ARTS

from NN Pulse magazine August 2022

MUSIC

www.heating-and-plumbing.com

less of a commitment than paint in terms of time, effort and money. Flowers are the perfect example of this; they’re a great way to introduce colour without breaking the bank or over-committing yourself. There’s a lovely wide choice of flowers that cover the pink spectrum – search out peonies, fuchsias, tulips, roses or lilies. Be mindful of the environment; dried flowers can be favoured over plastic with no loss of effect, and they’ll be cheaper than having to regularly replace fresh flowers.

If you are inclined to try hotter, more statement tones of pink, then why not paint a wall in your kitchen or hallway? Accent walls are particularly effective when they are found in surprising places – try under the stairs, behind a bookshelf, inside a cabinet, or even on a ceiling. Exotic shades are perfect for adding a little eccentricity to your home.

Whether you want dramatic or pretty, soft or sassy, there’s a paint colour for you! Designers Guild sell eco-friendly, water-based paints and have a range of sixteen pinks to select from. Choose Mother of Pearl, Sugared Almond or Kyoto Blossom for a subtle, low key pink. For a bright, vivacious hue that will make more of a statement, perhaps consider Madame Butterfly, First Blush or Lotus Pink.

Whatever tone you choose, pink is a happy, joyful, warm colour. The website www.verywellmind.com suggests that colours have different impacts on our moods, feelings and behaviours. They are particularly positive about the colour pink. They suggest pink is calming and associated with love and kindness. Thus, in a post Covid world, where struggles are plenty, what better colour can there be to decorate your home with?

www.olenkadesign.co.uk

Craig Alan’s Populus: Original art you’ll be drawn to

It’s likely you’ll recognise a Craig Alan piece - or, at least, his style which has been an influence to many.

The pieces he creates prompt us to look at images we recognise, having recreated them anew. They allow us to view celebrities and icons with a new perspective and consider the small moments and influences which have built them.

Having been creative since childhood in Atlanta, Alan was committed to following a Fine Art education - studies which covered a variety of techniques that influenced his unique style. He particularly identifies his time as a street artist, creating portraits for passers-by, as integral to his later work - through this practice, he learned to create identifiable characters with simple forms.

Craig Alan is most widely recognised for his Populus series, in which individual figures - of around an inch - combine to create a recognisable image or portrait. When asked how the series came about, he tells the story of a time at his mother’s condominium watching people from the balcony:

“I started photographing them from the sixth-storey balcony and began to notice a pattern through the camera. In one shot, the group of people appeared to have formed an eye on the screen and this started my creative wheels turning.”

Alan enjoys the reactions his work produces - the initial recognition drawing you in to see the distinct characters within. Viewers who get lost in the crowd will then step back to be reminded of the unifying form which originally caught their attention.

With his Populus pieces containing anything from 400 to 1,800 people, they are not just a new take on a recognisable image but also show how Alan sees the individual's place in the world. As he says, individually we’re very small but “we are all part of something greater than ourselves and if we work together we could achieve greater balance . . . not in a religious sense but rather a universal sense.”

Craig Alan’s works are big, impressive pieces which stop people in their tracks and we’ve been excited to share them with so many of you. He’ll be visiting us here in the Rose Gallery on the 8th of September. We’d love to welcome you along to meet the artist and enjoy his work.

See you there.