The Kemp Gallery @ Gallery X
Kemp & Gallery X
The KEMP Gallery has announced it's return and relocation to 65 South William Street, Dublin 2, in a space that will be shared with their new host - GalleryX.
GalleryX is a new player in Dublin's gallery scene, specialising in figurative and surrealist art, "so the potential synergy attained by working out of the same premises was impossible to refuse" explained curator Kemp.
The KEMP Gallery @ GalleryX intends to continue showcasing urban/street art to the Irish public and looks forward to the continued love and support of their sponsors, art fans, family and friends.
MAY Exhibition - The KEMP Gallery @ GalleryX will be kicking off the new arrangement on May 11th with a new exhibition by the much heralded Shane Sutton (www.shanesutton.com).
2017 Schedule - A further 3 exhibitions are planned for the calendar year, including brand new work from curator KEMP in late September.
This is very much a WATCH THIS SPACE situation and I for one am very excited to what comes of this new collaboration.
Good Luck to The Kemp Gallery @ Gallery X!
Peggy Guggenheim Art Collection Venice Italy
A visit to Peggy Guggenheim’s Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Venice
Day one of our Venice trip was for Architecture while day two was for art.
We had an early breakfast and made our way to Palazzo Venier dei Leoni where Peggy Guggenheim lived and is now a museum.
There was a large queue when we arrived at 9.30am, even though the museum doesn't open until 10am. When it did open, it took a long time to process tickets and we got in at about 10.20am. The entrance fee is €15 and we paid an additional €7 for an audio tour.
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Collector, Supporter and Patron of Living Artists
Peggy Guggenheim is one of the most famous supporters and art collectors of modern art. She brought so many young artists to the attention of the world and without her support who knows what the art world would look like today. Samuel Beckett had told Peggy that one must support artists and it is best to buy paintings from living artists. Guggenheim certainly took this on board with one of her most famous painters that she collected being Jackson Pollock.
Guggenheim’s private collection is stunning and includes works by all of the modern 20th century art masters like Picasso, Mondrian, Kandinsky, Ernst, Chagar, Kli, Miró, Pollock, Brown Cousy, Dali, Magritte and Bacon
My blog musings won't do the collection any justice (it really is something you must go and see yourself) so to that end I give you this Jackson Pollock picture that I photographed in the Peggy Guggenheim museum.
Not only is this an incredible permant exhibition of art, the setting is fairly sensational too. It’s my number one must-visit attraction while you are visiting Venice.
Tips for visiting Peggy Guggenheim’s Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in Venice
Arrive early before the ticket line builds up (if you haven’t bought tickets online)
Probably best to buy tickets online from the official Peggy Guggenheim website when making a plan to visit
Buy the audio guide
Note the closing times, and make sure you give yourself at the very least 90 mins to 2 hours + to see everything before the museum closes
Plan your visit: check out the website to see what temporary exhibitions are on view and make sure you go see these aswell as the permanent exhibitions
Some of the rooms can be very busy so leave the backpack in the hotel
Nasher Sculpture Gardens are the area around the museum - make sure you have time to visit them too.
Prepare to be wowed!
Peggy Guggenheim Museum Location & contact details:
Palazzo Venier dei Leoni
Dorsoduro 701
I-30123 Venice
tel: +39 041 2405 411
e-mail: info@guggenheim-venice.it
Architectural Tour of Venice
To see more of my Venice travels, click my previous blog to read about the Venice Architectural tour that I did where I visited the works of Architect Carlo Scarpa
Architect by profession, artist by birth
The Architectural life of artist PIGSY
As an architect, one of my most enjoyable projects was when I designed my own house. This labour of love brought a derelict house back from ruins to a home fit for modern living.
To read about the renovation and see pictures of the house currently, click here here to read an article that was published on The Journal.
This is the Studio at the very top of the house - look at the amazing light that floods in!
Enid’s Blog
If you would like to see the state of the house when I acquired it, you can click in to my wife's blog here
Enid documented most of the build which you can read all about if you go to the oldest posts and start reading from there. There are some incredible pictures on her blog and you can also see how bad the house was and what a big project it was in order to restore it to its former glory!
A pint of plain is your only man - Guinness is good for you!
Painting a pint of Guinness: a bar challenge for PIGSY
A few years ago, myself and a friend were having a bar room chat about art. My friend said he didn't think what I paint is art. Of course I disagreed!
My friend then plonked his pint of Guinness on the bar and said that if I could paint his pint he would believe that what I do is art.
I love a challenge - so I took a picture of the pint and got to work.
Here are some pictures of the progress I made.
Of course, this was only a starting point and the finished product was a lot less literal when I put additional art work on the canvas around the pint of Guinness.
My next art piece about childhood friends.....
Childhood Friendships always stay true
Inspiration for PIGSY Art
The starting point for my process generally comes from something like an image, a line of a poem, a concept that intrigues me or maybe a conversation I've had that has sparked something in my mind.
My next piece will take inspiration from the below image which is a photograph of myself and my two childhood friends taken over 35 years ago.
Childhood Gang
We were a gang of 3 and we called ourselves "MBC" which was made up the first letter of each of our names.
That's me to the right with the green hat and the chubby cheeks.
The picture of the three of us somehow reminds me of this Warhol print of Elvis Presley. I think it might be because of our stance (which was a break dancing pose!). What do you think - can you see it too?
Finished PIGSY Piece (Edit 8/3.17):
Here's the finished art piece. It's titled "No Space for Nostalgia" (it was the centre piece in my second solo exhibition and the painting went on to sell on the first night of the show and is now in private collection)
Pigsy-Kemp Collaboration
Art Collaboration
PIGSY plus Kemp
Recently I collaborated with artist Kemp on a special piece. Kemp is a stencil artist so perhaps our creation is better described as a collision rather than a collaboration!!
Kemp's element is the stencil painting in the centre of the work. I glued his piece to an MDF board and then proceeded to paint on the board while drawing inspiration from Kemp’s painting "Salome with the head of John the Baptist".
The finished work is a fantastic juxtaposition of our two unique styles.
A unique Valentine's Gift for art lovers - a limited edition artwork print by Pigsy
Art! A unique Valentines gift for Art Lovers
St. Valentine's Day is nearly upon us. Pigsy artworks are available as limited edition prints, if you are looking for an alternative to the standard gift of a heart shaped box of chocolates.
If your true love is an art lover you can't go wrong with a Pigsyprints which are printed on Hannemuhle Fine Art Paper Mounted on Dibond with a bespoke Lime Washed Tray Frame custom designed by Pigsy and handcrafted in Ireland.
Contact me for further information about prints and original Pigsy works and add an art work that you LOVE to your collection!
Original art - framed paper studies
Or if you are looking for an original artwork, you can buy a framed paper study - see here to look at the full selection that is now available directly from me in my Dublin art studio
Art to whet the appetite! Big Art, perfect for a restaurant space......
Large Scale Art: “I Find You Fascinating” by PIGSY
Many of my pieces are large and perfect for hanging in a restaurant.
"I Find You Fascinating" is 2000mm x 1870mm. It was created using mixed media on canvas and it would be striking in any dining room.
Contact Ronan Campbell in Designyard Gallery for further information about this art work.
Do You Love Me?
Do I Love Me?
Do I Need To Salve My Ego To Create?
Do You Feel The Same Way I Do?
Where I paint - an artist's home studio!
PIGSY Art Studios….
Terenure Art Studio
Currently I work in two locations. The first being a studio in Terenure, Dublin. It's up a steep staircase above a pub and it's got great light. Once I bring a coffee and a sandwich I can easily while the time away painting in this spot.
Ranelagh Home Art Studio
However, my favourite place to paint is in the studio in my house which is once again located at the top of the building. I’ve been painting here since we did the rebuild in 2011. To get to the studio I walk up a glass cantilevered staircase to the top of my house where I enter a plywood clad room with a glass roof. Talk about great light!!
It’s been here that I’ve probably entered my most creative and prolific phase as a full time artist.
PIGSY's “I Find You Fascinating” Solo Art Exhibition
“I Find You Fascinating” by PIGSY, presented by The Kemp Gallery, Dublin
Curated by Steve Kemp, "I Find You Fascinating", the PIGSY solo Art Exhibition opened on Thursday, October 6th 2016 at The Kemp Gallery in Dublin, Ireland.
Featuring ten original artworks including "Attention All" and "Fascinating", the response was extremely positive with most of the paintings selling on opening night.
The opening of your first solo exhibition is one off moment that will never be repeated and as experiences go it was fairly awesome!