Derby’s changing fast and so is Tregoning Gallery.
Four new display rooms on the first floor confirm the success of the Gallery as the Midlands Premier Contemporary Art Sales Venue.
So on
NOVEMBER 10th, to celebrate our expansion we feature an exhibition of new paintings by
Graham McKean whose work conveys emotion through intense colour, remarkable composition and distinctive characters. As we watch Derby emerge from a large market town to a bustling ‘live and work’ City It feels appropriate to show an artist whose paintings of ‘City Life’ have become the toast of London.
Graham McKean’s work has been described by the art critic W. Gordon Smith as a cross between the painters John Byrne and Stanley Spencer, with an interesting 'bite'. His paintings now hang in numerous private and public collections including Standard Life, RICS (Edinburgh) and William Grant and Sons Ltd. (also a label for Glenfiddich Malt Whisky) The media have followed him very closely and he received national attention upon appointment as official artist for Scottish Opera in 2002. This included a commission for 5 large oil paintings depicting all aspects of theatre and opera for the Theatre Royal Glasgow.
Graham McKean began his working life in Glasgow’s Govan Shipyards, but in 1979 embarked on a more creative career in graphics. It wasn’t until 1996 after several jobs as a graphic artist; he made the decision to commit himself entirely to painting. Since then his work has gone from strength to strength and his paintings are now collected worldwide. His brilliant use of humour and sentiment
persuade us that each individual painting is part of a bigger picture - the picture of life.
“I always try to produce paintings that uplift, inspire and give me hope for the future. I have explored a number of themes but I would describe my recent work as a ‘celebration of life and living’. As I draw from my own experiences there are autobiographical elements, but my intention is that the characters appear as ‘every man’ and ‘every woman’. I like a painting to have a story behind it and use humour and sentiment wherever I can, as it is important for me to express emotion in all my work. If I can convey a feeling of optimism to the viewer then I will be very pleased.”
