Ron English

Ron English is one of the most important names in the art world and has played a huge part in elevating street art to the widely respected position it currently holds. Also known as ‘The Godfather of Street Art’, English creates pop-hyperrealist oil paintings and sculptures blending surreal humour with subversive irony. The pair from our gallery travelled to English’s expansive studio in upstate New York to view first hand where the magic happens. English has a cast of invented iconic characters that permeate through his work, some of which he releases as limited edition ‘designer vinyl toys’. He also sets up abstract sculptural compositions that he then photographs and uses as a guide to create his paintings.

Ron English is a truly unique artist and a rebellious character. He is known to don a yeti suit and roam the woods near his home stalking deer, a creature he loves dearly. We are very excited to reveal that the Brighton gallery will be releasing an exclusive limited edition print by Ron English very soon! Make sure to check this space for more information and the release date of the upcoming brilliant new work.

Dan Baldwin

Whilst in New York, Lawrence and Lindsay also had the chance to catch up with an old friend of the gallery, the magnificent Dan Baldwin, who was preparing for his debut solo show in the Big Apple. The exhibition entitled ‘The End of Innocence’, opened on 23rd October in the city’s ultra hip Meat Packing District and covers the full extent of Dan’s immense talent with paintings, ceramics, bronze sculptures and works on paper on display.

The new body of work sees Dan explores the notion of loss of innocence as he incorporates incredibly personal ephemera into the work. Objects with great sentimental value including his father’s boxing gloves and son’s baby teether find their way on to the canvases to add real depth and layers of meaning to the exhilarating compositions. Dan Baldwin continues to take the international art world by storm and reap the rewards of his ambition, ability and relentless hard work. He even took a minute out from hanging the show to spar with Lawrence!

Nick Walker

Nick Walker is one of the pioneers of stencil graffiti and made his name on the infamous Bristol street art and graffiti scene of the 1980s. Walker also has a show of new work in New York. Nick combines stencils with freehand spray painting; this approach allows him to juxtapose photographic style images with the raw mark making that is synonymous with graffiti. Nick has also released a book for his show, with each cover being hand sprayed.

It is great to see the genius that is Nick Walker returning to show in galleries after a 4 year absence. The show at 345 Broome Street, in the Bowery, clearly drew inspiration from the city, with his signature man in a bowler hat popping up against at stencilled urban landscape. We can’t wait to see what Nick Walker has in store in for the future particularly on this side of the Atlantic.

Buff Monster

Lawrence and Lindsay also had the pleasure of meeting the painter, Buff Monster in his New York studio. Buff Monster is force to be reckoned with in the art world having relocated to New York from Hollywood in 2012. He made a name for himself by putting up thousands of hand-silkscreened posters across Los Angeles and other places.

Strange happy creatures living in a bubbly landscape and melting ice cream cones characterise his work. His colour of choice, electric pink, is prevalent in his work. Buff Monster loves the colour because it’s a symbol of confidence, individuality and happiness, three integral elements in his work. He cites heavy metal and Japanese culture as other influences. Buff Monster already has a painting in the Bristol Museum’s permanent collection and we would love to see some more of his uplifting and brightly coloured creations over here!