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Focus On Art Cards: News
Brush Strokes This year the large art galleries have curated a number of spectacular shows. From Dutch post-impressionist Van Gogh and fashion designer Dior to filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and photojournalist Don McCullin, there are multifarious genres of art to enjoy, just as there are in the art cards ‘gallery’. PG’s Focus on Art Cards paints a picture of some of the news, views and artistic inspiration from the current art cards market.
Off the wall Acclaimed British painter Jock McFadyen RA will coordinate the Royal Academy’s 251st Summer Exhibition this year, which opens its doors from 10 June to 12 August 2019. And just within two weeks from submission to print ArtPress chose and published a mini range of six art cards from the 1,500 entries to the show to celebrate; the collection making its debut at PG Live last month. ArtPress’ director Linzi Russell-Watson reveals, “It is always a hectic time with less than two weeks from selection to print. Colour corrections are finalised by comparing the proof to the original artwork on the wall and some of them are placed very high! The cards came quite literally from the walls of the RA to the walls of PG Live!” l ArtPress held a prize draw at PG Live 2019, for those who placed an order at the show, to win two Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2019 tickets with accompanying cream teas. And the lucky winner out of the hat is John Barrett (and guest), owner of The Card Centre in Felixstowe. Above: Leviathan IV by Marion MacPhee, an entry into this year’s RA Summer Exhibition and published by ArtPress on cards.
Colourful washes This summer, Eco-friendly Card Company artist, Rachel Toll, will be hosting a series of watercolour master classes at Michael Caine’s Lympstone Manor. Rachel played an exceptionally special part in the process of realising Michael’s vision for the interiors at Lympstone Manor. She captured the beauty of the surrounding landscape and brought to life the birds that inhabit the area, with each room adorned with a unique watercolour of its namesake. Left: Rachel Toll artwork on cards from the Eco-friendly Card Co.
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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Elephants on parade
Shortlisted from over 300 design entries, North-East artist and greeting card publisher Joanne Wishart has been chosen to paint two Elmer’s for Elmer’s Great North Parade. The public art trail across Tyne and Wear, which runs for 11 weeks from 21 August, has been organised by St Oswald’s Hospice in conjunction with Wild in Art, and will be made up of a herd of 50 large and 115 little Elmer sculptures based on the much loved children’s book character ‘Elmer the patchwork Elephant’. When the trail finishes the sculptures will be auctioned off to raise funds for St Oswald’s Children’s Hospice. l Joanne Wishart and her husband Ross have recently opened their first gallery in the harbour town of Cullercoats, nr Whitley Bay. Above: Joanne with her two soon-to-be decorated Elmers outside her new gallery in Cullercoats.
Social media savvy Art cards publisher Dry Red Press discovered artist Jenni Murphy through her social media and it has resulted in a new collection of cards. Jenni uploads videos asking her Facebook followers for suggestions for her paintings and they then get to feature in them! She uses these real people (and their pets) in her work, as well as stories told by her social media followers. Her prints have been exhibited in galleries and art fairs and are now available in a new card range by Dry Red Press. “We came across Jenni on social media and immediately loved the humorous storytelling in her images. We also love that she uses her social media followers to find real stories to paint; it is a really unique way of working”, explains Laura MacDonald, co-owner for Dry Red Press. (www.facebook.com/jennimurphyart/) Above: Laura MacDonald with one of her paintings.
Lend us your ear The Medici Gallery in London’s South Kensington’s latest window display is on a Van Gogh theme, inspired by the Tate Britain’s current blockbuster show ‘Van Gogh and Britain’. “The window display shows our own handmade papiermâché sunflower vase and a painted wicker chair (originally blue from home) with pipe and tobacco and not forgetting the bottle of Absinth!” says Medici Gallery’s Tim Reynolds and Charlie Wheatley. Left: The Medici Gallery’s Van Gogh inspired window display.