On Reflection at the Jeannie Avent Gallery

Jim Grundy is showing recent paintings at the Jeannie Avent Gallery in North Cross Road from 22 February.

The exhibition is called ‘On Reflection’ and runs until 3 March, open every day. ‘I chose the title for two reasons. It brings to mind the notion of contemplation but also refers to the physics of light and symmetry.’ A common theme in the paintings is the representation of the human figure in abstracted forms.

Jim has lived in the Dulwich area for almost 30 years. ‘I moved here in the early 80s and it would be hard to find somewhere I would rather live. East Dulwich has changed such a lot in the last 20 years. I remember Galerie Dagmar opening and I had a joint exhibition there in 1990. It was probably a bit ahead of its time but the idea of an art gallery on North Cross Road is not unusual now. I took part in the Dulwich Open Studios in 2005 when it was much smaller and the way it has grown to the current size shows the number of artists living and working in the area. Having the quality of paintings at the Dulwich Picture Gallery so close is fantastic. I particularly enjoyed the Ragamala exhibition and at the moment I am looking hard at Canaletto’s ‘Old Walton Bridge over the Thames’. Curved arches created from the straight wooden planks have inspired a new work.’

Jim studied fine art at Maidstone College of Art in the late 70s and has always maintained a studio. ‘My paintings have a long gestation period and I collect a wide range of source material including photographs of architectural features, details of mediaeval artworks, pre-historic artefacts and geometric patterns. In time links between the source materials emerge which I had not anticipated.’

This way of working has fitted with his career in art management. ‘I started at the Tate Gallery in 1983 during a very exciting period of change and from 1993 was Head of the Art Handling department. I was very lucky to be there for the build up to the opening of Tate Modern in 2000. It was very challenging as we moved from three major exhibitions a year to twelve and continuously changed the collection displays. Working with major art collections around the world and with such talented people was very inspiring and I learnt a great deal.’

Since 2006 Jim has been with an international art and antique shipping company helping to establish a museum service. ‘This has been another huge learning curve and it’s been fascinating to experience the public funded and commercial side of moving art around the world for exhibitions.’

In the last five years Jim has been able to spend more time in the studio. The work on show at Jeannie Avent is a selection from this period which has been very productive. ‘I find that travel inspires new work. I will always try and visit museums that display ethnographic collections and experience different cities and landscapes. I went to California in 2007 and the landscapes and Native American bead and pottery designs I discovered inspired a whole group of paintings titled ‘Border’ which refers to the various geometric designs that appear across different cultures.’ A painting that has been very influential is the 15th Century ‘Annunciation’ by Robert Campin which he saw in Brussels.

The handling of the light falling on folds of fabric through the arrangement of open and half open window shutters has generated a series of works called ‘Morning’ which also refers to a painting in the Tate collection by Dod Proctor of the same title. Another recent group of paintings draws inspiration from a range of sources including the decorated pages of the Lindisfarne Gospels and the designs of Flemish lacemakers. The resulting forms created from intertwining elements are reminiscent of viewing the world through a microscope. The relationship between art, life and science is a driving force in his work.

Jim is taking part in this year’s Dulwich Open Studio as part of the Dulwich festival in May and people can see more examples of his paintings by visiting his website www.jimgrundy.co.uk.

Jim Grundy ‘On Reflection – Recent Paintings’
Jeannie Avent Gallery
14 North Cross Road
East Dulwich
SE22 9EU

Friday 22 February – Sunday 3 March 2013
Mon to Fri 12.00 – 18.00
Sat and Sun 11.00 – 18.00

Dulwich Open Studios 2013
Sat 11 – Sun 12 May
Sat 18 – Sun 19 May
11.00 – 18.00