An Ideal Place

With the turn of colours in the leaves and the freshness of autumn pushing summer into the shadows, there is a sense of renewal in the air. Over the last few months, Jaq has tapped into this refreshment that the change of seasons brings and been very proficient in her work. She has also made some important changes to her image.
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What makes art intriguing to me (and this is obviously different for everyone) is the story behind the work and the details of the artist's life. Take Tracey Emin, for example. I don't particularly like her art for what it is, but because she leads an interesting life and uses titles to expand the meaning of her work, I find her much more interesting than I would otherwise and even wrote one of my term papers on her a few years ago.
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With this in mind, we have taken the past few weeks to think about and change most of the titles of Jaq's paintings and pastels to reflect ideas or concepts and to be a bit more abstract and thought-provoking. Before, her titles pointed out what was obvious about a painting with names like “Blue Table” or “White Nude.” These particular paintings has now been retitled “Spirits Unseen” and “Sensations of Synesthesia,” respectively.
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An argument could be made that these kind of titles distract a viewer from the art itself but, in my opinion, they only add to its appeal.
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In this spirit of renewal, Jaq has also added 14 new ethereal, abstract landscapes to create a new series called An Ideal Place, and has added two new paintings to her collection “Searching for a Skyline,” previously titled “Solano”.
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The following are images of her most recent work, all oil on canvas. Please click over to http://www.jiqjaq.com/ to find an updated site and view the sizes for these paintings and the new titles for her older work. We're always interested to hear your thoughts.
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Secret Weapon

A Walk Down Park Avenue

Still, Close Enough 1

Still, Close Enough 2

Transition in Time

Lost in Translation 1

Lost in Translation 2

Lost in Translation 3

Perfect Moments Do Exist 1

Perfect Moments Do Exist 2

Perfect Moments Do Exist 3

Breathing Underwater

Chaos Theory

Blinking Against an Icy Wind

A Fragment of a Memory

Submerged

Street People Exhibition

Jiq Jaq Gallery presents Jacqueline Crofton's Street People.

Where:
Jiq Jaq Gallery, 112 Heath Street, Hampstead, London, NW3 1DR

When:
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 is open night. Come from 6:30-8:30 for wine and conversation. The exhibition will run September 18, 2007.


To an artist, homelessness, like war and poverty, is a powerful subject. Every day, we pass people with nowhere to call home, some of us notice them, others pay no attention, but they are part of our world and their colourful stories are brush strokes on the portrait of our city.

About six years ago, painter Jacqueline K Crofton sat in Camden's soup kitchen eating lunch with a group who shared their experiences. Afterwards, she was able to sketch and photograph some of them and, over the next year, developed a series of large charcoal and oil paintings on flax, which she called Street People. This controversial collection is not for everyone and has never before been shown to the public.

Many of these people use shelters at night. Others are called 'rough sleepers', the ones you see in doorways and under bridges. You may have wondered how they got there and why they have not been able to escape that life.

In 2004, St. Mungo's conducted a survey on 1,534 people without homes. What they found helped explain the tangled web of problems that sends them to the streets. The most common reason has to do with broken relationships that were destroyed by or spiralled into drug and alcohol abuse, behavioural problems and both physical and mental illness. The research found 40% of homeless people have a mental health problem and just over 1/3 have issues with substance abuse. 48% have been without permanent housing for two or more years, 17% for more the 10 years. London offers a number of support groups that help unemployed homeless men and women find jobs. Some sell The Big Issue from which 80p per sale goes into their own pocket. They are often stuck in unemployment because they have no permanent mailing address, poor hygiene, no money for interview clothes and educational problems.

Jaq's reasoning behind painting this series was not for it to be a social commentary but to create a composition of a darker, yet inevitable, reality. The rate of homelessness in London is twice as high as the rest of England and far greater than government statistics indicate, according to the charity crisis who estimates approximately 400,000 homeless in Great Britain. There is a stark contrast in London, even in this borough alone. Here, we have the upmarket neighbourhood of Hampstead, and just around the corner, you find Camden soup kitchen.

To see the entire collection online, click here.

Summer News

In New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Here in London, Jaq embarks on her own summer-long journey of creativity.

She continues to expand her brand new series, Nirvana, which embodies the values of that infamous summer in her own signature style. Introducing huge and powerful oil on canvas paintings, some measuring 137cm x 183cm, this abstracted landscape collection of florals and meadows plays with the effect of light and shadows. Luminous and striking, with strategically-placed streaks of red and some darker areas of disturbance, the tryptich Elysian Fields echoes the persistent struggle between peace and war. Experimenting with an entrancing new vivid blue, purple and green colour scheme and dripping paint, Jaq has assured her most recent work is full of energy. Watch for pictures soon.

A taste will be revealed in her first ever art catalogue, to be printed this summer by Colourhouse. This 40-page, glossy publication, complete with large, high-quality images and captivating descriptions, offers a special gift of a complimentary print to those who make a purchase.

Her catalogue brings another first to the mix as Jaq has made the decision to sell her delicate oil on paper paintings. These unique works, previously available only as prints, are highlighted in contemporary frames and feature oriental figures, still lifes and women from her Rococco series.

In September, Jaq's summer of creativity will culminate in an exhibition of her most recent work at Jiq Jaq Gallery (located at 112 Heath Street, Hampstead) which will display a selection of paintings from her Nirvana, Solano and Delicacies series.

If you are interested in a catalogue or would like an invitation to the Jiq Jaq exhibition, call the office at 020 7561 6218 or email info@jiqjaq.com. To see more of Jaq's work, visit http://www.jiqjaq.com/.

Tangled Up In Blue

“I'm just taking a break. I'm absolutely covered in large quantities of paint,” Jaq laughed yesterday. “It's all over my face and everywhere. It will be a nightmare to get it all off.”

She was in the middle of working on a series of new paintings. I saw the first finished one last week when I stopped by her studio on the way to the gallery. They are striking and very different than her usual choice of colours. Expressive blues, purples, and greens are tangled together in a meadow -like abstract oil on canvas. Far from pale, these colours speak for themselves like those in her Mood and Colour series.

They will be used in the beginning of our second catalogue, which we will start as soon as the first goes to print. We've just added another eight pages to the first as there are so many paintings and it is crucial that each is displayed for maximum impact. They can not be squished together just so they fit. There will also be 2-3 inserts in the 40 page publication.

We're very excited for the finishing touches to come together so we can start to concentrate on the second one as Jaq keeps creating more and more work. Artists go through periods of high creativity and those that are less productive. Jaq's productivity levels are high right now. “I love my job,” she told me the other day. Can you blame her?

In September, Jiq Jaq Art Gallery will hold an exhibition of all of her most recent work. If you would like to be on the mailing list to receive an invitation, please send us an email at info@jiqjaq.com.

Special Sale: Mood and Colour Prints

After a rainy bank holiday weekend, we've decided to extend our weekend sale on all Mood and Colour prints for another week to give those who were stuck indoors a chance to visit our new gallery display.
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We are offering a special 15% reduction on all Mood and Colour giclee prints this week only until June 3rd, and customers can choose to take these stunning pieces home loose or in silver frames.
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This collection is all about Jaq's love of colour and texture. Each piece is vibrantly unique, and together as a series, they express her infatuation with the human form and her signature style. Jaq loves to create rich backgrounds of vibrant patchwork brush strokes in colours that compliment each figure.
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The inspiring series includes a full range of colours and a painting to compliment any mood. So, scroll down and have a look at some of the prints on offer, and if you are in the area, head on over to Jiq Jaq art gallery from Wednesday to Sunday (10:30 – 6:30) at 112 Heath Street, Hampstead, London, NW3 1DR. If you're interested in what you see, please call 020 7435 9300 or check out the web site at http://www.jiqjaq.com/ for more paintings.
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Catalogue Additions

Deciding to offer oil on paper originals for the first time, we saw it fitting to squeeze a few into the catalogue. The design got a facelift. I revamped all of the descriptions to cut out any extra words without losing the meaning. Then we added the following works:

The brand new triptych, Elysian Fields, I, II and III:

The three Delicacies paintings which are oil on paper, Horse, Nude, and Dancer:

Brocade Robe and Wisteria Maidens, both oil on paper from the Out of the Orient series:

And lastly, a few from the Rococo series, Nu Et Luxe, Nude Exotique and Allegra.

Nirvana

Jaq's new triptych, Elysian Fields, may soon have company. Despite an eye irritation this week, Jaq has begun a new painting in vibrant purples and greens. It will be another week before she can work on it some more as it needs the time to dry. The canvas not as massive as the first three were, but it fits the mood of her new series which she has titled Nirvana, and to further replicate the tone, she may even add some drips to this one.

This collection will appear at the beginning of our new, and first, catalogue. The last stages of design are under way and I have been working with our designer the past few days to smooth out the remaining kinks in the project. It has come together brilliantly and I can not wait to see what the final product will look like. I think this will be the key to selling more of Jaq's work as it is attention-grabbing. And anyway, who doesn't love to flip through the pages of a brand new glossy publication? It will still be quite a few weeks before they are ready to use, but we've got the difficult part out of the way now.

In the meantime, we've been taking on other projects. I've been working on some postcard designs based on a sample pack from Modern Postcard that came in the mail the other day. Postcards are a great way to grab people's attention as well, because they are full of colour and like mini pieces of art. They are an effective way to spread Jaq's work around and raise awareness. They could also be used to promote special offers or lull people in to the gallery. They could be stuck to fridges with magnets as a reminder or sent off to friends.

We're waiting on one of the graphic designers to finish up our invitations for an open night at the gallery and also print the remainder of updated brochures so we can begin to send info packs to interior designers. Jaq's work is truly great for home decorating because it is not intrusive and there are so many different subjects to choose from to suit different personalities. Her signature style, which is in all of her paintings, is a mesh of colours in the background that can compliment almost any interior.

We are running a promotion on prints in the gallery this weekend as it is a holiday, offering a percentage discount. Olivia has replaced our usual display of an original painting in the window with four prints. We were also working this week with our printers to make a giclee print of a painting called Blue Shoes for a man who works at a rent and rotate art business called Ginger White. His company allows businesses to rent out artwork for a very small price and then rotate pieces in three, six, or twelve months. He's always looking for artists to get involved, and it is good for exposure of new work and new names. His website is quite interesting and can be seen at http://www.gingerwhite.co.uk/

We're also sending out an email advertisement next week, a genuine offer to receive a complimentary print and have a few other projects on the go.

Hope everyone has a nice bank holiday weekend!