Not Another Landscape - Vera Blagev

About

London based abstract artist Vera Blagev will be having a solo art exhibition entitled "Not Another Landscape" at the Art Space in Kingston Cass Arts in Southwest London.  Full press release is below:

The landscape as a subject matter for artwork has a long history in Western art, having continuously fallen in and out of favour with artists and their audience.  Present day, landscape painting still polarizes opinion with some appreciating its beauty and others labelling the landscape painting as the epitome of old fashioned and outdated ideas.  In her solo exhibition at the Art Space in Cass Art Kingston, London-based abstract artist Vera Blagev will showcase her mixed media artworks that present a fresh perspective on the traditional landscape displaying a distinctly modern aesthetic. 

Landscape paintings were once considered not worthy of being the subject matter of art with an official ban on landscapes as a suitable subject for paintings at the Council of Trent in the mid-1500s.  Since that time, landscapes have surged in popularity, being included in a number of important art movements.  Yet, over the past fifty years particularly, the appreciation for landscapes as a particular style of artwork has waned.  Today, the landscape painting is considered by some to be too traditional, too pretty, and as not quite deserving of the label of fine art.  But for abstract artist Vera Blagev, the landscape is an ever evolving concept that is a continuous source of inspiration for her work.  Vera’s artworks aim to deepen the viewer’s relationship with nature evoking a sense of possibility.  Inspired by the dramatic landscapes that she has encountered during her travels to more than 50 countries, Vera’s artwork is a love poem to nature. 

“As we urbanize more and more, the landscape plays a bigger role in our mind’s eye,” says Vera.  “Looking at a painting whose main subject matter is nature and a horizon off into the distance holds the promise of space and the allure of freedom.  It’s those qualities that make landscapes still very relevant to a modern audience today,” she says.  From all her travels, the dramatic landscapes of New Mexico, Southeast Asia, Africa and Iceland have particularly inspired Vera’s work.  Since moving to the UK eight years ago, Vera has been heavily influenced by the countryside of the UK, including visions of rolling hills and coastal seaside scenes.  Vera’s artwork is informed by the drama of nature and weather – she particularly is inspired by dramatic skies, open plains, and stark bare landscapes. 

Vera specializes in working with mixed media, including water based media, such as calligraphy ink and liquid acrylic ink.  Vera’s work combines tradition and modernity not only in the media she uses (calligraphy ink having been used for thousands of years while liquid acrylic ink being relatively recent art material), but also in her approach to her art practice.  Unlike traditional landscape paintings that are often characterized by soft pale colours that are representative of nature, Vera’s use of colour is vibrant and bright.  In contrast, the dynamic movement and sense of energy that are characteristic of Vera’s artworks are also key elements of traditional landscape paintings where weather patterns were often a key part of the artwork’s composition.  “I don’t want to show nature as it is,” says Vera.  “I want to distil the whole experience into its component shapes, forms, and lines.  To evoke a mood.  To create an atmosphere.  To transport the viewer into a different space.  And landscapes enable me to do exactly that.” 

In her solo show in London, Vera will be exhibiting a selection of her landscape and seascape artworks at the Art Space in Cass Art Kingston.  Over two weeks, and including two evening events, visitors will be able to see Vera’s latest original paintings that depict colourful striking landscape and seascape compositions. 

Vera has been exhibiting and selling her work in the USA and the UK for nearly 15 years, including most recently at the Windsor Contemporary Art Fair, the Harrogate International Visual Arts Expo, A&D Gallery, and several artist trail, pop-up and art market events throughout London.  In 2016, Vera was one of the winning artists of the inaugural Pebeo Mixed Media Art Competition sponsored by Cass Art.  Her artwork is held at various personal collections in the USA, UK, France and Brazil.  In 2005, she was awarded a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (in Washington DC) to help support her work.

The event is free and open to all (children and families are welcome).  The two private view evening drinks events are free, but require RSVP.       

Press information:

Vera Blagev

vera@veraveraonthewall.com

+44 (0)7463 713 441

high resolution images available upon request

About Vera Blagev:

Vera Blagev is a London based artist creating colourful modern mixed media artwork.  Having travelled to more than 50 countries, and lived in three of them, Vera now calls London her home. She has exhibited her work in the UK and the USA over the past 15 years, is a grant recipient from the Washington DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and was one of the winning artists of the 2016 Pebeo Mixed Media Art Competition sponsored by Cass Art.  Vera is interested in creating artwork that is fundamentally unquestionably beautiful. Focusing on what is most inspiring, calming and aesthetically pleasing in this world, nature as a theme comes back again and again. Vera predominantly uses water based media in a new and unique way.  She intertwines traditional calligraphy ink, which has been used for thousands of years for paintings in Asia, with the very modern medium of liquid acrylic ink. Using two different water-based mediums with her own techniques, she is able to create a sense of movement and energy in her paintings. Her artwork leaps off the paper, grabs the viewer, and transports them to a beautiful serene place.  

www.veraveraonthewall.com

vera@veraveraonthewall.com

+44 (0)7463 713 441

Twitter @veraveraotwall

Blog www.veraveraonthewall.com/blogs/news

Facebook www.facebook.com/veravera.onthewall/

Instagram www.instagram.com/veraveraonthewall/

Pinterest www.uk.pinterest.com/veraveraotwall/   

Linked In www.linkedin.com/in/vera-blagev-87818810b

About Cass Art:

Cass Art is the UK’s leading art materials supplier. Cass Art’s mission is to fill every town with artists.  Deeply committed to encouraging everyone to realise their creative talents, Cass Art provides the world’s top quality materials at the guaranteed best prices.  Cass Art not only partners with some of the leading art brands across the UK, including The National Gallery, The Royal Academy of Arts, National Galleries Scotland and Sky Arts, it also works with local galleries and art institutions.

Founder of Cass Art, Mark Cass, is a trustee of the Cass Sculpture Foundation, a British charity devoted to the promotion of 21st British sculpture through public commissions and exhibitions. His family have been involved in art over many generations – his great uncle, Paul Cassirer, was an important art dealer in the 1920s, and was a promoter of the Impressionist movement in Europe.

Cass Art Kingston is Cass Art’s sixth store and it is the first store outside of central London.  Cass Art Kingston includes the Art Space above the shop floor, which plays host to exhibitions and events to support the local artist community. 

https://www.cassart.co.uk/

https://www.cassart.co.uk/locations/kingston