FBA Futures

Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours * Royal Society of British Artists * Royal Society of Marine Artists * Royal Society of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours * Royal Society of British Artists * Royal Society of Marine Artists * Royal Society of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours * Royal Society of British Artists * Royal Society of Marine Artists * Royal Society of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours * Royal Society of British Artists * Royal Society of Marine Artists * Royal Society of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *

FBA Futures26 to 31 January 2015

FBA Futures is proudly sponsored by

Catalogue sponsored by

‘One to Watch’ prizes from

A R T S U P P L I E S

Our 500 member artists are key to developing a dynamic artistic community at Mall Galleries. Our aim is to support emerging talent, as well as art professionals from all backgrounds.

We collaborate with over 5,000 non-member artists as part of our annual exhibitions programme, at the same time as providing university and college students with a better insight into the arts industry. The annual FBA Futures exhibition is the perfect platform for recent art graduates to show their work.

We are currently introducing new professional development schemes in order to help artists and creative practitioners to further their skills and individual practice by networking and working alongside established artists and industry professionals.

What is the future for figurative art? Have our art schools and colleges abandoned the values that nurtured some of the greatest painters and sculptors of the twentieth century? Do schools still believe that figurative art has any meaningful role to play in this twenty-first century, when simulating the ordinary has led to an outbreak of hyper-realism? Who is sustaining, building and improving on the act of mark making? Where is that same reliance on observation and commitment to the power of the imagination that fuelled the geniuses of Bacon and Freud?

The Federation of British Artists has championed figurative art for more than half a century…that puts us at the centre of the modern figurative movement in this country. During those fifty years, there is some figurative art that has remained unchanged, a symptom that has distracted from greater critical attention on other forms of figurative work, which have deliberately set out to explore new boundaries and are prodding the movement in new directions.

We believe the best in figurative art is not standing still. We also believe it has an exciting future, a future which is as close to the Federation’s long-term interests, representing eight of this country’s most influential art societies, as it is to the whole future of the figurative art movement. This is why FBA Futures plays such an important role in our annual exhibitions programme.

Each year, we send FBA member artists around the country to as many BA and MA degree shows as possible, with a brief to identify artists with the ability and potential to influence the future of figurative art. Their future may also represent the future of this Federation. Unlike other London-centric degree exhibitions, our national reach has enabled us to draw on college shows across Scotland and Wales, as well as the north of England. Some of these shows were visited more than once. We’re delighted with the quality of works that our Presidents selected and only regret that space constraints have prevented us from exhibiting more. But we’re confident you’ll enjoy this selection.

We’re particularly grateful to our lead sponsor, Minerva, for their continued support, together with Cantate Communications who sponsored this catalogue. Our prize givers, Artistic Spaces and Jackson’s Art Supplies, provide much valued encouragement to these artists at the beginning of their careers. The faith of all these sponsors in the future of the figurative art movement reinforces our conviction that an exciting future lies ahead.

Lewis McNaughtDirector

Martyna Anna Benedyka Gray’s School of ArtIndia Bunce The University of Edinburgh Clare Florey-Hitchcox Manchester Metropolitan UniversitySaskia Gall The Art AcademySorsha Galvin Royal College of ArtGeorgina Lowbridge Loughborough UniversityJude Mackay University of DundeeJason Nunn University Campus SuffolkJessica Oliver City & GuildsChelsea Orme-Williams Aberystwyth University Kristin Østerberg The Glasgow School of ArtNicholas Permain Newcastle UniversityHatty Pocock The University of LeedsAnna Rubincam City & GuildsMagi Sinclair The University of EdinburghTom Voyce Aberystwyth University Joshua Waterhouse Aberystwyth University Sarah Wilson The Glasgow School of Art

The Artists

Martyna Anna BenedykaMother Sleeping Oil on panel, 22 x 25 cm £800

“Memory is fragile and uncertain and through my painted surfaces memories are recorded and transformed. Modest in scale and subject, my paintings become fleeting moments of distorted reality. Examining ideas of existence and being, I look for the essence of a person through the essence of an object. I would like to encourage people to slow down and to see the poetry of everyday life.Through the process of cumulative observation some of my favourite motifs are endlessly copied while others, once pushed to the edge, simply vanish. The diversity of my work unites the idea of looking behind what is seen, which is my main concern.”

India BuncePrinces StreetOil on copper, series of 35 works. Sizes and prices vary

“My paintings are observations of the individuals I come in contact with as I navigate through daily life. Working in series, I make collections that question the realities of memory, surveillance culture and the spaces/restrictions around everyday life. Starting from this curiosity in the lives of passersby amongst the busy crowds of Edinburgh, I strive to draw attention to individuals and the fleeting moments between myself and the world through the tiny scale of my works.”

Clare Florey-HitchcoxCuriositiesImage shown is preliminary sketch for hand carved wood block print, 77 x 52 cm Framed wood block print £260, unframed print £200

“My work focuses on the detail of intricate hand-carved woodblocks and the timeless quality of traditional print methods. I draw inspiration for my recent work from the early cabinets of curiosities; an eclectic assortment of items all jostling for space on one shelf tell a story; a lock and key is just as significant as a piece of silver filigree. Textures and tones are patiently carved into lime wood and then burnished by hand.”Graduated from Manchester School of Art with a First Class BA in Textiles in Practice in 2014. Previously exhibited at London Print Studio 2014.

Saskia GallAttempted Fixations of the Volatile (ii)Oil on canvas, hessian, wood, steel, aluminium, 200 x 130 x 20 cm£3,500

“My work is driven by the desire to explore and define my own existence and through it I seek dialogue with the more age old concerns of the human psyche.How do we formulate an image of self and what is our relationship to that self and to the world around us?Each time I confront a work in the studio, I am confronting myself, and sucked into the dark and subterranean worlds of the psyche. I aim to speak to the viewer of their own condition by creating psychological spaces of tension and isolation where abstracted and dissipated figures simultaneously dissolve, decay, grow and find form. Ambiguous, at times claustrophobic spaces and shifting frameworks form a visual allusion to the constructs and frameworks of contemporary society and our own egos that try to shape and fix our sense of self and identity.”

Sorsha GalvinSurrenderBronze, found wood and fabric, 10 x 150 x 10 cm£8,000

“I obtained a MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art this year and continue to live and work in London. My praxis-oriented educational background and extensive experience with the handling of clay has provided my work with a keen focus on material qualities, and on the inherent issues of materiality. I am primarily concerned with addressing notions to do with traces of the body, left behind in space and time, traversing between the physical and the metaphysical. As a result, the processes involved in the production of the works are integral to the generation of their meaning. These processes include the partial burial of my body in clay and the careful excavation of resultant cast forms. It is in this transformation that new meaning is unearthed.”

Georgina LowbridgePatience is a VirtueOil on canvas, 141 x 188 cm£1,500

“My paintings seek to portray aspects of my own British culture and predominantly focus on capturing the social interactions and body language of the people around me. My current work captures split second interactions that occur within moments of leisurely activity. I find how people spend their daily lives, along with their interactions with those around them intriguing. Working from photographs allows me to capture spontaneous, split second interactions that could not be captured if painting directly from life. This spontaneity later becomes reflected in my paintings through the use of broad brush strokes and accent colours. Working through this process enables me to paint aspects of life that may otherwise go unnoticed.”

Jude MackayLace CurtainOil on canvas, 99 x 75 cm £1,900

“My paintings, done from life in a naturalistic style, can be seen literally as mirrors to the subject. Through careful observation, I use the medium of paint to create a reflection of the physical world. This reflection, like Alice’s looking-glass, appears very similar to its real life counterpart, but should be seen more as a fictional parallel to it. The canvas acts as a doorway into this parallel world. In Lace Curtain, the viewer is almost completely separated from the space within the painting by a curtain, which hangs just on the other side of the canvas; almost touchable. The chair seems to suggest a human absence. The room beyond is not visibly large, with only a few feet between the curtain and the back wall. It could be imagined however that once inside, it would be possible to crawl sideways and find oneself in a much larger room.”

Jason NunnReflecting on a Captured MomentOil on canvas, 51 x 61 cm£995

“I consider myself a realist painter, depicting emotion is the main focus in my work. My sitters are my friends and people around me. The movement and layers of the paint is a big part of the process as I use them to capture the stages of my own emotions, so the paint itself becomes a self-portrait.”

Jessica OliverSkellig IslesOil on linen, 91 x 152 cm£2,800

“When painting from landscape my intent is to represent the light, impact, immersion and atmospheric phenomenon experienced in nature. The viewer’s exploration of atmosphere and the visual and visceral surface of the paintings is my main focus, using abstraction to re-invent an experience of space and energy.My most recent work is inspired from Primary Research Trips through Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Kerry.Having studied classical painting in Florence, and after pursuing a degree in Fine Art Painting at City and Guilds of London Art School, I am now exhibiting in both London and Suffolk.”

Chelsea Orme-WilliamsJohnOil on canvas, 150 x 200 cm £6,000

“My paintings derive from a long-standing interest in folklore and seafaring balladry. Exploring romantic and supernatural themes, my work is a window between the lover and the ghost, the living and the dead, the space between sleep and consciousness, paintings that exist in the marginal state of limbo. My delicate attack with scratches, knife marks and bold brush strokes aim to create a unique tension between the figurative and the abstract elements in my paintings. Adhering to traditional still life themes, I am driven by the ultimate desire to capture complete stillness, timelessness; the fish after it is hooked, before it is eaten. My paintings are the reflection of human qualities on the ‘inanimate’ and a reminder that nothing is constant.”

Kristin ØsterbergCircumboreal 2Oil and acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 cm £700 (all four exhibited canvases £2,800)

“I am interested in the aesthetic contrast between man-made (mass produced), functional design and the seemingly random, often decorative effect of naturally occurring vegetation. By using repetitive elements and creating patterns paired with purposely imperfect and uneven mark making, my work aims to capture these ‘order vs. chaos’ or ‘man vs. nature’ visual impulses that exist in everyday life.”

Nicholas PermainModel with HatOil on dibond, 44 x 31 cm £650

“I aim to create an atmosphere where narrative is created and broken continuously. I was attracted to, or fell upon such images that have an unexplainable sense of provenance. By this I mean they could have equally been found together in an archaeological ‘dig’, washed-up on a beach, on a rain-drenched table of a car boot sale, or in a pickpocket’s collection. The joy lies between the picture itself and the crossed storylines they provide.The painting, Model with Hat, imbues such a feeling of provenance. The figure in the painting is small enough to be held in one palm, yet his pose and sardonic expression are much bigger than someone ten times larger. In fact the figure holds up another model of his own, a village; perhaps he is even bigger again in stature, a mayor or suchlike.“

Hatty PocockThe Red Giraffe Screen-print and paint, 145 x 154 cm £1,900

“Graduated with a Fine Art degree from Leeds College of Art, my work is a transformation of memories and the experiences I’ve had into visual pictures, capturing an insight into my personal life and personality. Both colour and print-making are extremely important within my practice. The memories that have influenced my work, in particular come from my childhood spent in the south of France where I still have a holiday home.”

Anna RubincamPaperweight 1Carrara marble, 70 x 80 x 50 cm£790

“Originally trained as a stonemason, I worked in England, France and Italy before attending the City and Guilds of London Art School’s Historic Carving course in 2010. Whist at college, I developed a keen interest in figurative sculpture and drapery, and explored how those subjects could be displayed in unique ways. My restoration carving work can be seen around the city, including on the Cabinet Offices at Whitehall, Smithfield Market, Leicester Square Fountain and the Palace of Westminster. To render any object in stone is to give it significance. I carve objects that would be usually either overlooked or casually discarded. Marble gives the illusion of something ordinary, but which is now no longer ordinary.”

Magi SinclairForsinard Ebb and FlowCarbon on paper, 89 x 123 cm£2,200

“Originally from Caithness , I feel a natural affinity for wild places in the north east of Scotland, typified by vast low landscapes and huge skies. I revisit locations of interest at various times of the year as they are transformed by changing seasons. My particular interest lies in closely observing the small details in the landscape, things often overlooked – patterns and textures and the intrigue of the plants that cling on and thrive in such isolated places. My current body of work is based on a vast area of peatland bog known as the Flow Country in the middle of the counties of Sutherland and Caithness. The Flows are an ancient land, rare and tender and full of unexpected plants and wildlife which all thrive in the acidic terrain.”

Tom VoyceShanghai llOil on board, 15 x 15 cm £400

Shanghai IVOil on board, 11 x 9 cm£300

“Each image is a ‘snapshot’ of my own subjective and expressive vision of a memory of, a place, a journey or a location of significance. The personal aspect especially is very strong and based on my passion for travel. The meaning of my work is to make interesting what at first is not. I find that some effects, whether it be the way the light hits a road and creates shape, or the strength of light upon a wall, reveal there is beauty in the ordinary.”

Zhumadian Rooftop lllOil on board, 16 x 11 cm

£400

Joshua WaterhouseJosephineOil on wood panel, 90 x 90 cm (unfinished at the time of going to press)

£9,000

“I would describe myself as a hyperrealist portrait artist, striving to depict the humanity and physicality of my sitters. My aim is to capture a likeness through an interpretation of the visceral nature of flesh, materials, textures, colours and light. Brought closer, sometimes invading the personal space of the sitter, I invite the viewer to scrutinize my subjects in minute detail, and perceive them in an uncompromising light.Inspired by artists of the Northern Renaissance, I draw on an inherited tradition while producing work with a definitively contemporary approach. Every surface detail is given equal consideration. The focus in my paintings remains sharp throughout, keeping the eye darting around the image rather than prescribing where the viewer might look.”

Sarah Wilson3.1Oil on canvas, 157 x 145 cm £975

“The selection and isolation of the subject matter and imagery I use to make paintings is anything I am attracted to, from fashion to design to stills from R’n’B music videos. I allow myself the freedom of painting anything that is visually attractive to me. In a painting I am really trying to translate something I enjoy looking at in the stylistic way I paint, the impact or emotion that was felt when looking at the original image. I scan, flick, look and select things quickly and try to relay this urgency through the painting.I want to transform the thing I am looking at into an energised and fresh image through the language of paint.”

OPEN ARTEXHIBITIONS2015

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Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours * Royal Society of British Artists * Royal Society of Marine Artists * Royal Society of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours * Royal Society of British Artists * Royal Society of Marine Artists * Royal Society of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours * Royal Society of British Artists * Royal Society of Marine Artists * Royal Society of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours * Royal Society of British Artists * Royal Society of Marine Artists * Royal Society of Portrait Painters * Royal Institute of Oil Painters * New English Art Club * Pastel Society * Society of Wildlife Artists *