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Nicola Grellier's Works by Era - Click on era titles to enter
galleries
The Kitchen Era
A kitchen sink drama performed around the table idiosyncratically
describing domestic and pastoral life and related musings in vigourously
coloured oil paintings...the table is the centre, food, familiar paraphanalia,
family and dogs make their mark. The influence of children, their things,
drawings and sayings alongside the enjoyment of words playing together.
The Era of Soft Furnishings
Moving house to the girlishly renamed Damsells Cottage provoked a
flurry of unashamed pinkness full of solace and stripes. These images
are provoked by the painter's desire to possess a large and deep sofa,
returning to old and significant clothes and fabrics amassed over the
years to induce mood and memory.
First Decorated Dog Era
Dogs have always featured in Nicola's work since, as a child, she
believed that she was one. Dogs stretched out on chairs (the soft furnishings
of earlier) re-upholstered in the fabric collection and taking afternoon
tea and cakes.
Walking and Running
Walking has been a lifelong and daily pleasure, running, a more recent
one. Both induce an intense interest in pathways, maps and place names.
The activity seems to produce a trancelike state where architectural features,
cows, brown paper bags and religious conflict co-mingle intimately.
Second Dog Era
This second cycle of Dog drawings of 2004 are simple and figurative, a
return to the fundamentals of drawing: simplicity of line and essence
inspired by a new model: a longdog with four quarters.(The works in progress
(to follow shortly) are an investigation into the lineage and makeup of
the perfect companion again using decoration, collage and humour)
In this same period the artist has been drawing the life model and favourite
kitchen pieces of earlier years. (See Portraits and Nudes below)
Third Dog Era with Wolves and Deer
These drawings and paintings were made for two exhibitions during September and October 2005. The works in 'Boondoggle' at Sieff are of a variety of highly decorative new breeds... earthdog, sheepdog, deputy dawg, labradog etc.
'Cave Drawings' are a rather raw take on the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood: large collaged pastel drawings of wolves, deer, man and horse, to be shown in the vaulted Stone Theatre in Waterloo.
Portraits and Nudes
There is possibly nothing more compelling than the human face, a subject
that recurs throughout the artist's career.
People and Places
Returning refreshed to a kitchenesque era, some of these paintings show portraits or tableaus of people in their favoured places, and some are fantasy places in paint or collage with recurring imagery from the time of Walking and Running.
New galleries added May 2010
New Wolves, Deer and Dogs
Drawings.. to be continued... with added bull.
New gallery added May 2010
Collages.. Words New Era added May 2010
Collage has become compulsive and with the rather obsessive cutting and sticking everything becomes more graphic. Words have always been around, now they often take centre stage. Realizing the search is still on for the perfect old crumbly crenellated castle. The (modern) wreck was on a hot beach and covered in graffiti. Letters become more and more physical, both as building materials and pure words.. lovely coincidences.
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