Beside The Wave Gallery Blog
Edinburgh International Art Fair, 2011
The director of the Edinburgh Art Fair discusses Nightview: Reflections by Ashley Hold with visitors.
“We had a very successful show at the Edinburgh Art Fair with our artists and their outstanding work being hugely appreciated. We were extremely proud of the caliber of the work that Beside The Wave represents and it was a genuine pleasure to be able to meet so many people and to talk about the work that we had on show.
One painting, it has to be said, was the star of the show. Nightview: Reflections by Ashley Hold. This attracted so much attention. People were coming back two or three times to have another look, bringing their friends and having lively discussions about what they could see in the painting, gasps of delight as they spotted yet another nuance and huge admiration for the skill involved in such a complex work of art.
We were delighted to be able to live with this painting for three days and found that it stayed with us long after the show closed each night, informing the way that we looked at, through and beyond the reflections in night windows, creating a still and quiet contemplation of the human condition. It is a rare thing to be the conduit of such a work of art, and it feels like an honour”.
Ingrid Heseltine, Director of Beside The Wave Gallery, 2011
The Sound of Drawing
One of the great benefits of observational drawing and painting is to increase our awareness, to immerse ourselves in our perceptions, this awareness doesn’t stop with the visual but extends to the other senses; taste, smell, touch, and hearing.
"As a long-time listener of BBC Radio 3, I have always been drawn to the segments where listeners contribute audio clips from their daily lives. These snippets of nature or routine are montaged with music into wordless sound-poems.
One of the things I loved most about attending life drawing classes was the quiet that 'crackled' with intense concentration. There is something special about being in a group, working in silence toward a shared subject, yet each person remains wrapped in their own private thoughts.
Now that I teach life drawing, that silence is often broken by my own voice as I guide students. However, there are still moments when I can stand back to observe the work in progress and listen to the rhythm of the room—the sound of pencil, graphite, or charcoal meeting paper, sometimes vigorously, sometimes with extreme delicacy.
Inspired by this, I recorded the sound of my students whilst drawing vigorously with graphite sticks, in February 2020 and sent it to the BBC just days before the first lockdown. You can click the 'Sound of Drawing' link opposite to hear the segment from the Breakfast show (broadcast 18 April 2020), presented by Elizabeth Alker. My clip is accompanied by two pieces from Rachel Grimes’ Music for Egon Schiele, composed for Stephan Mazurek’s theatrical production."
