Two artists from opposite ends of the country were the focus of this exhibition at the lemon street gallery (May 10 to June 9).
Stephanie Dees and Jason Walker are painters who, at first glance, might appear as divergent as their geographical locations (Scotland and Cornwall) would suggest but though they differ widely in style and subject matter, in essence they are united by many of the same concerns and qualities.
Stephanie Dee lives and works in Scotland where she is most at home amongst the tall granite cityscape of Edinburgh and the harbours that cling defensively to the North Berwick coast. At the suggestion of the gallery she spent some time in Cornwall and these paintings are the result. Inspired by the Cornish light and subject matter she has produced a body of work full of subtle charm and quiet contemplation.
She is a keen observer of seaside topography. Uncluttered and infused by a pale light these scenes are empty of people allowing townscapes of houses, walls, roofs, the tessellating cuboids that jostle around the harbour or spill down the back lanes, to speak for themselves. An adept draughtswoman she delineates and redefines the shapes in pencil and conjures the boats, trees, and ephemera that provide movement and reinforce the picture’s natural rhythms.
Anyone whose breath has been caught by the sheer loveliness of St Ives seen from across the bay or paused to view the harbour down a narrow back street will recognise a particular quality in these paintings - they resonate with the same spirit of place that, without warning, can demand we stop and look.
In the lower gallery the atmosphere of quiet concentration becomes almost tangible. Jason Walker’s s oil still-lifes present us with something of a paradox – in one sense they are simple studies, exercises in observation, part of a series of work begun after a long break from painting. Perhaps because of this nothing is taken for granted – there is no shorthand – a rose is not merely what the name would suggest, it is explored petal by petal; a reflection in glass is not just alluded to, it is rounded out and treated with the same deliberation as the object itself. In this way they are also experiments in seeing, investigations of form and space that use a very literal naturalism to meditate upon visual subjects.
It’s surely no coincidence that these two artists are sharing an exhibition. Where their work converges and what the lemon street gallery has clearly identified in this show is the integrity of their paintings and the ability they both have for subtle observation. With these two qualities they make a strong case for simply - taking the time to look.
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Jason Walker
Still Life with Dead Rose
Oil on Canvas
61 x 61 cm
£1800 |
Jason Walker
Still Life with Dead Rose 1
Oil on Board
23 x 23 cm
£650 |
Jason Walker
Still Life with Mirror
Oil on Canvas
64 x 71 cm
£1400 |
Jason Walker
Two Mackerel
Oil on Board
24 x 41 cm
£1400 |
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Jason Walker
Still Life with Orchid
Oil on Canvas
98 x 89 cm
£2950 |
Jason Walker
Still Life with Dead Rose 2
Oil on Board
23 x 23 cm
£650 |
Jason Walker
Still Life with Three Pears
Oil on Canvas
66 x 74 cm
£1650 |
Jason Walker
Dead Rose 3
Oil on Board
23 x 23 cm
£650
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Jason Walker
Still Life with Roses
Oil on Canvas
23 x 23 cm
£3200 |
Stephanie Dees
Crisp Morning - Falmouth
Mixed Media
22 x 16 cm
£350 |
Stephanie Dees
View from Jacobs Ladder
Mixed Media
21 x 16 cm
£350 |
Stephanie Dees
Lone Boat
Mixed Media
38 x 34 cm
£650
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Stephanie Dees
Approaching Storm
Mixed Media
18 x 16 cm
£350
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Stephanie Dees
Jubilee Pool - Penzance
Mixed Media
20 x 15 cm
£350 |
Stephanie Dees
Calm Day - Newlyn
Mixed Media
18 x 16 cm
£350
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Stephanie Dees
Early Morning Falmouth
Mixed Media
20 x 15 cm
£350 |
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Stephanie Dees
Evening Harbour - Newlyn
Mixed Media
16 x 18 cm
£350 |
Stephanie Dees
Falmouth Seafront
Mixed Media
15 x 20 cm
£350
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Stephanie Dees
Truro Town Centre
Mixed Media
26 x 25 cm
£500
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Stephanie Dees
Boats from Above
Mixed Media
31 x 20 cm
£500
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Stephanie Dees
Quiet Street
St Ives
Mixed Media
38 x 33 cm
£650 |
Stephanie Dees
Evening Glow - Falmouth
Mixed Media
40 x 33 cm
£650 |
Stephanie Dees
Moored Boats - Newlyn
Mixed Media
39 x 32 cm
£650 |
Stephanie Dees
Winter - Newlyn
Mixed Media
41 x 31 cm
£650
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Stephanie Dees
Falmouth Street Scene
Mixed Media
33 x 26 cm
£550 |
Stephanie Dees
Down the Hill
Mixed Media
33 x 26 cm
£550
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Stephanie Dees
St Ives
Mixed Media
83 x 67 cm
£1,500
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Stephanie Dees
Cottages - St Ives
Mixed Media
80 x 59 cm
£1,200
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Stephanie Dees
Blue Day over Falmouth
Mixed Media
22 x 16 cm
£350 |
Stephanie Dees
Cold Day -
Falmouth
Mixed Media
42 x 49 cm
£750 |
Stephanie Dees
Autumn Day -
St Ives
Mixed Media
?? x ?? cm
£950 |
Stephanie Dees
Sea Wall - Newlyn
Mixed Media
56 x 48 cm
£950
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Stephanie Dees
Last Light
Mixed Media
63 x 51 cm
£950
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Stephanie Dees
Dusk - Falmouth
Mixed Media
63 x 51 cm
£950
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Stephanie Dees
House by the Sea
St.Ives
Mixed Media
84 x 59 cm
£1,500 |
Stephanie Dees
Seafront Penzance
Mixed Media
79 x 60 cm
£1,100
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Stephanie Dees
Truro Cathedral
Mixed Media
90 x 69 cm
£1,600 |
Stephanie Dees
View from the Tate
Mixed Media
84 x 59 cm
£1,500 |
Stephanie Dees
Towards the Sea
Mixed Media
43 x 45 cm
£750 |
Stephanie Dees
House on the Beach
Mixed Media
81 x 69 cm
£1,500 |
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Stephanie Dees
By the Sea
Mixed Media
122 x 152 cm
£3,000 |
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Stephanie Dees
Bright Day - Newlyn
Mixed Media
122 x 152 cm
£3,000 |
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