Michael James was born in 1970 in County Durham. After leaving school he served his time as a Cabinet Maker and for the next 20+ years he worked as a carpenter joiner.

Although Michael has loved art since childhood, and painted as a hobby, it was not until 2011, when his children were older, that he started to paint in watercolour and take his painting more seriously.  In less than a year his work was being well received  in local Art Galleries in the North East.

My work consists mainly of figures set in a misty backdrop, incorporating a touch of red somewhere in the scene to draw the viewer into the painting, evoking an air of mystery.

In 2013 Michael started his own business called Michael James Artworks Limited.

Michael is proud to be born and raised in the North East and this is clearly apparent throughout all of his artwork.  His earliest paintings were of local landscapes and he now focuses mainly on the city of Newcastle painting city and street scenes such as the Tyne Bridge, Grey Street and the Quayside, and well known pubs and bars.  His most recent work has included Newcastle United Football Ground and the Toon Army.

His commissions include  a painting called ‘Lights on the Tyne’ on behalf of the NHS

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Contact Michael James

You can purchase artwork by contacting Michael James directly. 0n his website

The Sidegate Gallery

Gateshead Road
Sunniside
Tyne & Wear
NE16 5LG

Tel: 0191 4883253

The North East Art Collective

45 Eldon GardonShopping Centre
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE12 3ER

Tel: 0191 2312483

Phone: 0191 427 4850  Mobile: 07860 530987 VOIP: 6112 4850  Website: http://www.shieldsgazette.com

A NORTH-EAST artist is seeing his work on display in a gallery for the first time.

VICKI NEWMAN met up with Kevin Dick at the Customs House in South Shields.

Kevin Dick’s paint­ings have adorned the walls of his family home for years.

But now, 14 years after he first picked up a paintbrush, the 48-year-old has seen an ex­hibition of his work go on dis­play at a public gallery. The artist’s collection of North-East landscapes, including famous scenes like the Angel of the North and the River Tyne, is on show at the Customs House in Mill Dam, South Shields.

Kevin, from Bill Quay, Gateshead, said:

“It’s all happened very quickly, but it’s all down to my wife, Bernie. She’s the one who pushed me to get in touch with the gallery. If it wasn’t for her, they’d still just be ly­ing around in the house. Some of them were painted a while ago, but from first contacting the gallery to seeing them up on the wall seems to have happened very suddenly.  I’m really pleased with how they look up on the wall in the gallery, and hopefully this will be the first of many exhibitions for me.

It’s going to be very interestting to see what people think of my paint­ings. My friends and family all say they like them but it’s good to get some fur­ther insight. I hope my friends were telling the truth though, because if the exhibi­tion doesn’t go well, they’ll all be get­ting a painting each for Christmas.”

Kevin, who works in teaching sup­port at Northumbria University, used acrylics, in a watercolour style, to create the images of landscapes around Newcastle and the surround­ing areas. His early work consisted mainly of the landscape and riverside views around Bill Quay, before he branched out to paint areas a little further afield.

Esen Kaya, curator of visual arts at the Customs House, said:

“I wanted to show Kevin’s work here because I believe it’s important to support emerging local artists, and there’s a certain charm about his paintings that I think will appeal to a real range of people. The paintings capture the region’s landscapes in such an incredible way. They’re lovely pieces of work and I’m sure everyone will enjoy coming to see them.”

Kevin’s work is on display at the Customs House until  28 April 2013.

The gallery is open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 6pm on Sundays and bank holi­days.

Entry is free. For more informa­tion, go to www.customshouse.co.uk, or call the box office on 454 123

Please note – the thumbnails are very low quality compared to the actual Frame House prints and are to demonstrate the article contents only

Martin Matthews' latest CD cover

Through his increased success as a musician, performing and recording traditional music, he  received several design commissions for Album Record Sleeves and several commissioned works are now held in private collections in Spain, Ireland, Canada and Britain.

Artists Statement:

The texture of a piece of work has always been as important to me as its composition. The use of colour and the ability to execute a dynamic portrayal of atmosphere is an essential element, in bringing the viewer with you on your own visual journey. To that end, I feel that my use of brush, roller and pallet knife, heavy oil, acrylic and industrial paint is absolutely necessary to enhance colour, exaggerate shadow and gain atmosphere.

Creating depth in two dimensions has always been difficult, but the extensive testing, scanning, colour evaluation and focus exhibited by the team of reproducers at Frame House, Consett, has left me genuinely confident that the giclee prints they have made of my original artwork, have truly captured the essence of the original.

As can be seen at the exhibition, many of the paintings on display are quite large.

I was concerned that their scale, and their composition would not successfully translate to a smaller format, however, I feel that, the images selected, have fully justified their inclusion as limited edition prints. They may not have that original scale, but in shrinking down to a more domestic and manageable size, they have, I think, gained a higher degree of intensity. (Thank you Martin – always good to please a client)

Forthcoming Exhibition

(Time and place to be arranged)

Each piece of  music on the CD (mainly composed, and performed by me) which accompanies my forthcoming exhibition is linked in a quite specific way to each painting on show. This association between music and image, I hope will accentuate drama and atmosphere. Imaginative use of tempo can dynamically change atmosphere. By the placing a specific regional style of music geographically with a specific image, the association between music and image is reinforced. Sometimes the association can be simple, sometimes more obtuse. It can be the triggering of personal and musical memories which combine to evoke a specific time and place. The connection often may be the weather, the way a particular season affects light and shadow and how that, in turn, is reflected in the mood of the music.

To see more about Martin, follow the link to his website at http://www.martinmatthews.eu

To see images printed by The Frame House, click on its thumbnail

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Kate has been painting for over 25 years, using oil on canvas to create her Turneresque seascapes. Her works are linked to her original ‘Sea Senses’ series and continue to develop using colour and form to explore ways to depict an elusive, dramatic subject

Sea Senses

“Where the sea meets the land
it creates a place of magical effect.
A mystical space where the unseen is seen,
and where dreams are conceived .
ferociously alive, powerful yet comforting,
soothing in its ever changing beauty.
It is parent, lover and listener.
Where I see the unseen I see myself
and I find peace.” -   (Kate Van Suddese)

Artist Statement

“I have been influenced throughout my painting career to a great extent by the wonderful drama and light in Turner’s work and the iridescent beauty captured by the Pre-Raphaelites.  I have been working on seascapes for a number of years and they remain an ever fascinating subject for me.  The sea is a wonderful catalyst for every emotion experienced and stores a wealth of history, whimsy and Drama in its folds.  I constantly strive to capture this mystical sense between the sea, land and observer.  Beauty, light, power and drama is everything, to transform the ordinary into something magical and extraordinary is all.

PRINTS   AT LAST!

I have now, at last, put 4 of my original oils into print!   These  4 images are all paintings now hanging on my own wallspace. Each of the paintings has a very small print edition of 27, I have kept the editions very low in order to preserve the integrity of both the original work and the prints. I am very excited to see the work in print as I have been struck by how the paintings so far have taken on another dimension when converted to print (by The Frame House).

All the prints are created to archival standards using the Giclee print process on Hahnemuhle German etching paper 310 gsm with Canon Lucia Ink (archival based ink*). They can be purchased unmounted or Double mounted with Archival mount in Pale Ivory.

Regards

Kate”

All work on her website not currently on show in a gallery exhibition can be viewed or purchased by contacting her via email at k.vansuddese@talktalk.net or by phone at 07508531105

*Archival pigment based inks provide far superior protection from fading effects and exposure to UV light.

Whistle down the night

Walk along the foaming deep

Flight of the wyld swan

The adventure begins

Claire Myers

Born and bred, so to speak, near Hexham in the Tyne Valley area of Northumberland her affinity for horses began when she got her first pony at the age of about six, and continues today. Needless to say, Claire’s favourite subject to paint is horses, and inspiration is never far away.

Her studio is the family dining table, where she paints in Acrylics which give her the depth of colour shown in her work. She is so much in demand that she has several commissions in progress simultaneously.

Her range of prints and cards is growing all the time, and can be seen on her website at www.clairemyersart.com

Her contact details are:

• Claire Myers Artist on Facebook
• E-mail: info@clairemyersart.com
• Mobile: 07591 613949

Claire does not have a studio gallery, but upcoming shows and exhibitions where work is on sale can be seen on her website.

Some examples of Claire’s work, printed by The Frame House can be seen below:

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Arqadia

The Luminoso Range

The link to their site is http://www.arqadia.co.uk Arqadia has reliably supplied beautifully crafted frames and mouldings at competitive prices for  the past 30 years. They have a wide range of styles and colours in their online catalogue from traditional through contemporary such as the vibrant Luminoso by  Larson Juhl

Loft Style Swept Frames

to the new Loft Style Swept Frames which meet the evolving fashions  of hanging framed art and mirrors. Environmental Care Arqadia also recognise the increased worldwide environmental concerns over wood sources and the desire for greater controls along the timber chains.  They hold PEFC Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) and FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) Chain of Custody certifications from BM TRADA Certification Ltd. These schemes provide assurance mechanisms to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are purchasing wood produced in a sustainable way. Products carrying the FSC or PEFC labels are independently certified to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations. Chain of Custody certification is the unbroken path which products take from the forest to the consumer, including all stages of manufacturing, transportation and distribution.

Mainline PictureFrame Mouldings

The link to their site is http://mainlinemouldings.com Like the Frame House, Mainline Picture Frame Mouldings is a member  of the Fine Art Trade Guild and is a long established family-run company providing a professional  service to all its customers, both here in the UK and overseas. They source new and innovative products to offer a wide ranging and original selection of quality picture frame mouldings. Mainline is an environmentally aware company that  endeavours to minimise the impact of their activities on the environment through the materials and products they promote.

Polcore Picture Frame Mouldings

Mainline is the registered owner of the Polcore brand. This highly specified and design-led extruded moulding is made from recycled polystyrene and provides an environmentally friendly alternative to wood moulding. Easy to cut and join, Polcore mouldings look great, are economically priced and are available in over 1000 different designs and finishes. Recycled polystyrene picture frame mouldings have a skin of HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) – known as ‘virgin’ – on the outside of the profile which provides a smooth surface on which to finish. The core of the moulding is made up of about 70% recycled polystyrene and 30% virgin polystyrene. Recycled polystyrene is made up of waste products from mainly two sources:  the electronics industry and plastic packaging mainly from the food industry It contains NO detectable formaldehyde or carcinogenic substances and is free from lead (as can be proved by lead testing). The manufacturing process is clean. Mainline do not use spray paints, but do use decorative transfer films and recycle all their waste extruded product. Therefore the material that constitutes recycled polystyrene mouldings broadly conserves the use of the earth’s natural raw materials by using those that have been recycled. Wood Mainline’s ranges of wood products are from companies that purchase their timber from sustainable sources and reforestation projects. Other ecological considerations include the use of water based paints and varnishes.

D & J Simons & Sons

The link to their site is http://www.djsimons.co.uk/ Simons is a long established family business that has been in existence since Davis Simons emigrated from his native Russia in 1900 and now the fourth generation has joined the company to ensure the family commitment and service to their  customers continues well into the 21st century . In the 1980’s Simon’s sister company Emafyl was established with its production of extruded polystyrene and in 1996 received the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement.

In a perfect world artists would give The Frame House absolutely flat, unbuckled images, with matching measurements on opposite sides for Fine Art printing.

In reality, very few images are ‘square’ and most of them, especially stretched canvases and water colours, are buckled and have irregular sides.

When we scan images they have to be absolutely flat to the glass of the scanner so the light reflects back in the same way all over the image. Works larger than the scanner have to be scanned in areas which mean they are moved over the glass several times.

Stretched canvas tends to be pressed closer to the glass over the stretching bars, so we have to put something on the back of the areas between these to hold the looser canvas against the glass; next the whole image is covered with cloths to stop light getting in round the edges; finally a further relatively heavy, rigid cover is used to compensate for any buckling.

This is why it is so important that artists allow sufficient time for their media to dry, (longer than you think) and that ‘smudgy’ media such as charcoal, pastels, pencils etc are treated to protect the surface. We take great care of the originals left for scanning and print-proofing but realistically they have to be able to withstand handling and storage in our folders.

Recently we scanned in several oils for a novice artist, and to our horror found after completing the scan that the last image had recently been retouched.  The paint had a ‘skin’ so felt dry to the touch, but when we scanned the image it left smears on the glass of our (expensive) scanner and consequently all over the irreplaceable original painting.  A potential double disaster!  Fortunately one of our specialist staff was able to remove the unwanted paint, but we added a ‘term of condition’ to our order forms to try to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Work Submitted for Fine Art Printing and Framing

Work submitted to The Frame House will be handled and stored with care, but it is the responsibility of the client to ensure that the media used are totally dry and in the case of friable media such as pastels, charcoal  and pencil, treated to resist smudging and smearing during the scanning or framing processes.

This is a very quick guide to Copyright for artists, more information can be found by following these links:

Sources

www.artquest.org.uk/artlaw

www.patent.gov.uk

www.intellectual-property.gov.uk

Copyright applies to original artistic works such as paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, photographs, diagrams, maps, works of architecture and works of artistic craftsmanship.

The 70 Year Rule for Original Work

The artist or creator of the original work will remain copyright holder and first owner for the life of the artist plus an additional 70 years. However, copyright is a form of intellectual property – which, just like physical property it can be brought, sold, inherited or passed on to another person or organization.

Photographing Your Work

If you are commissioning a photographer to photograph your work, you should agree that you (the artist) will retain copyright and the photographer will not acquire the copyright of any of the images that they take. This should be put into writing before any work starts. Why do this?

Well, there is a slight grey area as to who would own the copyright. As the photographer will use his or her skills, time and judgement in taking the photograph – they could argue that they automatically become the originator of that image by stating that the photograph could be described as an original and therefore the photographer would become the copyright owner of that image – even though the image is a reproduction of your original work.

Copyright for Commissioned Work

Unless stated, you the artist will have copyright on any commissioned work you produce. The person commissioning you can of course request the copyright to the finished work, which would also include rights to reproduce the work for sales of prints or merchandise.

In placing the order the customer is certifying that there is no third party claim to copyright and that any case of a dispute of copy right arising from the printing of any material presented to the The Frame House is the sole responsibility of the customer.