Hidden Talents International Arts Magazine - Summer 2022

Summer 2022

HIDDEN TALENTS INTERNATIONAL ARTS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022

Jacob Chandler aspiring to higher heights with his ‘Tall Blade Runner’ sculpture at Birmingham New Street station

Katie Robbins is creating pottery inspired by nature Ozlem Sorlu Thompson with her egg in Chelsea to celebrate the Queens Platinum Jubilee

UNFOLDING GREATNESS Hidden Talents Magazine

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Summer 2022

Contents Featuring in this issue...

Robert Lees Emma Connolly Joe Eccles Wendy Carlton Nicholas Jim Katie Robbins Frédérique Perrenot Pinton Glenys Flint Kat Stefanova Bill Farnsworth Caroline Boff Susan McClure Jacob Chandler Moira Ashby Alf Dimmock

4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 21 22 23 24 27 28

Mike Hodder Brian Prangle Melanie Berman Paul Ward Constance Prince Fatima Taher Jewad Ozlem Sorlu Thompson Emma Hardicker Janel Antoneshia Isaiah Obinna

29 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46

Published by The Arches Project Ltd Publishing Director Evette Edmeade Designed by Sam Darley

The Arches Project Ltd Adderley Street Digbeth Birmingham B9 4EE

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Website thearchesproject.org admin@thearchesproject.org social @thearchesproject Telephone +44 121-772-0852 Hidden Talents Magazine

Summer 2022

Welcome to our Summer issue of Hidden Talents magazine, our bumper issue showcasing many

amazing artists of 2022, sharing their work, with not only us but also with the world. Taking the leap of faith of being an artist can often be a vulnerable path, as you continue to create something personal with an open heart and share it with the world. Thank you for reminding us of what is possible, it is so rejuvenating to see you all dedicating your life to what brings you peace, joy, passion and great happiness despite the fears and risks. Art speaks of things that cannot always be said with words, and through your talents you help others to evoke and validate their emotions, providing comfort.

Thank you for sharing your stories that otherwise might not have had a voice, you have helped us escape to different lands without taking a step or revealing someone’s beautiful humanity without a spoken word. Thank you for encouraging dialogue, for bringing communities together, and allowing us to form true connections with people near and across the globe.

Here at The Arches Project like many others, we have been experiencing challenging times, but your help and support have encouraged and strengthened us.

Thank you for giving us purpose, and a reason to continue and do the best that we can do for you, and we could not have done it without your support, inspiration, and thoughtful engagement.

Our mission is to help you succeed as professional artists, and we are here for you always.

Best Wishes.

Evette Edmeade

A big thank you to all our supporters who help us to keep going!

DISCLAIMER Every care has been taken during the production of this magazine in compiling editorial and advertorial. However, The Arches Project Ltd cannot accept responsibility for material supplied by third parties and excludes all liability relating to any products and services promoted within this publication or arising from any error, omission, or inaccuracy, nor is The Arches Project Ltd responsible for the content of external websites. Finally, the views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the publisher, no part of this magazine must be copied or reproduced without written permission from the publishers.

Copyright © The Arches Project Ltd 2020. All rights reserved.

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Summer 2022

Robert Lees

Skylark

Robert Lees was born in Royton, Lancashire in 1949 and has lived in the town ever since. Educated at St Anne’s Church of England secondary modern and then at Oldham College of Technology, he qualified as a Mechanical Design Engineer.

Later, he ran his own engineering consultancy for 22 years up to retiring in 2010.

From 1975 to 1988 he avidly painted every evening completing many works in various different mediums, gouache and oil, mostly landscapes of the moorland valleys and reservoirs, Hollingworth Lake was one of his subjects of choice.

In time, however, the demands of his business took over and he found little or no time to paint. Then in 2010 at the age of 60, after retirement and some soul searching, he started to paint again. Some of his much earlier work of the late 1970s and 1980s have been traced to the present owners and borrowed back to be scanned, the majority, unfortunately, could not be found however those that were can be viewed on his new website, this website of illustrates all of his later work.

Robert’s influences are without question from the impressionist school, Degas, Manet, Monet, and especially Renoir. Also, the fathers of impressionism, John Constable and J. W. Turner. They were the most wonderful interpreters of light and mood there has been.

Dobcross

robertleesart.com 4

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Curlew

The moorland and countryside with lakes, reservoirs, and canals around the area around where Robert lives still figure highly in the choice of subject matter he prefers, and can still inspire him and give him a wide variation in the subjects he enjoys painting. One thing that can be noticed in many paintings Robert has produced is the inclusion of figure of figures or maybe an animal or two, he feels that this can give the work a narrative and also help with the scale of his landscapes. The paintings are usually in oil on stretched canvas.

The mixed-media works are primarily in gouache with pastel, watercolor pencil, charcoal, and chalk.

Reminiscing Hidden Talents Magazine

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Summer 2022

Emma Connolly Capturing a stolen moment My work is inspired by the Essex and Suffolk landscape where I live and have been brought up. The East Anglian skyscapes, the vast horizons and rolling fields give me an ever changing colour palette to work from. My practice is abstract with a hint of something familiar, primarily working in paint or mono screen printing techniques. Each piece I make is a one off original; capturing a time, a place or a feeling from a stolen moment. Working across two disciplines gives me the opportunity to explore how ideas translate on to paper and canvas. Sometimes when I think an idea would best be compose by a screen print actually works better as a painting. It keeps my process feeling fresh and interesting too, some days I print, other days I paint.

“I love the way the seasons change our natural surroundings constantly.”

Playing with colour palettes is something I love to do. Sometimes you can take a natural colour palette and lay it down together and it just doesn’t work, whereas other times the most contrasting of tones can just sing together. Colour play is something that really influences my work, and I often get quite obsessed with a certain selection of colours and will run with them for a while until it is time to mix it up again. Having my own studio at home also give me the time and space I need to grow my practice. The last 2 years have been crazy busy, and my practice has gone from strength to strength. My favourite time to work is first thing in the morning. I like to be in the studio with a cup of coffee and the news on from 7.30am.As well as being a practising artist, I am also an Art Educator and have worked with Museums, Charities and various education programmes.

“My biggest preoccupation is colour; it vibrates and brings a piece of work to life. “

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Summer 2022

Friday 4th November

Are you hiding your creative talents in the shadows?

Calling artists, sculptors, animators, photographers, ceramacists, writers and glass artists

Let Hidden Talents Exhibition bring you into the light for 2022

An art exhibition showcasing a wide range of work, spanning various mediums, styles and approaches Register today at: submissions@thearchesproject.org Apply by 30th September 2022

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Summer 2022

Joe Eccles Style is all about balance

My style is all about balance. I play with the balance between free-form and structure, rationality and creativity, light and dark, and hope and despair.

Art can make you feel in ways that you may not have (or need to have) the words for. Words are mostly pinned down with precise meanings, whereas a piece of art can mean many different things to many different people.

Things will always change and there is no need to try to control them, or desire that they stay the same.

I am an expressive abstract painter and like to work “alla prima” (an Italian phrase meaning “at once”). This means that I work quickly and can get close to completing a piece in one painting session. Sometimes my art will change dramatically from my initial direction. I believe it is very important that I do not try and hold on too tightly to the vision that I have for a painting.

Creativity can be born from letting a painting guide you and allowing yourself to open up to new ideas and possibilities. I like this to the transient nature of life; Things will always change and there is no need to try to control them, or desire that they stay the same.

I like to work with a variety of media on large canvases, but Acrylic is my main medium. Working bigger allows me to move more and become more emersed in my painting. Every painting is a journey and my abstract paintings often mirror things that I am working through in my life. There are many layers to my paintings and I build them up with different textures. I like the fact that one stage of a painting can be almost completely painted over, yet it is still there below the surface, and it helped it to become the painting that it is. joeeccles101@gmail.com

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“I believe that art can talk to people uniquely.”

When I paint, I can relax into the creative journey and find a state of flow where I am relying on my artistic intuition as much as my rational judgement. It is an honour to finish a painting and see the different pieces come together in unison.

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Wendy Carlton

Summer 2022

Art has been the centre of my life

Art has been the centre of my life since I was a child, I have never wanted to do anything else.

Fortunately, I have been able to make a full-time career doing it in various forms, Textiles, greeting card designer and now artist and maker. Art is my passion, and something I never want to stop doing. It is a huge part of me, it always has been and always will be, even if one day I stop working professionally.

I think in general, people are attracted to art because it evokes many feelings and emotions. Art can be a bold clear statement, or abstract image allowing people to use their imaginations and see different things.

In my experience, people are attracted to my paintings because they make them feel happy. I am always being told they are “Feel Good Paintings”. My work is typically bright and colourful and therefore tends to be uplifting and cheerful.

I think one of the best things my paintings can do is spread happiness and joy. Lifting their spirits when things aren’t going well, or just making them feel better on a dull day. I’m always being told by customers who have previously bought from me that my paintings make them happy every time they look at them. What more could I ask for!

For a while, I was influenced by the paintings of Georgia O’Keefe and her large passionate flowers.

Her bold use of colour and her scale. One of my favourite contemporary artists is Kasia Clarke.

I love the freedom of expression in her art. She does just “let rip” with her emotions. I wish I could do that. Her large scale paintings command attention and her use of colour is exquisite.

My art journey has taken me along several paths and all I have enjoyed immensely.

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I originally trained as a textile designer and I received a 1st class tons degree in the subject. I was one of 30 students Nationwide to be chosen for an exhibition in the Haymarket in London, as a result of that I was offered a job in a design studio in London where I designed fabrics which were mainly used for bathing costumes. I continued there gaining experience when I came across an agent for greeting cards, I then started working on a freelance basis and ended up being a greeting card artist for 18 years, where I worked for all the major card companies. I then decided I wanted to work on a larger scale, producing paintings on canvas and exhibiting at art shows. I then began my career as a full-time artist.

I would say that 80% of my paintings are floral or botanical. I categorise them under 3 headings: Floral (Meadowlands), Landscapes (rivers and lochs), Abstract (atmospheric and woodlands).

My preferred medium is Acrylics – mainly tubes, but I do use Acrylic Ink and Pens also.

A few years ago I started a homeware business (DottyandFlo.co.uk) using images from my artwork on products such as cushions; lampshades; placemats & coasters; and tea towels, I’ve even created designs for chairs and curtains.

In the long term, I’d like to expand this business and hand over the day to day running to someone else, whilst still being the creative designer. This would give me more time to paint and create new designs, which hopefully make people feel uplifted every time they look at them.

Hidden Talents Magazine

wendy.carlton454@btinternet.com

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Summer 2022

Nicholas Jim Professional wildlife artist

Nicholas Jim is a professional Wildlife Artist, originally from Zimbabwe but based in Cape Town, South Africa. Born from a father, Kefas Gimo who is also a wildlife artist as the first born of three. He is passionate about his art to the extent that he can even go for days without sleeping to come out with his masterpieces. Nicholas has done many paintings of wildlife scenes, and African landscapes. He takes much of his time creating the ideal realistic paintings according to the way he will be feeling inspired, as a person who loves nature, Nicholas sometimes spends most of his time in field trips, visiting wildlife parks and tourist resort areas where he shoots the scenes from which he draws his inspiration to sit and paint.

He also holds a Bachelor of Honours degree in Chemical Engineering which he acquired in 2018 at the National University Of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe. He worked for two years as an engineer but now plying his trade in art as he feel inspired by the beautiful nature and wildlife that surrounds us.

He sees Engineering as a skill that helps him in being creative and design minded such that putting things to scale and the right proportion is a walk over in his paintings.

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Nicholas has wildlife at his heart such that that he does some charity work in donating some of his profits from art sells towards wildlife conservation. He have some of his artworks as NFTs and his collection is also found at Opensea, the world’s largest NFT marketplace and also at the Provably Protect website from which he donates 40% of the sales to Endangered Wildlife Trust, for wildlife conservation.

Nicholas has emerged as one of the fine artists in Africa such that he was selected to have his work representing southern Africa and is included in the newsletters of the African Travel guide website.

Nicholas sells his stunning paintings and prints, he also has his art displayed in several art galleries around the world and have done a number of exhibitions in Africa and Europe. www.jimnicholasartworks.com

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Summer 2022

Katie Robbins

Inspired by nature – made by hand Katie Robbins works from her garden studio in Birmingham, creating porcelain vessels which bring luxury to everyday moments in the home.

As a love of the natural world, especially plants and flowers, Katie combines her passions to inform a contemporary range of ceramics. From vases and mugs to candle-holders, these simple shapes are finished in a palette of emotive colours including pastels and shades inspired by the sea. As Katie makes beautiful heirloom items which encourage mindfulness for everyday living, like taking your time over a cuppa, arranging blooms in a vase or lighting a candle.

All of her work is thrown on a pottery wheel, this process leaves the trace of the hand that made it. She uses porcelain, often considered a luxury material, as it has a fine delicate finish on which the colours appear so much brighter.

Katie Robbins’ newest collection is inspired by a recent trip to Paris – revisiting a favourite museum and seeing the Impressionist paintings of Monet, this new collection will feature a series of petal-shaped vases and candle-holders in the signature sugary and pastel shades that Monet loved.

Katie previously worked in marketing and was happy to transition to a job where she can still use those old skills and is lucky to structure and prioritise her own time. Katie says working from home gives her the flexibility to walk the dog, go to yoga and do the school runs around the working day. www.ktrobbinsceramics.com 14

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Summer 2022

Frédérique Perrenot Pinton

“Pastel is for me a means of expression and sharing” I was born in 1969 in Romans sur Isère, France and from a very young age, I have been passionate about drawing and animals have always been part of my life. It is quite natural that the animal world became a source of inspiration. Even if studies, work and family life did not allow me to let my art express itself, it is in 2009 that I have a revelation for the pastel with the realization of my dog Leo. Essentially self-taught, I have enriched my technique over the years by doing some courses with renowned artists.

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Having practised watercolour for many years, it is also this medium, with its fantastic and magical fusions of colours, that has allowed me to let go of reality and to dare to use colour in pastel.

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I like to bring a whimsical side to my subjects and seek harmony between the subject and the background. This sometimes leads me to make underlays with wet pastels, inks, and watercolours or to prepare my supports with coatings. Although I am known for my “coloured animals”, I also like to paint landscapes, flowers and portraits. Pastel is for me a means of expression and sharing.

Sharing an emotion through a look, a light, a colour, an atmosphere,...

In 2012, I started to participate in some local exhibitions. Since 2015, I give workshops in different associations and at my studio.

June 2022

Article in Hidden Talents International Arts Magazine Summer 2022

June 2021

Guest of honour at the Pastel and Sculpture Biennial of the Monts du Lyonnais.

July 2021

Cover and article in Hors Série Spécial Pastel Pratique des Arts

March 2020

Cover and article in the Magazine “The Pastel Society of Victoria, Australia“.

August 2019

Pastel exhibition in Brittany Young Public Prize

May 2019

ASPAS virtual competition 1st prize Landscape

October 2017

Printed in the Wildlife Référence Photo competition

May 2016

L’Atelier des Arts St Romans (38) Public Prize

September 2015

International Exhibition of the Monts du Lyonnais Favorite Prize

April 2015

Balaruc les Bains International Exhibition Dalbe Prize

November 2013

International Exhibition of the Monts du Lyonnais Young Public Prize

January 2013

Pastel en Dauphiné Exhibition Public Prize

www.fredperrenotpinton.weonea.com Hidden Talents Magazine

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Summer 2022

Glenys Flint Freeze that moment

From a young age, she always enjoyed drawing, however, her painting journey started in 2018 after retiring from a career as a designer in the fashion industry to live in Madeira. Being surrounded by beautiful flowers, dramatic landscapes and the Atlantic Ocean influenced her to pick up the brushes.

Initially, she started with a series of fashion portraits as a nod to her former career and experimented with various mediums. This quickly evolved into detailed large scale floral paintings in oil before the ocean surrounding Madeira made a huge impact on her desire to paint it. “It’s the unique changing state of the ocean, still and sparkling in the sunshine one moment then whipped up by the wind, roaring and frothing with an unstoppable force the next that inspires me,” she said.

Glenys’ recent work has increased in size with the largest measuring 2 meters wide. “The large-scale gives a real feeling of being in front of the waves,” she said. “The subject is one purely of the ocean, no other distractions, the perspective is as if you were walking from the beach into the water for an evening swim”.

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“The beauty of the water in all its moods motivates me to capture it on canvas”.

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She spends many an hour just looking out and studying the waves before taking reference photographs. “I try to freeze that moment when the wave is at its highest point, just as parts of it start to curl when the light passes through and the beautiful glistening translucent colours are visible for a split second”. Using light and shadow to create the semblance of a three-dimensional wave, her paintings look realistic but “it’s the illusion of detail,” she said.

Viewers have described her latest creations as being “powerful, so consuming...” and “hearing the roar of the ocean”. Others state that they can “Hear God’s thunder in your paintings” and “I hear the seagull cry as he glides above the tumbling crest”. www.glenysflint.com

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Summer 2022

Kat Stefanova Freedom to experience joy

Freedom is a key concept in my art.

Freedom to explore, freedom to express and ultimately the freedom to experience joy.

Through my art I investigate what joy means for me and where to find it.

Traveling is a key aspect of my artistic work. I travel to understand what it means to be human beyond borders, customs and religions.

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Bill Farnsworth It starts with intent

“There is a story in everything we look at” For the past 42 years since graduating from Art School, my path toward an art career took a detour or two but always kept the course I set. For the first 10 years, I worked for my dad in Land Surveying and did illustrations at night and at weekends. Sometimes I would enter a National show or a local one where I met many artists living in the Ct. hills. I got a break illustrating Children’s Books and 60 books later I became nationally known in that field of illustration. Books didn’t pay well but I loved the craft of putting together 16 paintings that would best tell the 32-page picture book stories that came my way. My niche was non-fiction, like George Washington at Valley Forge or the many Native American books I illustrated, including the Kaya Series for American Girl. My publishers stopped using illustration and instead chose stock photography and existing illustration which was way cheaper, so my market dried up. I saw this coming years before and started putting my energy into the fine art field with Gallery representation, teaching workshops, and Plein Air events.

This was a huge struggle but my illustration background thickened my skin and I just ploughed on. Giving up or turning back was never an option. I dedicated myself to improving and going outside to paint taught me huge lessons in picture-making. Being able to have a certain amount of skill enables the artist to speak the language of art so collectors understand what you are trying to say. What are you trying to say? Do you have empathy for your subject matter? What is the title of your painting before you even make a mark? There is a story in everything we look at and if we take the time to understand our subject it will show up in our paintings. bill@billfarnsworth.com

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Summer 2022

Caroline Boff

Happy to be alive and painting

Abstract Rainbow

It is my pleasure, as a new member, to be invited to write this article for Hidden Talents Magazine.

I’m much impressed and grateful for The Arches Project and your philosophy for artists’ careers is very, very commendable. I’m Caroline Boff, an emerging, international, contemporary English artist. I paint from the heart and I don’t seem to be able to paint otherwise. I’m proud of this fact though as I feel my work is more authentic than many.

A self-taught artist, I graduated from university with an economics and sociology degree. Sadly I didn’t enjoy economics at all and longed to be put in the right box! When I found art and my art career it really felt like I came home. I was so at ease and really happy to be alive and painting. I love the action of a brushstroke of paint on canvas and of course I love colour as is evident in my work.

My journey has been an extremely tumultuous one and this happily provides a vast well of experience and feeling from which to draw inspiration from. What I started to learn at university was how to love. What I am recently learning is how to love myself. My paintings centre around passion, feeling, colour and experimentation. In some ways I am an explorer; an explorer of the human condition.

I use colour as a means of expressing myself as I have through art rediscovered my voice. I did have a voice when younger via dance and music, but I lost my way, and so couldn’t be more pleased now to have that connection to my inner being and voice through my art. For this reason art means the world to me. I never ever want to lose myself again.

My heart is slowly mending but I still now prefer solitude than crowds, my family than friends, to be single than in a relationship. My art is life my safety valve, my friend and one of my loves. My mum and brother are the loves of my life. www.carolineboff.co.uk

The Force

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Susan McClure Art, and making, are at my core

As an artist, I have been practising all my life.

I was encouraged by a creative upbringing in a cooperative community in London from the 1950s to the early '70s.

My mature painting practice evolved in parallel with my training and work as a landscape architect.

During the 1990s I developed a disabling condition (M.E.) until I had to leave landscape architecture in 2003.

I then focussed on my art practice, where I was developing an expressive style of landscape painting. I was also married and raising a family in Moseley, Birmingham, where we had moved from our previously adopted city of Manchester in 1988.

Growth - 45 x 61cm - Acrylic on canvas board - Price: £650 By late 2018, I had reached a point in my artistic development where I was at last satisfied with the pictures I painted. I suddenly felt the need to find a new direction. In 2019, my sister suggested the extraordinary online course “Find Your Joy” by Yorkshire artist Louise Fletcher. Its effect – on me - was that I discovered myself as an abstract painter. My intuitive, gestural paintings are now produced with the only conscious choices being the colour palette, the tools and the support material. Painting has become a continuous exploration. This also has the effect of expressing my internal life, often very positively even through my recent difficult personal circumstances.

“Aspects of the landscape seem to emerge without my conscious intention.”

Deep Space - 61 x 91cm - Acrylic on canvas - Price: £850

Throughout my dear husband’s 7-year courageous struggle with terminal cancer, I have used my painting to reinforce my concentration on the positive aspects of life – in particular, to see each day of his continued company as wonderful, when his end had been predicted as very soon. He bucked every trend and was active in working voluntarily and highly effectively for other people in difficulties with official and legal matters or debt, right up to weeks before he died at home in March with me next to him in his NHS “hospital” bed. He supported my artistic career and I now continue to paint with the memory of his love, close in my heart. skatemac@susanmcclure.com .

Joy, 2 - 61 x 91cm - Acrylic on canvas - Price: £850

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Summer 2022

Jacob

Jacob Chandler’s sculpture Tall Blade Runner has pride of place on Birmingham New Street Station's Eastern Plaza in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The sculpture which contains half a ton of stainless steel and in collaboration with Para Athelete Ben Pearson, is believed to be the only public sculpture currently on display in the UK, to feature disability.

Jacob and Ben have one thing in common, their health conditions have caused them both to have to rebuild their broken lives! Suffering from Colitis and the rare genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos syndrome, Jacob’s health is always on a knife edge.

Crippling fatigue and pain, leaving him at times unable to leave the house. The collagen in his body is so faulty that in order to sculpt, he had to wear finger and wrist braces to hold his joints in place as he built supporting muscles, through diligent physiotherapy.

Without these braces his unstable joints would continually hyperextend and cause immobility over time. On occasion joints will sublux (partially dislocate), “I was enjoying a bath when suddenly my knee popped and I couldn’t move without extreme pain. I got myself out eventually, as a mid twenty year old, having to consider calling for help to get you out of the bath isn’t ideal. Jacob says “It’s great that the public are at last beginning to positively acknowledge and discuss difference and diversity. For years I’ve hidden my health issues in the fear of discrimination but seeing a wider acceptance, particularly in sport, is definitely encouraging. I still don’t know if I would feel comfortable talking about these issues, if it were not for the success I’ve had over the last few years but I now feel it is important to try to be a force for empowerment for those struggling with unseen chronic conditions.

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Aspiring To Greatness &

Mr Raj Mehta Mayor of Telford and Wrekin, Ben Pearson, Jacob Chandler

Donna Newton, Ben Pearson, Dr Leong Lee

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Chandler

Rebuilding Broken Lives

Jacob says “It’s great that the public are at last beginning to positively acknowledge and discuss difference and diversity. For years I’ve hidden my health issues in the fear of discrimination but seeing a wider acceptance, particularly in sport, is definitely encouraging. I still don’t know if I would feel comfortable talking about these issues, if it were not for the success I’ve had over the last few years but I now feel it is important to try to be a force for empowerment for those struggling with unseen chronic conditions. Jacob said “I find these athletes hugely inspirational, they often face trauma, agony, destruction of their self image and loss of their career prospects and endure financial hardships but they come out fighting.

Their grit and determination is an inspiration to us all and I’m delighted to be able to produce this sculpture to celebrate their collective achievement.

“For them sports have been the panacea, for me it’s sculpting. Within this collaboration we hope together to speak to all who face challenges and trust that they too will find their own way through.” “Sponsored by Network Rail, Birmingham New Street station, All Bar One, Grainger and Worrall ltd, MetLase, Nationwide Stainless, Syntheticdark, Jacob Chandler and Loughborough University. Without their financial and technical support, this project would never have become a reality. It just goes to show what teamwork can do.

PC James Paget - British Transport Police Ben Pearson, Jacob Chandler, Mike Chandler

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Summer 2022

NEVER THAT WASTE

LET IT BE SAID TO DREAM IS A OF ONES TIME

FOR DREAMS ARE OUR REALITIES IN WAITING FOR DREAMS ARE OUR REALITIES IN WAITING

IN

DREAMS,

WE

PLANT

THE SEEDS OF OUR FUTURE 26

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Moira Ashby The importance of botanical gardens As most residents in Birmingham will know the city is lucky to have two Botanical Gardens: one at Winterbourne (part of the University of Birmingham) and the Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses in Edgbaston. The point of these gardens is the collection and conservation of plants, local and exotic.

Botanical art has similar aims but in a very different way. It is the artistic but scientifically accurate representation of plants. It can be more subjective and focused on aesthetics than Botanical Illustration, but is nonetheless a very relevant and important way to examine and document plants that might not always remain in existence. It is a very old practice - from the Pharaohs in Egypt decorating their tombs through to the Middle Ages when recording of plants was necessary for medical purposes to prevent people from being poisoned. And, of course, the explorers of the world took botanical artists with them to document the plants found on their journeys.

In more recent times as photography improved the drawing of plants became less necessary and it changed into a more decorative application for wallpaper, furniture etc. Nowadays though, Botanical Art is having a great revival - our awareness of the fragility of the natural world has heightened our need to capture the stunning beauty and structure of our flora and fauna in fine detail.

The Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists aims to encourage this valuable work and welcomes new members.

For details of meetings and membership see our website: birminghamsocietyofbotanicalartists.org.uk.

To see our work, visit our exhibition at Weston Park Gallery, “Celebrating Nature” from August 31st - September 29th 2022.

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Summer 2022

Alf Dimmock

Share knowledge and pass on skills and enthusiasm to all ages In 1982 I discovered The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, which was a charitable organisation offering volunteer opportunities to learn skills and gain knowledge and understanding of wildlife habitat management, including woodlands, wetlands and grassland. I went for one day and stayed five years, eventually gaining appropriate qualifications and then employment as a Field Officer.

For the past thirty-five years, I have worked as a Ranger and trainer for various organisations, including The Beacon Regional Park, Walsall MBC, Birmingham City Council and The National Trust, as well as a Voluntary Warden for the Woodland Trust.

My aim has always been to engage with people, share knowledge and pass on skills and enthusiasm to all age groups, and in this regard, I became an NVQ Assessor and Trainer and gained first-level teaching qualifications to teach lifelong learning via the CTLLS awards.

One of my honoured achievements was a Chamberlain Award in the Community Cohesion category, and this was in partnership with Unity FM, a radio station from Camp Hill. My weekly broadcast was called ‘Out and About’ and involved topics about the benefits of walking and spending time with nature in green spaces, needless to say, we had a good audience leading to demands to run an outdoor programme for families.

Eventually, I set up an outdoor learning programme for families called ‘Down To Earth’, a Forest Schools type activity project with built-in lifelong learning elements that ran for around five years, with almost 1000 families engaged either out in the woods or via social media. ‘Down To Earth in The City’ builds on that approach as we explore the basic elements that mak e a modern city out of earthy beginnings.

We explore through, talking, walking and researching the sometimes-grimy aspects of the marketplace, the public house, the football terraces, the workplace and the other people places that make an ever-changing city and, like all cities, a dissatisfied Birmingham.

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Summer 2022

Mike Hodder

Honorary Lecturer in Archaeology I am an archaeologist with particular interests in the archaeology of all periods of the West Midlands region, the interaction of the historic and natural environments, and the physical management and public interpretation of sites and landscapes.

My background is in field archaeology, which included the excavation of Sandwell Priory and study of its surrounding landscape, followed by a career as a local authority archaeologist for nearly 30 years, first at Sandwell Council then as Planning Archaeologist at Birmingham City Council. In Birmingham I was responsible for the management of archaeological sites in the city centre and suburbs through the planning process, including sites within major developments such as the Bull Ring and the New QE Hospital, and maintenance of the Historic Environment Record.

I have been involved in the investigation of sites of all periods including prehistoric burnt mounds, Roman forts, medieval settlements and churches, and industrial remains, and in the interaction of the historic and natural environments in the past and as part of present landscape management.

I have taken an active role in the West Midlands Archaeological Research Framework, including presentation of seminar papers, publication of papers and editing one of the period volumes.

In addition to active voluntary involvement with several archaeological and other organisations responsible for publication, site management and interpretation in the region I have undertaken some consultancy work.

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Summer 2022

Brian Prangle Love for soft pastels

Scandinavian Sky

“It started eight years ago with a birthday gift of a set of pencils from my daughter.”

It took several weeks before I plucked up the courage to use them, that first blank page... so intimidating. At first, I drew everything, pictures from newspapers, magazines, and web pages; exploring lines and shades, and of course my own photos mostly of mountains and cities. From the start, I was fascinated by portraits. A professional artist friend introduced me to coloured pencils and generously offered some free tuition. I love coloured pencils for the detail you can achieve. But they're painstakingly slow and no good for larger work so I migrated to soft pastels, which are now my artistic home. I joined a local art class where the encouragement of my tutor and other students was just wonderful. The pandemic stopped that so I started an online course with pastel artist Alain Picard, where serious discipline and theory of art creation with pastels commenced. His mantra is mark-making: exploiting the power of suggestion. I love soft pastels for their immediacy, their colour vibrancy and intensity, their subtle layering, and the range of marks you can make; but mostly the primal feeling of applying pigment with your fingers, not tools. I also like surprising people’s concept of pastels (mostly they’ve only seen them being used for courtroom depictions of villains).

Mighty Wave A rocky ridge

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Summer 2022

It's only this year I've felt confident enough to seek a wider audience than family, friends and fellow students.

The support and encouragement of family and friends have been most enjoyable What has been the hardest on the journey has been the expense and the self-doubt, however the most surprising is seeing the world with fresh eyes.

My favourite subjects are portraits, skies and flowers and have been influenced by French impressionists to the fore, although I have too many to list.

My aim is to bring, however, however tiny, a visual joy to people in an increasingly ugly and fractious world My advice to other travellers on an artistic journey is to listen to technical advice, however, your best friend is your inner voice.

Boy

Mossy Rocks at Ariundle Hidden Talents Magazine

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Summer 2022

Melanie Berman Captivated with pewter and metals

I am a South African born pewter and mixed media artist. I studied a foundation course in art and graphic design in Cape Town and then worked in various fields of craft in libraries and community centres. I married and moved to England in 1994 to raise a family and, after having worked with mixed media over the years, I became captivated with pewter and metals. I worked for many years managing a home art studio doing large scale public decor projects, but returned to my creative practice as a mature emerging artist and established a studio making embossed pewter art and mixed-media textiles.

The legacy of pewter embossing is an ancient craft.

Modern pewter crafting is an old classic with a new twist which utilises a lead-free malleable metal alloy consisting mainly of tin, copper, and antimony, making it increasingly popular with those looking for alternatives to precious metals like silver and gold. Pewter is a pliable, radiant, silvery metal that is easy to engrave or emboss with basic hand-held tools and stencils to create richly embossed designs. The metal is then oxidised to create an aged appearance and coloured inks or jewels can be used for decorative effects. My inspiration comes from nature, as well as from architecture. I travel quite a bit and draw inspiration from the many photos that I Inspiration comes from nature take on my travels.

The rich history of jewellery making, and enamelling are also a source of creative stimulation and I try to capture the rich enamel like colour with various inks and lustres in my work, while experimenting with various mediums. I love creating hard metal pieces with softer free machined backgrounds, for example or ink panels inlaid in jewel boxes. I feel I am finally in my own creative bubble, doing everything that I have always loved. I love to teach my craft and organise classes and workshops at my studio in the Old Print Works as well as at craft cafes around the city. I can be commissioned to make special commemorative work. My plaques and small commissioned craftwork can be found at various art trails across the city and my own bespoke pewter creations can be found at craft fairs and local art spaces. I am also exhibiting at the Open Studios 2022 and will be running some workshops at PoliNations in Birmingham for the ending of the Commonwealth Games. www.artmetallix.com 32

Hidden Talents Magazine

Summer 2022

Sam Darley

We Are Changing Lives Through the Arts.

Help undiscovered and talented artists become recognised. By donating to The Arches Project, you will be supporting many artists in beginning their journey to a successful career.

To donate, visit thearchesproject.org/donate or scan the QR code

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Summer 2022

Paul Ward

Studies Portrait and Landscape in tonalism I am often asked, am I happy with the piece? Or someone says “you’re so talented - it’s very good.” All I have to say to them is it’s not good enough, yet.

“you’re so talented it’s very good.”

I started in art later in life. I grew up in the suburbs of Birmingham with an interest in art but started off writing horror novels up until my mid-twenties whilst working in finance in the city. After moving house and getting married, I started painting with a gift set of the fantastic Bob Ross given to me by my wife.

I moved onto distance learning with a diploma in Landscape Painting from London Art College and have been featured in a number of exhibitions as well as being represented by a gallery in Great Malvern.

However, it was only 3 years ago I discovered the inspirational work of Cuban born artist Cesar Santos who took realism in art to look exactly like the image and then added the magic.

I rapidly moved on to study on the Atelier Study course with ex Florence Lecturer Stephen Bauman and Ken Goshen of Central Art Academy in New York and am currently in a mentorship programme with the Internationally acclaimed artist Cornelia Hernes of Norway.

My work is firmly in the realism movement that is sweeping across from the United States and specialises in studies of Portrait and Landscape in tonalism. Within my art I identify with the rural landscapes and people of this landscape. I feel that the rural parts of the UK are forgotten about with so much being emphasised on town and city life and only seeing the countryside as a place to visit on a Sunday afternoon rather than somewhere people live and work in.

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I dedicate at least 10 hrs a week to just drawing and copying from the masters of art to understand the process in order to improve. My painting is a longer process, from concept to poster study to oil sketch to finalised piece but I currently produce 3 pieces per month. I believe in art you need to strive to always be better. Be that a head study in graphite or figurative study in charcoal or a landscape in oils to get better is my aim. After all, as someone wise once said, “Nothing worth doing was easy.”

So please forgive me if I don’t think my work is good enough, yet. Watch this space... wardpaul1976@gmail.com

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Summer 2022

Constance Prince I took my mother’s advice and ‘just started’ I’m Constance Prince, an intuitive full-time artist located in Nottingham city, United Kingdom.

My mother often advised me with the words ‘Just start’ when an idea or goal came to mind. I cling to those words until today. Now I say them to my own four children, they’re words that got me here today. Over the course of nine months October 2018, February 2019 & July 2019, I experienced three car accidents. Left with multiple injuries, anxiety, PTSD and memory loss. Most see this as miss-fortune but for me it was the beginning of a beautiful journey.

‘Just start’

The framed art piece I am photographed with is titled ‘Frame of Mind’, Illustrating my journey and how art brings me joy. The black background demonstrates the void I felt from losing my memory. The paint tubes labelled by emotions not colouration, analogy of how colour affects my mood and grounds me just like the easel is used expressing how art positively supports my wellbeing.

Realising my chance to live I decided to follow my dream to be an artist, I took my mother’s advice and ‘just started’. I have been painting ever since, each time I do my anxiety, PTSD reduces & fragments of my memories return.

Painting is truly a grounding experience for me, I have no expectations on what I wish to produce. Only that I love and enjoy what I do and wish to share it with others. This is the reason why I do not paint with the intention to be a niche artist. Leaving my works diverse, open to interpretation granting me the ability to use varied media switching between subject matters & styles.

Frame of Mind Mixed media on mixed media paper 220gm (A2) 16.5” x 23.5” - £1,150

‘Martin Mathews’ Still life features eucalyptus in glass vase.

Acrylic on 400gsm paper 6”x6” - £125

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Summer 2022

Lastly, floral still life. My favourite subject to paint (joint with my quirky portraits). The Chinese money plant is a symbol of art becoming my source of income, each line represents my memories. The college of fragmented pieces anchored together by the red lines in the background to show my memory was never completely gone.

The bottom left corner has a deliberate crease because I am not broken but instead a new version of self. Sealed together with gold lines just like ‘Kintsugi’ (golden joinery) the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with gold.

The Market Acrylic on 400gm paper, 6 x 6” - £200

Reenergised Still life features eucalyptus in glass vase.

Acrylic on paper 400gsm, 6”x6” £195

I embrace who I am, and I love what I do.

What will you just start?

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Summer 2022

Fatima Taher Jewad Alcohol inks are fun, spontaneous, and so mesmerising to watch

I am originally from Iraq and currently living in London where I was raised. I spent about 9 years in Dubai. I am a pharmacist by profession, but about five years ago after my second daughter was born I was in search of a creative outlet as I was suffering from postnatal depression. I tried various mediums but was eager to try alcohol inks. They were not so common in Dubai and expensive so I made my own batch from some sharpie markers and I was immediately hooked.

The Coral Reef As a kid I was obsessed with the great barrier reef, I craved to go diving and explore the beautiful mysteries in our oceans. This passion inspired my latest piece ‘The Coral Reef’. This bright piece combines the deep ripples of the waves, sun rays glistening on the top of the sea and fishes swimming amongst a beautifully bright coral reef.

Angel Wings

Alcohol inks are fun, spontaneous, dynamic, difficult to control and so mesmerising to watch and I knew I had found my therapy session I was longing for. Each piece you create is so unique and different and impossible to replicate and I absolutely love that.

Each piece you create is so It became my daily evening ritual, once my girls were asleep, unique and different a time I could connect with myself, unwind and just let go.

The thing I love most about alcohol inks is they are so unpredictable, and you really have to learn to let go, trust your intuition and let the inks do their magic. Alcohol inks taught me a life lesson to trust more in the process and let go of trying to be in control. I always love challenging myself and creating larger paintings that really stimulate my intuition. I love using bright, cheerful colours that radiate joy and happiness and my absolute favourite colour to work with is blue.

My love for blue comes from my love for the ocean, a beautiful, mysterious and mighty entity in our planet. The waves, ripples, rock pools and shallow reefs were always something that amazed me and these have inspired many of my pieces.

My latest being a diptych ‘Odyssey I and II’.

Alcohol inks taught me a life lesson

Odyssey I and II

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Summer 2022

COMPETITION TIME!

Win an exclusive piece of solid silver jewellery designed by

Poise and Elegance

Poise and Tension IV

To enter into the prize draw take a selfie with any piece of Jacob Chandler’s sculptures, post it on instagram and tag @thearchesproject with #HiddenTalents The winner will be notified by Friday October 21st 2022 and the prize will be presented to the winner by Jacob Chandler on the open evening of our Hidden Talents Exhibtion 4th November 2022, also one free ticket to the open evening Sculptures can be found at: The Dancer - Telford Town Centre The Clash - Service station on M1 at Rugby The Cold Embrace - Maxwell Gardens in Telford Town Park One Giant Leap for Humankind - Birmingham New Street Eastern Plaza

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Summer 2022

Ozlem Sorlu Thompson I love to create different magical realities

I was born in Istanbul, Turkey to a creative family with varied roots; Armenian, Ukrainian and Turkish, with artists, musicians and cabinet decorators reaching back generations. Centuries of art, architecture and intertwined cultures in this pivotal melting pot created the basis of my worldview.

I studied Biology and a Master’s degree in Botany that included a thesis on exotic plants and their daily usage in industrial design before deciding to follow my inner voice, which yearned since my childhood to express itself through painting and art. Consequently, I moved to London to pursue painting full-time. Soon, my art was already collected internationally and I saw how my work was well-received by people who loved to enjoy the colour and form that is my great pleasure to create.

I love to create different magical realities with bold colours, as I interpret the experience of existence in this world and transform it into a message of wonder and joy.

Using my subconscious feeling, I reimagine and redesign abstracted forms of life and landscapes.

I love flowers and meditating on colour and form, drifting into dreams of blooms that bud and mature, creating mystical radiant beauty simply and naturally.

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I love to capture deep contentment through the use of colour and shapes while allowing enough abstraction to ensure that the viewer may participate in the experience of defining the work with their feelings.

Currently, I am working on a new series entitled, ‘Dreams of Goddesses’, with which I aim to recreate goddesses and great women such as Hypatia, Flora, Aspasia, and Cleopatra with all their energy in new universes, and imaginary landscapes.

I am also participating in the ‘Great Painted Egg Exhibition’, which celebrates the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in Chelsea and opens on the 16th of May.

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Summer 2022

Emma Hardicker I love to create different magical realities

After studying Textile Design and working in the creative sector for five years while painting for galleries in her spare time, Emma decided it was time to explore her creative talents fully and set up an artist’s studio at the Custard Factory.

Having moved back to her hometown of Birmingham, she began painting abstract landscapes of the local area, a place she has loved and has fond memories of.

“For me it’s important to show the magic of a place”

Emma in her studio

Kings Heath Park and tea rooms

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Orchid printed edition

This comes across with the colours she uses.

She started to exhibit in galleries, before moving into her favourite medium of print.

Inspired by the flowers right outside her window she began creating fresh, contemporary pattern based floral designs.

She also has the added influence of the city surroundings and so created a range of striking architectural cityscapes, filled with pattern and structure, as well as recognisable landmarks. Then screen-printing these highly collectable limited editions by hand at her new studio in Kings Heath Birmingham where everything is designed and made by Emma.

She can proudly say all products are made exclusively in the UK. Her aim is to create exciting pieces of art, which do more than just brighten up a room.

They will evoke memories, spark conversation and become a well-loved part of your home.

Birmingham print institute

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Summer 2022

Janel Antoneshia The Artist

All the memories I have stored in my mind from early childhood are of myself and my siblings, recklessly having fun in Jamaica. I remember days riding our bikes over the edge of gullies with no fear. Every other morning my mum would have the fiery Gospel, the smooth ballads (Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Jennifer Rush) or sweet country music, the likes of Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers playing as she, my brothers and I sang on top of our voices. A few heavy pedals down the road, my uncle was blasting all his favorite joints. The likes of Junior Kelly, Garnett Silk, and Sizzla. Further, into the evening the party people would boom out their lover’s rock of uncle Beres, Morgan Heritage and of course, our patriot Queen - every Jamaican DJ’s favorite, Celine Dion. Growing up, my ears were afforded a wide range of genres and so many different stories through music. Though super young, I understood the feeling that each formed a new person inside of me as I listened.

I hadn’t recognised what that was just yet. Every single one of those artists mentioned is attributed to the one I am continuously developing into. Looking back, maybe I can go as far as to say, the reason I enjoyed their music so much, was simply because their sound is instantly recognisable, even my young, untrained ears, soul recognised that.

My earliest memory of performing live on stage was back home in Jamaica at the age of six, I remembered singing with my mum at a church concert who is a beautiful singer too and the audience were clapping and cheering because they had enjoyed it, we often joke that I took off where she left, as she gave birth to me at age of 23. In 2004 we moved to the UK and a newspaper gave out a free Disney Soundtrack CD. Bruh, that was when real passion started to form in my heart.

My chest used to beat so hard at the sound of Lion King’s - “Circle of Life” I went to bed dreaming about

I’ve been travelling over the UK busking for the past five years. Busking has improved my ability as a live performer. My sound is more versatile and distinctive than it has ever been, street performances have also allowed me to fund all of my projects which is currently available on music platforms such as Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify and Youtube, In 2021, I have come to understand that God created us to serve each other and so my inspiration for creating music is now simply LIFE. God has gifted me with the ability to write great/meaningful/encouraging lyrics along with this voice. So the ultimate vision is to honour Him with them, as I continue creating music that’s connected to the growth of self and others. If you would like to learn more and give your support, please visit my GoFundMe page….” Chasing Big Dreams, Building Dream Teams”

Enjoy the music! @janelantoneshia

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that song. One night I went to bed crying - wishing I could sing it on stage at any of our major school assemblies. Moving to a new country, I was not popular or had many friends, so I just wanted to impress them deep down. I knew I could do that song justice, but was too scared to ever really sing it out aloud. These days I look back and realize eleven year old Janel would be so encouraged to see she’s a professional artist. A singer/ songwriter - living out what she thought about most nights.

Summer 2022

Karl Brazil

Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac

Steve Ajao

Guitar and Saxaphone, Blues Giants

Drummer with Feeder, Robbie Williams and James Blunt

Andy Wickett

Multi-instrumentalist and singer, Duran Duran, The Xpertz and World Service

Paintings by David Irish for Digbeth Get’s The Beat Exhibition Hidden Talents Magazine

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Summer 2022

Isaiah Obinna To beard or not to beard

My name is Isaiah Obinna Philip from kaduna state, Nigeria, studying Statistics at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. As a child I loved Engineering and I never knew that I would later choose art as a career. In 2011 my best friend left to gain experience in his uncle's art and craft shop which was in town. I became lonely at home, having no one to play with as he was my very best friend.

I then spoke with my parents and discussed how I felt and asked their permission for me to learn at the same art and craft shop as my friend as I had a three months break after my examinations. Reluctantly my parents agreed because they thought art was not a promising career in Nigeria only few made it to the top.

As I started going to the art shop my intention was to have fun with my best friend and pass time there, only to find out that each day I became more interested and started to take the experience more seriously with what was happening.

I then found myself becoming very passionate about art. Since I didn’t start drawing from a young age it was difficult but I persisted and not before long my drawings were looking real and my boss told me it’s called hyperrealism I never knew what that was, but since then my passion for drawing became alive and real and getting better each day.

Not being able to grow a full beard due to genetics has been an issue for most young men. Many men apply lotions, few go as far as going through surgery. The good news is that a man is still a man. We know a man by what he has to offer to the world, not by looks or suave. isaiahphilip45@gmail.com

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2022 Exhibitions

We look forward to welcoming you at our exhibitions!

Visit thearchesproject.org/tickets or scan the qr code to get your tickets Hidden Talents Magazine

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Summer 2022

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MAGAZINE Hidden Talents Magazine