gina parr - artist
 
 


Artist Statement


My paintings are a minestrone of sources, personal memories of past events, childhood, family, places lived in and visited and working life; all common human experience.

Colour and Dynamism have always been my obsessions and are central to both my paintings and to my design work for Television; the tools with which I express myself.

I grew up in Devon where rolling hills, wild moors and dramatic seascapes played an enormous part in my childhood, a country girl at heart. For the past 28 years I have lived and worked in London, a temporary urban life….. Consciously and subconsciously these places and their iconic shapes often emerge and I do not attempt to suppress them but I am not interested in making representations of places and events but rather view the action of painting as making visible my internal landscape, resulting in work that is semi-abstract and as Howard Hodgkin says of his work, "It hovers on the edge of scenic recognition".

The clue to the painted story is often in the title; sometimes a play on words, a making light / making sense of joyful / painful memories with humour. The title also reflects the theme of the original emotional catalyst for the painting. However, during the course of the painting, the surface colour, depth and texture grow, and develop through chance happenings which parallel my original emotional intent. This fascinates me as it also parallels the chances and controls that are reflected in our own lives: so here I find new inspiration within the work, a passion for the process itself and what I can make happen and what I will allow to happen. Consequently it is not important for the viewer to understand or have knowledge of the original event that inspired the work, "The picture is instead of what happened", again, Howard Hodgkin. The painting becomes an event in its own right.

I would like my work to convey a bold atmosphere, a mood, a scent of emotion which can be read in whichever way is chosen by the viewer, a trigger in itself for their own emotions, thoughts and memories.


Qualifications

1st Class Honours Degree in Fine Art
PGCADE
Design for Television
Lanchester Poly Coventry
Middlesex Poly London
Chelsea College of Art London

 

Performances / Exhibitions / Public Art

1981 Waterloo Sunset “ Not Enough Room...” Waterloo Gallery London
1980 Performance “ The Line” The Drill Hall London
1980 Performance “Walking with Ducks” Middlesex Poly London
1981 Performing Arts Company Royal College of Art London
1981 - 3 Various large scale Murals Southgate, Tottenham, Streatham, Hornsey London
1981 Performance “ Chocolate” “Heaven” London
1981 Performance “Eat me drink me” Spacex Gallery Exeter
2000 Exhibition “ BBC Vision” BBC Television Centre London
2005 Solo Exhibitions The Tin Drum, Dyke Rd
The Garden Cafe
The Tin Drum, James St
Four Walls Galleries
Brighton
Hove
Brighton
Brighton
2006 “ Bishopsgate” group exhibition Mary Penley Fine Art Bishopsgate London
2006 Mission to Seafarers London group exhibition Mary Penley Fine Art Bishopsgate London
2007 - 8 Sandra Higgins Fine Art London  
2009 Solo Exhibition The Coningsby Gallery London

 

Teaching / Lecturing

1980 - 3 Art and Design Southgate College London
1986 Design for Television London College of Fashion
1988 Design for Television Nottingham University
1990 - 1 Design for Television
Chelsea College of Art
1991 - 6 Design for Television BBC Television London
2003 Television Design Consultant Turkish Radio and Television, Istanbul Turkey

 

Television Production Design

1983 Television Design Yorkshire Television, Leeds
1984 - 1996 Television Production Designer / Senior Designer BBC Design Department London
1996 Royal Television Society Design Award
1996 - 2008 Freelance Production Designer for Television BBC , Channel 4, ITV
view at www.ginaparr.com

 

Design

2005 Visualisation and Design The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

 

 

  biography