Another Game of Marbles
The majority of artworks I have made over the past 18 months (600 works) might best be described as Art About Art with an autobiographical twist - 'the twist', more often than not, is that I add new elements to paintings and, in so doing, change the meaning of the original work. These changes of meaning often reflect my sense of humour and, on occasions, pose more serious questions.
The body of work is diverse in approach and themes visit my 20 themed collections: http://www.coldwellandcoldwell.co.uk/gordon-collections
I have thought a lot about who all this work is for and come to the conclusion that, driven by a (likely Parkinson's Disease) compulsion to make images, they are primarily for me. Would I like to be represented by the right gallery (wherever that is)... yes, I would like that BUT it isn't the main driver in what I make... by degrees, I am more interested in having dialogue with others about the work.
Building a Twitter following has been interesting in so far as the 600 followers I have are predominantly other artists and galleries... which tells me that there are people out there who find something they enjoy in my work.
See examples of recent works below...
The original starting point for this work by a Russian artist didn't have 3 large red marbles in it, nor the 3 new heads: Marilyn, Scarlett Johansson ANO. So the plan was that I could have fun with meaning of the work by emphasising the multi-triangular nature of the composition. I have also significantly changed the tone, contrast and apparent texture of the work - I read it as a celebration of freedom, individuality and togetherness/connectivity - a very unusual composition - a kind of contemporary Romantic Naturism.
The subject for this work is taken from my experiences in attending many breakfast business networking meetings in an earlier small business owner life. These networking events led to many real business to business leads and provided me with an income for 8 years... so albeit that I never enjoyed these meetings I know they were very much worth attending. In short, these events function in a similar way to 'business speed dating' - each participant seeking to convey their products/services speedily to others in the hope of some connectivity. The Panther is the odd one out, in that s/he has entered stage left (a late newcomer to the group) and arrests everybody's attention.
Angels after a swim, solid, sculpture like... heavy, tangible, real and in a way the opposite of the imagined concept of angels.
There are lots of clues in this work as to the sources of ideas - it is Art About Art - essentially, it is my way of attempting to find a different pictorial language. It refers to 2 works by Marcel Duchamp (Nudes Descending a Staircase AND The Large Glass OR Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors Even) and the late works of Richard Hamilton (my wife has become the Muse, there are adapted works by me on the walls). Why the marble? Imagine the work without it is my answer.
Walking on Water
Who walked on water and why is the elephant walking on water in a church. Why is the elephant covered in intensely coloured decoration? What is going on in the adapted Vermeer painting at the back of the space? One called The Proposition, the other Allegory of Faith - look as closely as you can and develop your own narrative.
History Painting
Slave Trade
Originally a painting by Vermeer - I have deliberately moved the work from being a quiet contemplative work to one which when the content of wall hanging is taken into account is quite an uncomfortable scene - The horse, a George Stubbs study of a skinless animal positioned in a marketplace, becomes a metaphor for the slave trade.
Hall of Memories
A quiet, almost still Surreal Dream in which there appears to be a shadow of a couple not seen in the composition - witnesses perhaps. What happened next I wonder?
Posted by Gordon Coldwell on August 20th 2016
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