Nigel Loves

About

From the seven artists selected for The Inner Self: Drawings from the Subconscious, which took place at CGP London in September 2014, Nigel Kingsbury was chosen for the coveted prize of a solo show at the Julian Hartnoll Gallery in Duke Street, London, by Curator Vivienne Roberts. Born in 1949, Nigel has been a key member of Action Space; a London based visual arts organisation supporting the development of artists with learning disabilities, for nearly 10 years. He has exhibited widely as part of the group and has been selected for Studio Voltaire's prestigious Members Show on three occasions. Nigel's fine, delicate portraits depict women as mystical goddesses attired in glamorous ball gowns, decadent outfits and floating dresses. Each picture is unique, sometimes drawn from memory, sometimes of those in close proximity, but always of women he likes and is inspired by. If Nigel is fond of the woman he is drawing, he will place hearts and kisses around his signature and, for a few special people, he will sign the piece ‘Love(s) Nigel' or ‘Nigel Loves'; giving the exhibition its title. Drawing virtually every day, Kingsbury has produced images of women since his 20s. During his time spent in hospital, he was inspired by the nurses, and when at home, he would source images by recording TV programmes and freeze framing selected women to sketch. This fascination with the female form inspires Kingsbury to create drawings with a frequently mysterious and eerie quality, although his idolisation of the figure in such a rare and carefully observed manner is far removed from contemporary issues of gender stereotyping.