Full disclosure. Neill Fuller is my friend. At least I hope I can call him that. I've known him for about twenty-five years, I've stayed at his house, we've visited countless exhibitions together and we've sunk more than a few pints together too. He's offered me sage advice when things haven't been going well in my life and he's helped me complete more than the odd crossword too.
So when he asked if I'd like to attend a private view of his at Gurrjohns on Pall Mall last night, of course I responded in the affirmative. It would be good to catch up with him (not seen him since last spring) and it would be good to see what art he's been making lately. I'd heard nothing but good things.
Neill Fuller - Going Up The Country (2017)
Neill Fuller - Syndicate (2017)
I wasn't to be disappointed. In a show that was not really an exhibition (more a sale, works went from £450 o £20,000, Neill's work being far closer to the more affordable end of that spectrum), Neill's work stood out as the best for me. Perhaps I'm biased. If I am, then in this one instance I don't care.
I like it when my friends are creative and successful and I like to celebrate that. Neill had five works on show (four I've included here, always good to retain at least some mystery) and all of them were small, figurative paintings of fairly unremarkable things. A slide, a stage (of sorts), a tree, some building blocks.
Where Neill excels is not in his choice of subject matter but in the way he colours and shades the work. His backgrounds show a love for abstract expressionism while his foregrounds transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. I hope he sold a couple of paintings. If he didn't, I hope he at least enjoyed the experience.
Neill Fuller - Cut Out For This (2015)
Neill Fuller - Step Right Up (2015)
Angela Lizon - Album 100
I did - but in my role of amateur art reviewer (self-appointed) I couldn't resist a little look round the rest of the offerings (there was free wine and beer available but I'm not drinking at the moment so stuck to water - why does the free booze always come out when I'm off the pop?) and my favourite work, Neill's aside - of course, was Album 100 by Angela Lizon.
There was something of the Walter Sickert about it. Are that couple dancing or is he attacking her? The muted, muddy, colours of the walls and the man's clothes contrast with the lady's blue dress in quite a startling way and a way that seems to tell a story. It's echoed in the difference between the yellow rubber pig toy and the curious bird in Lizon's Album 54.
Angela Lizon - Album 54
Myma Quinonez - 20.9319579,-101.3004158 (2022)
Angela Lizon was definitely my second favourite artist on show but the rest weren't bad either. Myma Quimonez's works reminded me of something I'd seen, and forgotten, at the Hayward Gallery decades ago (it's bugging me I can't remember what), Tyga Helme's botanical looking (and sounding) 'A weed, singing' enticed, and Frea Buckler's abstracted, and geometrical, works proved satisfying to the eye.
Shout out too for David Abbot whose bleached landscapes managed to capture an appropriately wintry vibe for a January show - if intended or not. In fact the whole selection, spread out over two small - but very pleasant - rooms, fitted together very well. I came away feeling somewhat proud of my friend.
Tyga Helme - 'A weed, singing' (2024)
David Abbott - In The End (2024)
David Abbott - Find It In Your Heart (2024)
Myma Quinonez - Archive 1 (2024)
Thanks to Mark, Natalie, and Andrew for joining me at this private viewing, thanks to Gurrjohns for hosting, and thanks to Neill. Not just for his excellent art and not just for being a huge influence on my own art appreciation - but for being an old round top bloke. Puff up di chest!
Frea Buckler - Pitch 14 (series) (2024)
Frea Buckler - Pitch 16 (series) (2024)
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