Voltz Clarke :: Artists




						Education 1998 BA of Fine Art, Leeds University, UK 1994 The Surrey Institute, UK 1988 Epsom College, UK Solo Exhibitions 2008 Georgina Coleman Fine Art, London 2006 Art Wave Festival, Pelham House, Lewes 2000 Gallery 73, Brighton 2000 The Space, London Selected Group Exhibitions 2008 Affordable Art Fair, London 2007 Christmas Exhibition, Cambridge Contemporary Art, Cambridge Winter Exhibition, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle Christmas Exhibition, Gallery One, Grayshott Brighton Art Fair, Brighton Summer Exhibition, Cambridge Contemporary Art, Cambridge Summer Exhibition, Stark Gallery, London Organic Exhibition, Sarah Wiseman Gallery, Oxford Olympia, House and Garden Fair, London West, Affordable Art Fair, Bristol Studio 106, Brighton Hertfordshire Art Fair, Ware Spring Exhibition, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle Spring Exhibition, Stark Gallery, Canterbury 2006 Winter Exhibition, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle Cambridge Contemporary Art, Cambridge The Great Art Christmas Fair, Alexandra Palace , London Chase Charity Exhibition, Royal College of Art, London Inspired Art Fair, London Summer Exhibition, Cambridge Contemporary Arts, Cambridge West, Affordable Art Fair, Bristol Studio 106, Brighton Floral Exhibition, Twist Art & Design, London Affordable Art Fair, London 2005 Studio 106, Brighton 2004 Harrow Arts Centre, London 2003 Brighton Artists Gallery , Brighton 2001 Brighton Artists Gallery , Brighton Gallery 73, Brighton Awards 2006 Short listed for the Celeste Art Prize Artist Statement Gardens have always held a special place in my imagination. Budding with colour, texture and form, they become ever-changing living sculptures, within which one can hide, play, relax and dream. Having tended gardens for over half my life, I have built up an intrinsic understanding of how plants bud, grow, bloom, whither and die. I no longer use reference material to produce my images, and instead rely solely on my inner eye and visual memory. It is this intimate knowledge that I attempt to capture and express in my paintings. My love of pattern making has led me to appropriate artwork from across the world, and across the ages. Aboriginal patterns have always had a strong influence in my work, reflecting the land and a spiritual connection with it. The spiral, for instance, suggests to me; dreams, re-birth, the snake, wind and the labyrinth. This connection between land and art has always been a fascination of mine, from simply arranging stones on the beach, through to attempting to understand the vast Peruvian geoglyphs . I find Islamic art useful when considering patterns, and appreciate the meditative process of producing more intricately detailed work. Japanese art from the Edo period influences my compositions, especially when working on several panels, as in a triptych. Body decoration from around the world has always informed my patterns, such as mehndi hand painting, Maori tattoos, and African body art. 20th Century Western art is a wealth of inspiration from which I take most of my mark making, such as action painting and 'taking the line for a walk'. My principle material (acrylic paint) is also deeply rooted in the 20th Century, both in terms of its production and its qualities of plasticity and versatility.