March 2023

"Sunshine, blizzards and exhibitions..."

What better day could we have chosen to hand in some of my latest work to the Mall Galleries in London on Saturday. Wall to wall sunshine after the horizontal blizzards in Norfolk yesterday.

It was a joy to be back in London, meeting up with friends and colleagues, catching up after Covid, and the bustle of London had returned, which in turn meant that the taxi ride was longer than usual.

However, every cloud and all that encouraged our driver to tell us all about his impending retirement after some 35 years, and his intention to escape the city for a couple of years to Majorca to write a novel - no not about being a taxi driver but.....something else.

All this may seem irrelevant, but on the other hand it helped paint a picture of how random elements of 'a day in the life of ' can be patched together into yet another piece of ‘life’s rich tapestry’ - almost framed in my minds eye as we chatted.

As we stepped out of the cab we simultaneously bumped into a courier specialising in art moves with his van advertising that he came from our area of East Anglia - a useful contact for the future as I have now stopped driving into town!

However having said that, I would miss out on the brief encounters with friends and strangers along the way like for example the first little break we took was in the Mall Galleries to enjoy the current RBA bicentennial exhibition, and sit down for a coffee.

We shared a table with what turned out to be a retired architect, turned keen amateur photographer who also loved drawing..... we chatted for some time, covered a range of subjects and exchanged details - more happenstance just because there was nowhere else to sit.

Our day continued in similar vein as we took the bus back towards St Pancras Station, we decided to stop short at the British Library to relax and take in some of the exhibits in the antique and modern manuscript section - it’s been a long time since I did that.

So, now we have an exciting week ahead, yet again to be in the wonderful Mall Galleries near Admiralty Arch, as all the work has now been handed in and will be in the hands of the ‘hanging team’ ready to open at mid-day on Monday.

The official opening is on Tuesday 14th March From 6pm, but early afternoon I shall be painting in the gallery amongst the exhibits and visitors, and I welcome interaction as I work. This sort of animation just adds to the experience and is common practice in many galleries, and I am looking forward to it.

I love this particular aspect of my work as an artist, nothing like being on the spot, and in the past, notably over the years in the beautiful Bankside Gallery on the South Bank opposite St Paul’s Cathedral ,- and on the Thames at the Babylon Gallery in Ely, and others. It’s a great opportunity to share ideas with people from anywhere and everywhere.

I decided to submit an eclectic mix of work, 2D and 3D, and shall await the surprise in store as and where they are hung.......

Meanwhile, more work is in the making, currently interiors and still life and more ideas are flooding in as in real life going on around me.

I am experimenting as always with Two Rivers 300g Handmade paper in contrast with Hahnemuhle both of which I love for different reasons. There are some papers that I simply cannot manipulate as well as others, and this is exciting in itself. My NEED to shred and role my artwork sometimes pushes me into certain other softer papers, which in turn won’t accept so much punishment. But that’s just the name of the game, and I love it.

I don’t think I’m any kind of hurry to slow down or heaven forbid, retire. Still in demand with exhibitions, Art Societies requesting illustrated talks, demonstrations or workshops, plus my regular long weekends and Summer School at the lovely Missenden Abbey in Buckinghamshire, keep me on the ball.

See here another take on an earlier small painting in Petworth House, painted on Two Rivers which simply makes the colours glow. It is also very accommodating when I want to lift off detail. For example, the area where I wanted to paint the lady in white was lifted off completely so that I could pop her in. So an expensive paper, yes, but well worth it just for that. Another of Petworth rooms awaits in my sketchbook.......

More details - look at www.missendenschoolofcreativearts.co.uk.
Enjoy your onward journey


Jackie Devereux
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Future Courses

31 March - 2 April 2023
Think Ink swimming in water.......

This exciting weekend will encourage the use of the wet into wet technique with more than a hint of the unexpected. It is only by taking risks that extraordinary rewards will emerge. We shall explore the delicate blend and balance of water to pigment to ink, and discover some amazing outcomes as we search for ways to interpret our surroundings. We shall focus on the oncoming Spring and the tracery of new growth.

19 - 21 May 2023
A Contemporary Watercolour Workshop - borderline abstract with ink on the sidelines........

A contemporary workshop designed specifically to make one think out of the box. Learning to see things differently is just the first step.......when all is not exactly as it appears, and where a certain amount of paper manipulation may just be encouraged.....

For more details.....
www.missendenschoolofcreativearts.co.uk