Here at the Advocate Gallery we are very excited about this new arrival. In preparation for our up-coming exhibition ‘It’s a British Thing’ we have commissioned our very own Advocate rock! Now we are all dreaming of the seaside, pebbled beaches, fish and chips and penny arcades and you don’t get more British than that! Come along to our opening night on Thursday 24th May to taste the treats for yourself!
With the Queen’s diamond Jubilee fast approaching everyone is getting into the celebratory spirit, and Advocate Gallery is not being left behind. Our up and coming exhibition ‘It’s a British Thing’ celebrates British Icons in art, and features Artwork by Liz and Kate Pope and Theo Ore, Photography from Craig Barker and other works in theme. Check out our Advert featured in So Surrey Magazine, right in the middle of the Jubilee article featured on the cover!
Advocate Galleries is proud to announce that its upcoming exhibition has been featured in the new issue of Reside Magazine. Read on to see the full article…
With the eyes of the world turning to our country for the London Olympics this summer, 2012 will be a truly great year for Britain, Ed Burns, owner of Advocate Gallery in Ashtead, explores how this is being reflected in the art scene.
This year is definitely the time to celebrate all things British. From hosting the Olympic Games, this summer, to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Great Britain will be firmly on the world map. And with the recent success of programmes and films that focus on British culture, such as Downton Abbey, Sherlock Holmes, Call the Midwife and The Young Victoria, interest is at an all time high and has even spread across the globe.
Ralph Lauren opened his recent show at New York Fashion week to the theme from the hit British period drama, Downton Abbey and the crowd of fashion editors literally squealed with delight. Harper’s Bazaar tweeted, “Ralph Lauren is taking us to Downton Abbey for Fall and we couldn’t be happier.” Models were dapper gents to start, in tweeds and plaids, Fair Isle knits and hounds tooth coats, all topped off with bowler hats. Then they retired for brandy and cigars in velvet smoking robes, top hats, and canes. There were classic silk and satin black evening gowns embellished with gold. “I have always loved the heritage and romance of England,’ he revealed. “My collection for fall 2012 is about a modern glamour inspired by timeless character and refined elegance of an authentic way of living.”
In the country side, outside Moscow they’ve just built 200 “British-style” houses and they’ve called the development Hyde Park, with individual houses named Dorchester, Park Lane and Windsor. It’s one of several UK-themed residential areas popping up around Russia, for rich Russians with a soft spot for Britain. There are rows of big brick buildings with tall chimneys and English lawns, featuring British kitchens, where the wallpaper, in one, is tartan and the tiles have pictures of Beefeaters, red telephone boxes and people queuing at a bus stop!
But is this nod to Britain just reserved for fashion, films and architecture, not at all, I think we’ll see a revival in all things British, from flags and bunting to Barbours and Mini Coopers. And it won’t stop there, at Advocate Gallery we’re already seeing evidence of it in the art world; although It’s A British Thing… British artists have always been popular, there’s a huge rise in demand for paintings with are symbolic of Britain.
A prime example of this is one of our gallery’s newest, most exciting artists Theo Ore, who has created an original piece of art emulating the Union Jack flag. The result is an avant-garde take on a historic emblem. Originating as a sewn material digital design printed onto foil, the piece is laminated to PVC and floats in a handmade Perspex frame, with a neon embellishment. It looks amazing with the neon on or off. It’s bold, effective and powerful and since hanging it in our gallery window last week, we’ve had a great amount of interest.
Theo’s work is beautiful like art, thought provoking with a narrative; it has been likenedto the best in modern graffiti. It has its own voice and has a message that is for the viewer to interpret, it is subtle like an in-joke or an editorial illustration – it makes a connection. “I see myself as an innovator, rather than an artist. I try and avoid all traditional materials, -wood, paint, glass, canvas. We are at the cutting edge of digital imagery and print fabrication; it is this road that I have explored creatively,” says Theo. Theo’s work is beautifully put together, the materials are first class, and there is no compromise of quality.
Many artists are drawing inspiration from unmistakable British sights or design for their paintings. The Pope twins, Kate and Liz, whose unique partnership as successful artists, leads to a daring mix of medium and composition, are inspired by everyday scenes and symbols. From the familiar underground sign, to famous London landmarks, including Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral and the instantly recognizable red London bus, their work reminds us of all things British. The Pope Twins’ interest in collage, combined with line and colour, results in a rich interplay of textures and form.
With so many incredible examples of architecture in London, it’s easy to see why artists and photographers remain fascinated with our capital city, but in the last 6 months, images of famous landmarks have become ever increasingly popular at Advocate Gallery. Highly successful photographer, Craig Barker, has developed a unique perspective on London which is reflected in the powerful images he produces of iconic sights. His photograph of Big Ben and Westminster captures the essence of our city, with the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, mixing old and new, tradition and development.
In the current economic climate many people want to be reminded of their favourite things about Britain, not the doom and gloom we see on our televisions and in the media every day and art can do this. There is definitely an instant connection between this type of art work and the viewer, which provokes memories and conversation, which is priceless. Many of these British landmarks, emblems and designs will, or already have an important place in history, making these pieces not only highly collectable, but a worthwhile investment, so 2012 really is the year to fly the flag for Britain.
Take a look at this new video, featuring the work of Advocate Gallery photographer John Miller. The video is beautifully shot and shows just how dedicated John is to his art form.
Liz and Kate Pope, known as the Pope Twins have recently finished some fabulous new artwork which we are exhibiting in the Advocate Gallery. Four of these pieces are busy London cityscapes including famous landmarks like Camden Town, St Paul’s Cathedral, Carnaby Street, Piccadilly and the Thames. In another of their pieces they have depicted the bustling high street of Winchester, Hampshire. They combine their unique style with a combination of paint and collage to create their fantastic artwork, which you can see below. If you’d like to find our more please call us on 01372 274 068, or alternatively visit us at the Advocate Gallery in Ashtead, Surrey.
The Colours of Carnaby Street
Bustling High Street of Winchester
London Landscape
An Evening at St Paul’s
Looking over the Thames
Here at Advocate Gallery we are very excited to be exhibiting the new work of contemporary artist Theo Ore. Theo combines illustrious photographic backgrounds with bold neon symbols to create his unique artwork; we think this fresh new look will compliment any modern home. Exclusive to Advocate Gallery we are showcasing four pieces of Theo’s inspiring artwork. Below you can see how he uses the neon light within his imagery, the bulb image shows the different stages of the image-making process. We love the iconic Union Jack image and think it will be popular this year what with the Queen’s Diamond jubilee fast approaching. To find out more about Theo please read his biography below.
Theo trained as an apprentice technical enginner for Westland Helicopters at Brooklands Engineering Tech, graduating in 1991. He was part of a small team who worked to produce prototype precision components for high-tech fighter helicopters. His passion was art, but he decided to follow the foot steps of his father who was a marine engineer (Captain) and under his advise kept his art to the weekends.
These weekend artistic installations combined the same modern materials he worked with at Westland. From the start his exhibitions we often complete sell-outs so in a short time a dedicated group of art patrons began to collect his work. Theo made his work his profession in 1994 only 4 years after graduating, allowing him to combine both his passions into one new art form.
Comment from MD of Advocate Art-
I first met Theo in 2000 when he walked into our Wimbledon Village Gallery. He didn’t look like our usual client, nor an artist for that matter, I struck up a conversation with him where he explained he was a photographer, engineer, designer and inventor. “Hey” I said “that’s what an artist is.” He seemed to reel from this summery suggestion and answered that most art was in fact “done” to him and actually, probably most people felt the same. “everything that could be painted had been done, nothing new could be devised which could not be likened to something else- every genre was now on permanent exhibition in the National Gallery”
That’s why he didn’t want to be called “an artist”- but an innovator. Not limited to photography or engineering, design or hand work, Theo’s creations could only be deemed original if he was to separate himself from the word “art” the same way street art has done. His work is beautiful like art, thought provoking with a narrative, it has been likened to the best in modern graffiti. It has its own voice and has a message that is not fed to the viewer on a spoon, instead it is subtle like an in-joke or an editorial illustration - it makes a connection.
“I try and avoid all traditional materials, -wood, paint, glass, canvas. We are at the cutting edge of digital imagery and print fabrication, it is this road and many others that are coming through which are explored creatively.”
Theo’s work is beautifully put together, the materials are first class, there is no compromise of quality. The end results are often final versions of several previous experiments, rejected because they were not “quite right”.
Theo is brought to you exclusively by Advocate Gallery.
Advocate Gallery have recently acquired some fantastic new artwork by contemporary artist Elian Harry. Elian digitally creates his intricate scenes before laser cutting the individual people and objects to make these unique pieces of artwork. As well as having his work laser cut he also prints some of his finished scenes onto perspex, creating another inspiring effect. Elian’s artwork is exclusive to Advocate Gallery and we are thrilled to be showcasing this new and unique style. Below are some photographs of Elian’s artwork; you can see the way the laser cut images stand away from the background providing a detailed 3D look. If you’d like to find out more about Elian’s work please contact the Advocate Gallery on 01372 274 068. Please read on to find out more about Elian. 
Imagine sitting on the balcony of a flat or upper level terrace in a restaurant, sipping wine or blowing onto the rim of a cup of tea or coffee, taking in the moment.
Perhaps you are enjoying the fact that you are not being distracted, spoken to or demands of any kind are being made on you. You turn to observe the scene below from your elevated vantage point and indulge yourself in the past-time called “people watching”.
In one moment in time the scene below falls into harmony, just as when a crowd walks in step, or forms shape, an interacting picture of a picture, just for you, just for a moment.
I wish I had a camera in my eyes to capture these moments, instead I recreate what I see in my art.
The landscape is immaterial to me, the water, earth, plants, grass, even the sky is not important. Its’ the people that matter, as if one force binds them together almost without them knowing – interacting with each other, in harmony, unknowing. I don’t even see myself painting the people but the light falling on them, highlighting the colour harmony, some elements crisp and some washed like the brush of an impressionist. You could say I don’t paint landscapes or people – just light.
With my work I like you to share this experience, as if you were in the chair opposite me and you pointed out the scene for us to share, “look at that”. “That” instant of time passes and is gone forever. To me the landscape will remain, for a season, or lifetime, the people will change immediately, the next day the light is different, the slate is clean, the canvas scrubbed- never like that again and never in that harmony.
This is what I want to record in my work and share.
