The Dean Clough Studio Artists

The Dean Clough Studio Artists are a group of up to 20 artists that are given rent-free studios at Dean Clough.

The idea for the group was proposed in 1989 by Douglas Binder; one of Dean Clough's first clients and a nationally important artist in his own right.

The group is in no sense a 'school' and efforts are made to ensure that a wide range of practice - including various forms of sculpture, painting, illustration, ceramics and printmaking - is represented.

The Studio Artists frequently exhibit in the Dean Clough Galleries and have held 'Open Days' in past years. In the 80's the group rapidly became a model for similar groups around the UK, although its organisational structure is continuing to evolve.

Past studio artists have included Tim Noble and Sue Webster ('The Art Junkies"), performance artist Ivan Rados, Scrap metal sculptor Sahaja, and noted portrait painter Tom Wood.

Present Artists include:
Jake Attree (painter)
Doug Binder (painter)
Jo Brown (painter)
Olivia Brown (ceramicist)
Jack Chesterman (painter)
Edward Cronshaw (sculptor)
Stuart Dawson (painter)
Carole Fenwick (textile artist)
Ralph Grattan (printmaker)
Ian Judd (sculptor)
Suzanne North (sculptor)
Barbara Sykes (painter)
Chris Vine (painter and illustrator)

Jake Attree: painter b. York 1950
Jake went to York School of Art in 1966, to Liverpool College of Art in 1968 and to the Royal Academy School in 1974. His tendency to use thick layers of oil paint means that Jake's work is immediately characterful and frequently exercises a strong appeal, not least for other artists. Although his work is distinctly painterly, Jake is a strong proponent for the virtues of drawing. Typically his subject matter is urban, or semi-urban but while he has a keen 'sense of place' he is always the first to point out that "the subject is a pretext for the painting". Since 1990 Jake has had some 20 one-man shows in London, Yorkshire and New York. He has now established a body of work whose volume and consistency is ripe for re-appraisal and for a wider recognition.
Contact: jake.attree@ukgateway.net

Aerial view of York

Doug Binder: painter b. Bradford 1941
Doug was much feted in the 60s when - after graduating from the RCA during the Hockney era - he was dubbed 'Britain's master of colour'. However, he quickly turned his back on the graphic and cartoon style that seemed to assure him transatlantic status, and turned instead to representative painting in oils. Today Doug suggests that he was always essentially a tonal painter who has only lately started to truly understand colour. His rich and sophisticated work has a solid band of devotees and is internationally collected.
Web: www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
Contact: Via Dean Clough Galleries (Main Switchboard 01422 250250)

Reclining Nude

Olivia Brown: ceramicist b. 1977
Olivia is celebrated for her ceramic dogs - many of which approach life-size - which she also produces to commission. This renown should not detract from her equal devotion to rats, however; while cats and even anteaters have lately started to emerge from her kiln. Olivia graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1999 with first class honours. She is a fine draughtsman and has exhibited her ceramic work in humorous and impressively detailed installations. Shows include the City Galleries, Leicester (2001); the Crafts Council Gallery Window (2002); Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow (2003); MOMA, Middlesborough (2004), and Stephanie Hoppen, London (2005/6). In 2007 she has been commissioned for a show on canine art at the Millenium Galleries, Sheffield.
Web: www.oliviabrown.co.uk
Contact: oliviajbrown@hotmail.com

Pug

Jack Chesterman: painter b. Lahore 1938
Jack is a well-known and respected figure in the Yorkshire arts world. His recent retrospective at Dean Clough covered over 45 years of practice that includes prints, oils and acrylics. He has an equal fascination with both landscapes and maritime subjects but uses this to explore pictorial conventions and the problems of depiction. His work duly reflects various styles from the painterly to the graphic. Many of his images are characterised by a layering of ideas that reflect upon the more ironic aspects of history. His picture of 'The Brenda', for instance, shows a ferry that for years ferried shoppers across Lerwick Harbour, but which had originally been the pinnace from a German capital ship scuppered at Scapa Flow. Jack has exhibited internationally and has work in numerous private and public collections including Staedijk Museum, the Hague; The British Council Collection, and the Ferens Art Gallery.
Contact: jackchesterman@yahoo.co.uk

Lifeboat from the Oceanic

Stuart Dawson: painter b. Rochdale 1957
Since graduating from the RCA in 1983 Stuart has been primarily concerned with studio practice - with drawing and painting central to his activity. The paintings - which might be catalogued as 'geometric abstracts' - present an ongoing exploration of pictorial space. Stuart employs colour, line and weight within a deliberately limited vocabulary.
Contact: via pressoffice@deanclough.com

Yellow/Deep. 61cmsx79cms. oil/board 2005

Barbara Sykes: painter b. Doncaster 1944
Barbara worked for many years as a textile designer in Manchester. In 1989 she returned to full time education and (via a BA from Bretton, Leeds University) eventually achieved an MA at Bradford University in 1995. Using water based paints and charcoal, Barbara says her work is "a considered meditation on 'the human condition' from birth to death". Using pouring and staining techniques her paintings often evoke our often uncertain relationship with our own bodies: simultaneously describing the subject while undermining its stability through nuanced and intelligent drawing.
Web: www.barbarasykes.com
Contact: Via Dean Clough Galleries (Main Switchboard 01422 250250)

Dyad

How to apply for an Artists Studio at Dean Clough, click here.