BUMPER OCTOBER

 

50 PAINTINGS SOLD IN ONE MONTH – NOW THERE’S A RECORD FOR ME TO TRY AND BEAT!

LATE NIGHT

Another late night opportunity to see my exhibition at the Curwen Gallery tonight till 9pm.

Curwen are hosting the book launch for ‘Stanley Jones and the Curwen Studio’ by Stanley Jones, published with A&C Black. Downstairs at Curwen will be original lithographs from the Curwen Studio, my exhibition is upstairs.

 

TWITTER

I’M OFFICIALLY A TWIT.

http://twitter.com/henrywalshart

NEW WORK NOW AVAILABLE

DON’T MISS!!!

MY NEW SOLO EXHIBITION ‘THE RIGHT SIDE OF SOLITUDE’ OPENED LAST NIGHT AT THE CURWEN & NEW ACADEMY GALLERY (UPSTAIRS).
IT WILL BE RUNNING UNTIL THE 23^RD OCTOBER

…AND JUST TO REMIND YOU, I SHALL SOON BE EXHIBITING AT THE AFFORDABLE ART FAIR IN BATTERSEA PARK 21 – 24 OCT. CONTACT ME FOR TICKET DEALS

Notes on Solitude...

"A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; ... if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free." [Schopenhauer, "The World as Will and Idea," 1818]

 

SOLITUDE V LONELINESS: by Hara Estroff Marano

"As the world spins faster and faster — or maybe it just seems that way when an email can travel around the world in fractions of a second — we mortals need a variety of ways to cope with the resulting pressures. We need to maintain some semblance of balance and some sense that we are steering the ship of our life. Otherwise we feel overloaded, overreact to minor annoyances and feel like we can never catch up. As far as I’m concerned, one of the best ways is by seeking, and enjoying, solitude.

That said, there is an important distinction to be established right off the bat. There is a world of difference between solitude and loneliness, though the two terms are often used interchangeably. From the outside, solitude and loneliness look a lot alike. Both are characterized by solitariness. But all resemblance ends at the surface.

Loneliness is a negative state, marked by a sense of isolation. One feels that something is missing. It is possible to be with people and still feel lonely—perhaps the most bitter form of loneliness.

Solitude is the state of being alone without being lonely. It is a positive and constructive state of engagement with oneself. Solitude is desirable, a state of being alone where you provide yourself wonderful and sufficient company. Solitude is a time that can be used for reflection, inner searching or growth or enjoyment of some kind. Deep reading requires solitude, so does experiencing the beauty of nature. Thinking and creativity usually do too.

Solitude suggests peacefulness stemming from a state of inner richness. It is a means of enjoying the quiet and whatever it brings that is satisfying and from which we draw sustenance. It is something we cultivate. Solitude is refreshing; an opportunity to renew ourselves. In other words, it replenishes us.

Loneliness is harsh, punishment, a deficiency state, a state of discontent marked by a sense of estrangement, an awareness of excess aloneness.

Solitude is something you choose. Loneliness is imposed on you by others.

We all need periods of solitude, although temperamentally we probably differ in the amount of solitude we need. Some solitude is essential; It gives us time to explore and know ourselves. It is the necessary counterpoint to intimacy, what allows us to have a self worthy of sharing. Solitude gives us a chance to regain perspective. It renews us for the challenges of life. It allows us to get (back) into the position of driving our own lives, rather than having them run by schedules and demands from without.

Solitude restores body and mind. Loneliness depletes them."

- Hara Estroff Marano, Psychology Today

‘Scattered throughout the hussle and bustle of concrete life, like pools among the rocks, are the parks and squares that provide us with a place to breathe and a time to think. It is a fundamental need of a sane society to be able to stop once in a while and wander from the routine, lift our heads and look at the sky or take in our regular surroundings with new eyes. My work begins with snapshots of busy city life and by a process of elimination I refocus the image on elements that encapusulate a sober thoughtfulness.’ HW2010

THE RIGHT SIDE OF SOLITUDE:29 SEP-23 OCT

HIDDEN LONDON

HIDDEN LONDON
Showing at Curwen & New Academy and The Rectory Gallery

Fifteen artists with one common theme
Jonathan Chapman, Jane Corsellis, Brendan Hansbro, David Haste, Andrew Macara, Toni Martina, Andrew Murdoch, David Rhys Jones, Lee Sellers, Peter Spens, Yanko Tihov, Nadia Tsakova, Richard Walker, Henry Walsh, Lucy Willis

In the Upper Gallery @ CURWEN & NEW ACADEMY, W1
24 June – 17 July
Private View Wed 23 June 6-8pm

@ THE RECTORY GALLERY
2 Fournier Street, London E1 6QE
01 July – 17 July
Private views Thurs 01 July 6-8pm and Sun 04 July 2-4pm

Please note The Rectory Gallery is open by appointment only at all other times except for First Thursdays of the month, 1-9pm

Image: Lee Sellers, Neal’s Yard, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30cm

EMPATHY FOR STRANGERS

“Sitting on the top deck of a London bus, I let my mind stroll over the lives of the people on the street, they obtain new life stories; I’m placing myself in their shoes and forming a reason for my being in that place at that time, doing whatever they’re doing.

I have a wandering empathy for the imaginary lives of strangers.”

I’m sure most people have been entertained at one time or another by simply sitting back and watching society walk by. Whether in a coffee bar on Oxford Street, a tube train under London, a pub in the British countryside or a rooftop in a foreign land, I find myself drawn to just staring at the wonderful array of faces, cultures, fashions, body language and the simple differences that make us all unique. London of all places is one of the richest in diversity. Whether due to our history of invasions or our Mecca-like attraction for immigration, this nation has become a celebration of humanity in all its forms.

This habit of ‘people watching’ is only a fraction of the tale. The imagination of the viewer is a key to the simplistic strength of my work. There is within all the works, and also in their obscure titles, a half narrative. I’m telling just enough of the tale for imagination to take over, or, as the title of the exhibition suggests, the strangers upon the canvas are seeking the empathy of the viewer.

Occasionally the work is stripped back completely leaving the figures seemingly stranded on a plain. In this nothingness, stripped of their natural surroundings, there can be no other focus than the figures themselves. A high viewpoint and miniaturisation gives the viewer a deific look over humanity. Are they looking at a black bleak horizon and recognising their own precious fragility, or are they bravely forging a path to an unknown future?

The presence of light and shadows brings drama and somehow an intense presence of hope. Like the feeling of the sun striking your face on a cold day, the sense that a new season is on its way.

Henry Walsh 2008

Empathy:
1. The intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.
2. The imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself: By means of empathy, a great painting becomes a mirror of the self. (Dictionary.com unabridged version 1.1)

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