During her career, Angela Wakefield has produced some of our most enduring representations of contemporary urban landscapes both here and in the USA. However, her latest commission presents an exciting challenge rather closer to home.
When the University of York made plans to celebrate Greg Dyke’s eleven years as Chancellor they decided that commissioning a painting would be the best way of showing their appreciation. It's no secret that Greg is not only a keen admirer of the work of American artist, Edward Hopper, but is also a great fan of Angela's paintings. So, his wife, Sue, felt that a piece by Angela Wakefield would be an excellent choice.
She was approached by the Chancellors department of the university, and was told that they were planning to unveil a new outdoor community space on 27 October, supported by Greg Dyke during his final year in office.
The actual painting is going to be of ‘Greg’s Place’. The new area will offer an innovative space to host and view art installations, open air cinema, pop-up activities and performance for students and visitors alike, whilst providing a focal point for Open Days and Graduation days,
Angela and her husband Phil recently spent a memorable couple of hours at Heslington Hall, North Yorkshire with Greg.
‘Greg is extremely charming & charismatic,’ says Angela.’He said that he would be visiting my studio in Ribchester soon.’
The ex-Chancellor would like to give the artist as much creative freedom for the commission as possible, and was keen to hear her ideas as to how she would capture the spirit of the place. He took a very keen interest in Angela and her work and was interested to know more about Bee Mill.
Angela Wakefield's initial thinking for the commission is to capture the diverse range of students, their friendships, interactions and natural behaviour within the grounds. Also, there was talk of returning at twilight to capture the atmosphere at night, when the lights react on the surface of the lake, or when there is something a little more dramatic in terms of light and perspective.
Part of Angela’s process is to use her imagination to bring together various elements, incorporating several photographic references, memories and sketches in order to create a unique and original work.
No comments:
Post a Comment