James Gillick
James Gillick (born 1972, Norfolk) [1] is an artist working in the figurative tradition. He works from his studio in Louth, Lincolnshire.[2] He paints still-lifes, including game paintings, portraits, horse paintings, as well as church re-ordering and gilding.[3]
James Gillick | |
---|---|
Born | 1972 Norfolk, England, UK |
Nationality | British |
Known for | Figurative Oil Painting, Drawing, Church re-ordering |
Website | http://www.gillick-artist.com |
Life and work
Gillick gained a degree in Landscape Architecture from Cheltenham and Gloucester College in 1993.[4] He is the son of activist Victoria Gillick[5] and theatre set designer and former UKIP county councillor Gordon Gillick.[6][7]
James Gillick has an identical twin, sculptor Theodore Gillick.[4] He is cousin to 2002 Turner Prize nominee Liam Gillick, and his great uncle and aunt were the sculptor Ernest Gillick and medallionist Mary Gillick.[8]
Gillick has an especial affection for the Flemish, Dutch and Spanish masters of the 17th century, particularly Velázquez and work in the Bodegón style.[9] Using techniques of their era, Gillick handcrafts all the materials he uses within his studio;[10] from the oil paints, waxes and glues, to the varnishes, canvases and stretchers.[11] He uses a limited palette of six colours plus black & white, having prepared the oils from ground pigments.
In 1998 he won a commission to paint Margaret Thatcher. The three-quarter length portrait was commissioned by the University of Buckingham to commemorate her six years as the chancellor of Britain’s only private university. Thatcher was, ‘absolutely delighted’ with her portrait and commented, ‘Can I thank the artist for doing the impossible – a kind portrait of me in a way I would like to be remembered.’[12]
2005 saw the completion of a portrait of Pope John Paul II commissioned by The Bishop of Nottingham, England, the Rt Rev. Malcolm McMahon, O.P. The portrait now hangs in the Lady Chapel at St Barnabas' Cathedral in Nottingham, and an identical copy tours the country's parishes on request.[13]
An example of church restoration work by Gillick and his family can be seen at the church of St Gregory and St Augustine in Summertown, Oxford. The work here includes a new reredos for which he has painted panels featuring the patron saints St Augustine, St Gregory and the Virgin and child, plus a further ten panels in a type of iconostasis.[14]
Exhibitions
Gillick has exhibited at Jonathan Cooper's Park Walk Gallery, London since 2000 and his work has been included in several mixed exhibitions including; Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Mall Galleries and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters also at the Mall Galleries.[1]
His work is exhibited at art fairs including; Olympia Fine Art and Antiques Fair, BADA British Antiques and Fine Art Fair and the London Art Fair. He exhibits annually at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the CLA Game Fair and the Burghley Horse Trials.[15]
References
- Jonathan Cooper Park Walk Gallery 20th Anniversary Exhibition Catalogue
- "Brush strokes of Beauty and Pure Genius", The Journal for Lincolnshire Homes of Distinction, pp.4–6 (October 2009)
- "August 2009 by Whitespace Publishers". Issuu.com. 21 July 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- Lincolnshire Pride Magazine (August 2009)
- "Catholic Artist shows new work", The Catholic Herald, 10 April 2009.
- "Mother loses contraception test case". BBC News. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- "UKIP councillor Gordon Gillick: 'Poor, badly educated people are fat because they like it'", independent.co.uk, 24 July 2014.
- "The Shock of the new", Artists & Illustrators, pg. 34 (February 2007)
- Menzies, Janet (18 July 2015). "James Gillick, sporting artist". The Field. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- "Bridgeman Collection". Bridgemanartondemand.com. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- "Today's Artists", Leisure Painter, pg. 34 (March 2006)
- "The Portrait of a lady that united old foes", The Times (pg. 7), 4 September 1998.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Joseph Shaw (20 January 2009). "Interview with Fr John Saward on the restoration of SS Gregory & Augustine". New Liturgical Movement. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- Stanford, 10-11
External links
Media related to James Gillick at Wikimedia Commons - James Gillick Official Website
- Jonathan Cooper Park Walk Gallery
- New Liturgical Movement article re: restoration work at SS Gregory & Augustine, Oxford January 20 2009
- A short film of James Gillick at work in his studio spring 2009
- St Austin Review article 'Painting Light' January/February 2009
- transcript of ‘Silent Still Lifes that Speak’ Foreword from James Gillick’s 2007 Exhibition Catalogue by Gabriele Finaldi, Museo del Prado