century Art Part II: Pop to Contemporary, taking place on Wednesday 27 November.
J R Oatts is an abstract artist whose practice focuses on the theme of 'colour in motion'. Working in vibrant acrylics, she creates expressive, textured work that explores the constant movement and changing colours happening all around us – whether in nature, society, our bodies or performance. Her work has been exhibited in London, around the UK and internationally and she is a regular at Manchester Art Fair. Her work can be found on her website jroattsart.com and at Northern Exposure gallery, Bollington, Cheshire, where her studio is based.
Lot 271: Wilhelmina Barns-Graham CBE - White Circle Series, 2003
It's wonderful to see the work of a prominent female abstract artist in this collection. I love the vibrant colour contrasts and the texture of the mark-making. It's what I strive for in my own work. This is one of her later pieces, where I believe she became much freer in her expression – and even more abstract. Yet you can still see the influence of the landscape and the sea, perhaps of St Ives, where she previously had a studio.
Lot 189: Giorgio Cipriani, Exotic Bird, c.1946-48
To be perfectly honest, I know very little about this Italian artist. But that should never stop you admiring a work of art! The colours and the brushwork are very intriguing – I'm very drawn to the expression and movement of feathers. In fact, I dedicated a whole body of work to it. This painting has a very unusual and surreal quality – you can’t be sure if this bird is real or imagined, but it is a very striking piece.
Lot 341: Philip Pank, Start Point, 1972
I love these sorts of landscapes of the British coastline and countryside. I believe 'Start Point' in Devon is a coastal point, and I really enjoy the way Pank has almost blended the land, sea and the sky in this painting. It's all one expression of colour and mood in big brush strokes. It is reminiscent of Cezanne and Van Gogh, among others. There is an essence of a place, rather than a representation. One can feel the landscape much more potently through the colours and the marks, than if the artist had painted it photographically. Phillip Pank was a successful modernist architect with a practice in Kentish Town but had always wanted to be an artist. I love how there is nothing 'architectural' or 'modernist' about this painting, showing another side to him.
Lot 384: Anita Klein, Curled Up Lady, 2004
I love Klein's work. Before I was an abstract artist I leaned more towards figurative work, and my style was 'attempting' to be somewhere close to hers. I love the tonality and colour that she brings to each piece, while also having an air of calm and simplicity at the same time. The style of her figures – particularly in this work – are reminiscent of some Picasso nudes. It further reminds me of pop culture references, a common image of a woman escaping or trapped in a box that has been used by the likes of Tori Amos and Kate Bush. But this is a round box, a more feminine shape. And she looks kind of happy and cosy in there – suggested by the title ‘curled up’. It's a space of her own making, not one she is confined by.
Lot 301: Brian Willsher, Untitled, 1979
My own practice is centred around ‘colour in motion’, and looking at this piece, I think you could describe Willsher’s work as ‘wood in motion’. His abstract wood sculptures capture movement and motion beautifully in their lines and markings. This teak sculpture appears to me as if it could be two figures, a parent and child. The carved lines, very typical of Willsher’s work, appear like two soundwaves, resonating in harmony together. There is a real fluidity about this piece, reminiscent of Brancusi, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, who I believe was a fan and supporter of Willsher’s work.
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