What a Successful Weekend!

Following on from the Heart of Kent Hospice Online Auction, I am so pleased to hear from Karen (the organiser) that over £20,000 has been raised for the charity. AMAZING! What fabulous news in these dark times.

My giclee print, Girl in a Turban, raised a fantastic £145.00 for the charity and I am bowled over by this! I have no idea who purchased her but whoever you are, I am sending out a huge THANK YOU and I hope you enjoy the painting as much as I enjoyed creating her!

Tubes of paint on my workbench

Tubes of paint on my workbench

Just as a postscript, Girl in a Turban and two other figurative works are still available to purchase as giclee prints, or original paintings. You will find them and their prices under People and Places on this website

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Exciting Online Auction!

Exciting news!

Myself and other Kentish artists have donated artworks to the Heart of Kent Hospice October Online Auction to raise vital funds.

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My ‘Girl in a Turban’ will be one of many auctioned works on Friday 16th October to Sunday 18th October and the money raised will help the Hospice continue to offer outstanding care in our local community.

Please register your interest and see all the art donated by Kentish artists (and a few celebrities to boot!) at https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/ArtofKentAuction2020

Thank you so much

Fine Art Giclee Prints now Available

As from this month (September 2020) you can buy Giclee prints of some of my figurative works, shown below. If interested, please email me or visit my Etsy shop where you can also purchase.

Just a quick mention to Neal Scrase of Neal Scrase Fine Art Services who did a terrific job with the prints. Thanks Neal. You can find Neal on Instagram @NealScrase-Contemporary Art

Also I have donated one of the above giclee prints to raise money for the Heart of Kent Hospice which is holding its first online auction the weekend of Friday 16th October to Sunday 18th October!

More details on this exciting auction to follow…

The World of Interiors, July/Aug 2020 issue

My ‘Blue Nude’ painting has made the “Artistic Impressions” page of The World of Interiors - July/Aug 2020 issue, and it felt really great to be one of 48 worldwide artists to be invited to showcase work.

As an emerging artist it can be a challenge at times to get your artwork seen in such places as this, so I am grateful to Conde Nast Publications for giving me this opportunity to shine!

Artists Open House Pop Up and Auction Event - Helping the Homeless

Absolutely no one in 21st century should be living on the streets. And it is for this reason that I am honoured to have been asked by Alison Boyce, fundraiser on behalf of Brighton Housing Trust, to donate one of my paintings for auction at their very first charity Pop Up Artists Open House event on Saturday 23rd May. All proceeds will be donated to the First Base Day Centre in Brighton, which, says Alison, ‘provides support to 70-100 people a day who are sleeping rough or are insecurely housed.’

This is indeed an exciting opportunity to be raising money, awareness, and being part of such an event!

The event is to be sponsored by Clive Emson Land & Property Auctioneers who will also be auctioneering the artworks on the evening in Brighton City Centre.

The Pop Up exhibition opens from 11 am until 4 pm where visitors and prospective bidders can view the art on offer, with the live auction starting at 5 pm. The auction and pop up will be held at Brighton Housing Trust, 144 London Road, Brighton BN1 4PH

https://www.bht.org.uk/fundraising-event/hand-on-art/

My donated painting is Red Onion Study I; a semi-abstract depiction of our homegrown onions. I remember feeling particularly thrilled by our harvest - and wheelbarrow full of these glorious purple and aubergine coloured onions. I wouldn’t say I am the best cook, but I can knock up some mean comfort food, so it is very much a personal joy that from my own back garden I can create something in both the kitchen and then the studio. Anyhow, I hope my red onions do well on the auction evening and raise money for Brighton’s Homeless.

Thanks for reading and hopefully I will see you there.

Logo - Brighton Housing Trust, Sussex

Logo - Brighton Housing Trust, Sussex

Artists' Open House 2020

It may only be February, but currently I am busy at the easel in preparation for the forthcoming Brighton and Hove Summer Open House.

Like last May, I will be exhibiting with portrait painter Jane Palmer and four other artists; a sculptor, a ceramicist, textile artist & photographer, in Jane’s home in Fiveways. My paintings will be a combo of figurative, landscape and still life, although I think my body of work will be heavily figurative.

I will post more details nearer the time but can tell you for now that the Open House festival starts on Saturday 2nd May and is open every weekend in May, as previously.

Lastly, thank you to all those hundreds of people who visited us last May (it was hugely successful) and a very big thank you too to those who purchased my paintings. I do hope you are gaining a lot of enjoyment from my work, and it would be great to see you again. Thanks too to those clients who kindly photographed my works in situ - its much appreciated!

Bye for now…

Tx

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‘Bathe’ (2020)

‘Bathe’ will be exhibited and for sale at Artists’ Open House in May

My new Etsy shop

I have now opened up a new Etsy shop which I will gradually add to over the course of the coming months. Additionally, I am offering Free UK Delivery on every purchase. Tempted?

If you are interested in purchasing any of the works on my shelves and have any queries, or wish to purchase directly from me rather than going through my Etsy shop, then just drop me an email and I will reply within 24 hours.

Thanks for stopping by.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TanKingston

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Christmas Artists' Open House 2019

I can hardly believe twice in one year I have been asked to join the AOH. And so it is a huge honour to be exhibiting this time at the historic Regency Town House, 13 Brunswick Square, Hove, East Sussex over three weekends; starting Saturday 23rd November - Saturday 7th December.

The exhibition will showcase works from six of us in total; Jane Palmer, Stef Hunter, Laura Darling and myself from the original summer AOH (Jane Palmer & Friends) back in May, with the addition of artists Ros Osberg and Juliet Milward.

Please do come along if in the area on any one of those three weekends where you will discover a rich variety of still life, figurative, landscape and ceramic works of art.

https://www.aoh.org.uk/

http://www.rth.org.uk/

Ilminster Summer Open 2019

After the excitement of Artists’ Open House in May, I was thrilled to be selected to take part in the Summer Open in Ilminster, Somerset, throughout July.

I decided to enter Blush Beets and Single Rose in Glass Vessel which now sit alongside some interesting and varied works; from paintings, sculpture to textile works.

Additional to the two framed works above, Stormy Sky over Brancaster and Blue Vase as mounted works are also for sale at the exhibition.

The exhibition runs until Friday 26th July.

https://www.themeetinghouse.org.uk/visual_arts/1777

Artists' Open House 2019

May has been quite a month and quite the experience…

It was a pleasure to be part of No. 12 on the Fiveways Trail, Jane Palmer & Friends. We ensured a warm, friendly welcome to all our visitors and plenty of artworks to feast the eyes and whet creative appetites.Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

It was a pleasure to be part of No. 12 on the Fiveways Trail, Jane Palmer & Friends. We ensured a warm, friendly welcome to all our visitors and plenty of artworks to feast the eyes and whet creative appetites.

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

By the end of the four weeks of Artists’ Open House, the ‘clicker’ tally showed that No.12 had received some 2,000 visitors which seems a staggering number for first time ‘openers’ Jane and Stephen.

As a small team comprising of painters (Jane, myself & Laura), ceramist (Stef) and sculptor (Nigel), we chatted endlessly to curious visitors and buyers over the four weekends about both our work and the work of each other. In hindsight, it was a thrill to be asked questions about why a work was created, the inspiration behind it and the process that went into it. Incidentally, speaking of process, below is a video Stephen Engelhard created of our small team, prior to - and in preparation for - Open House, portraying each one of us; our practice and diversity, so please do dive in…

It might be useful at this point to give some background history to the Artists’ Open House because I knew very little at the outset about the festival and its beginnings.

This year some 26 houses in the Fiveways area of Brighton participated, opening their doors every weekend (some including Mondays) until the final May bank holiday. Overall, the AOH festival sees a couple of hundred houses and studios spaces open to the public, displaying a wealth of creativity here in the South East of England. Just looking at the AOH website, they write of ‘over 2,000’ participating artists and creatives. And so it was interesting to have Ned Hoskin arrive at our private view, the founder of the Fiveways Artists Group and the resultant Artists’ Open House movement back in 1981, some 38 years ago.

Chatting to Ned (now in his 80’s) on the sofa, I hear of his own artistic journey, his professional encounters with David Hockney and the seed of his ‘open house’ idea inspired from his time spent as an arts’ student backpacking round Europe in the liberal climate of France back in the day where doors were literally left open demonstrating the generous spirit of the French. Back home, to open your front door as a creative to invite and share your art, represents it would seem, an echo of that liberal openness. But says Ned, no money was parted back then; the art was not for sale. It was simply for looking at. It was only years later that the idea to sell art from one’s sitting room came into being.

Laura, myself and Jane.Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

Laura, myself and Jane.

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

Anyhow, here are some moments of our time, and our works at No.12…

Paintings sitting alongside ceramics

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

and sculpture in the courtyard garden…

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

Photo credit: Stephen Engelhard

Snapshots of a home participating in a month long festival that clearly unites people in their love of art and also functions to inspire.

Final word goes to Stephen Engelhard of Angel Productions who kindly created this short film…

Here's a souvenir for all who visited Jane Palmer & Friends' first Open House in May 2019 (and a chance for others to see what they missed).’ SE

Enjoy…

Tan Kingston

Framing preps

Its taken me about a week and at last the painting of the frames is done! By the end of the last frame, it felt like I had been painting for longer but to be honest I’m not really moaning because it was relaxing to the point where I could switch off and enjoy the sweeping motion of paint and brush, unlike standing at the easel! Also there’s great satisfaction to be had to see your work finally framed and in a frame that is exactly how you want your work to be displayed!

My workspace. Painting frames for Artist’s Open House

My workspace. Painting frames for Artist’s Open House

My ‘go to’ framers is a family favourite and one I would highly recommend, especially for artists. The attention and service/advice they give (not to mention the time they spend with you going through your options) is second to none!

You will find them here, based in Burwash, East Sussex; a quaint little Sussex village with Kentish white weatherboard houses. I consider them part of my little black book of special places and favourite things.

https://www.alteredimagespictureframing.co.uk/gallery.html

Clementines hand painted with Farrow & Ball’s Old White

Clementines hand painted with Farrow & Ball’s Old White

The photo doesn't really do justice to the colour of the frame but I would describe F&B’s Old White as a creamy olive; its the colour you will commonly see on front doors and window frames in the Cotswolds.

Anyhow, I’m off now to have a few days break before the excitement of the private view on 3rd May - possibly my next post.

Tan Kingston

Countdown to the Fiveways Trail in May

Not long now until we down paintbrushes, hang our works, pop a few corks, open the doors and let the festival begin..!

The Fiveways Trail brochure is now complete and here are a few excerpts of ‘Jane Palmer & Friends’, including myself as a fellow guest artist.

Jane has opened up her lovely home to exhibit both 2D and 3D works of art.

House Number 12 of the Fiveways Trail is where we will be, a diverse and happening group of artists. Come and join us and see what we are about!

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Excerpt from the Fiveways Brochure

Tan Kingston