On Drawing By Dame PAULA REGO
Written for LSPD, March 2011When you are little, when you are four or eight, you kneel under a large table with an exercise book, and you start making drawings, secret drawings. Sometimes of the people who are sitting across the room from you, and drawing exactly what you think of them. Sometimes you mock and hurt the people you like, and sometimes you flatter the people you don't like. Vengeance rules. That experience remains with you forever. You realise that it is not enough to follow your imagination, so you begin to copy your victims from life. It is extraordinary what you can discover; how surprising it is when you try to put down what you see in front of you, and not in your head. It is much more surprising what you see than what you get out of your head. You try to do it as accurately as possible, and every time it is more and more surprising. You discover many things; how odd people and objects are. It is always a complete surprise. Dame Paula Rego Portugese by birth, Dame Paula Rego received an academic training at the Slade School, London. She has lived in Britain since 1952, with frequent returns to Ericeira and Lisbon. Her work retains a clear imprint of Portugal: in images from stories told to her by her family; in the muscular, stocky bodies that absorb space; and in small domestic details. Dame Paula Rego lives and works in London. Her works are represented in : Corporate & Private Collections in United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Holland, United States, Australia and others.
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On Leonardo Workshop By BEVERLEY FRY
Written for LSPD, November 2011
I wanted to email Andy, Tom and Maurice and our beautiful Model for such a terrific Leonardo workshop on 19 November.
It was inspirational for me, pushed my boundaries and with the tutors help and enthusiastic encouragement they enabled me to take risks with painting using the suggested limited palette.
I have absorbed more of Leonardo's wisdom through them and fortunately, from having seen Leonardo the previous evening at The National.
The day had a wonderfully focused atmosphere in the class, and yet was warm and friendly too.
I'd like to live in London then I could get to more of them.
Huge thanks,
Beverley Fry
Beverley has been painting professionally since 1983, she has had many group and one-women exhibitions in London, Paris, Dublin and now the U.S.
Her work was accepted by the Royal Academy & she has paintings in the collection of the Duchess of Kent. Beverley opened her own successful studio gallery Fry on the Wall in 1998.
Beverley is a versatile artist who works in a variety of ways, using oils, mixed media and specialises in watercolour. Her subject matter is varied and she works with ease on both large and small scale.