| Julian Bailey, Derek Nice and Petter Southall, three artists whose love of the sea shines through their work expressed in bold clear lines and fresh new images.
Julian Bailey's delicious paintings of the Dorset coast remind us why we love it.¬Ý A well established and successful artist in London, Julian lives near Dorchester but this is his first major exhibition in the West Country. Derek Nice is an artist of found materials. Weathered old bits of wood are transformed into magical boats and abstractions.¬Ý Immersed in history and myth, his sculptures transport us to the essence of sea-going life. Boatbuilder and furniture maker Petter Southall's showroom at Sladers Yard is itself an expression of his work. His contemporary studio furniture is on show here at Sladers Yard, a historic maritime warehouse, with his workshop building classic sailing row boats to commission. Born in 1963, Julian Bailey had his first successful exhibition at Malvern Public Library when he was still at school. He studied art at the Ruskin School while attending New College, Oxford and then went on to the Royal Academy Schools where he was awarded the Turner Gold Medal and later the Landseer Scholarship. He had his first one-man show in London in 1991 and has exhibited regularly since, joining Browse & Darby in Cork Street in 1999 as their youngest artist. He and his family moved to Dorset in 1998 when Julian began to paint landscapes, particularly the Dorset coast. He works in oils on board, enjoying the resistance of the hard surface. I have a fairly wide range of colours, but try to limit my palette as much as possible in one painting. I try to keep the colours fresh and clean, using clearly visible brush strokes which define the objects. I want the finished paintings to look spontaneous with everything in the right place, even if it has taken a lot of time with many changes and repaintings.’Äô The results give the impression of ease and simplicity with strong composition and a wonderful sense of attitude in both the figures and objects. Sladers Yard Derek Nice was born in London in 1933. He studied painting and ceramics at Southend Art School followed by a post graduate design year at the Central School in London. From 1960 to 70 he was a designer for BBC, ABC and AB Pathˆ©. 1970 to 80 he taught at Ipswich School of Art then moved to Devon to teach at Torquay School of Art returning to the BBC in Bristol and London. From 1980 to 2000 he designed for films and interactive museum projects including The Vikinglandet experience in Oslo and The Trafalgar Story in Portsmouth expressing his love of nautical history. Since about 1999 Derek has been making his individual artworks, sculpting and painting images often inspired by maritime archaeology, myth and legend from around the world. He uses materials from the sea and shore, boatyards etc. His love of wood and the mystery of found objects continues undiminished. Petter Southall began working wood as a traditional boatbuilder apprenticed in the fjords of Norway. Petter still sails his apprentice Oselvar from West Bay. For ten years he ran his own boatyards in and around Bergen. He studied cabinet making in California under James Krenov coming to this country to join the first year of John Makepeace’Äôs Hooke Park College studying ecological design in wood. His first commission was a dining room for Dame Elisabeth Frink. That very table is now on show at Sladers Yard. He established the Sladers Yard, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4EL T: 01308 459511 Petter Southall's showroom with Philosophy - Julian Bailey, Derek Nice and Petter Southall - West Bay - Beatitudes featuring Cheryl Campbell - Miranda Creswell's paintings and drawings - West Bay - Beatitudes by David Inshaw - Alfred Stockham, Miranda Creswell and Petter Southall - Out to Sea - Bailey Nice and Southall - The Need to Dream - Vanessa Gardiner - Tim Nicholson - Sladers Yard Christmas Show - Robin Rae
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