Artweeks Exhibition 2023

Visit our gallery during Artweeks 2023 to see the incredible work of artists Janine Philips MA(RCA) and Bahar Murphy BA Hons Fine Artist, Interior Designer. 

Janine Philips MA writes 'After graduating from the Royal College of Art & teaching at Wycombe Abbey School I have been a full-time artist for over 10 years. I am continually inspired by coasts & landscapes to produce work for open studio events, local galleries & for commission. The coasts around the UK and local landscapes have inspired my most recent body of work: exploring colour, texture and the ephemeral qualities of light, from the representational to abstraction. 

My aspirations when I begin a piece are to evoke a sense of place. I begin a painting by immersing myself in an environment that inspires me. Quick sketches with watercolour and photographs are an initial starting point. If possible I will paint some small canvases with oil paints out in the landscape to get a really spontaneous and direct feeling for that place. I often revisit some of these areas at different times of year to see how the changing seasons have affected the quality of light, the colours & textures.

Once I start work on the larger canvases I am trying to select and edit what I have seen to capture a feeling. I use oil paint as it has an intense pigmentation which gives a fantastic sense of depth and is very versatile, moving from translucent to opaque with an application of pressure. I like to experiment with the thickness of the paint and the mark making possibilities using a variety of palette knives. I work on several canvases at the same time allowing each layer time to dry so that I can build up the paint to produce a variety of effects. I am also interested in creating a surface which has different qualities when viewed close to & from a distance and changes with the light within a space so the paintings are never static.'

Bahar Murphy BA Hons writes 'It is both the structure of the built world and the details within it that inspire my art. My paintings are imagined cityscapes, that pull together international architectural styles with symbols and iconic motifs drawn from history, religion, and global cultures. Taking the striking elements of the places that have influenced me, I build new places with exuberant dynamism, sweeping horizons, and, often, bold colours to spark the imagination.

I’m an observer, Wherever I go, I observe – people, places, perspectives – and I try and include what I have seen and experienced all around the world in my paintings. They are never of just one place: they are nowhere and yet they are everywhere. I am uncomfortable, politically, with what is going on in many countries, and I am passionate about global unity, that the world should see itself as a single entity whilst celebrating the wonderful diversity of cultures within it today. It’s that global ambition that I am representing in each of my pieces.

Looking at my paintings, you’ll see arches and domes, spires and skyscrapers, bridges and waterways, all interwoven into a glorious world for the viewer to explore. Each is a journey, full of iconic shapes and symbols from different cultures - minarets meet medieval clocktowers, Gothic skylines meet modernity, their coming-together exciting yet harmonious. Each could be a set for a magical dream or an aspiration for a future way of life.'