ARTISTS PAST AND PRESENT
STEVEN ARON WILLIAMS
Hello! I’m Steven and the ART SHOP is my little venture into the art world.
My inspirations are often fragments of memory or thought of a certain time, place or encounter. A non linear visual diary of sorts. My travels, popular and queer culture are recurring themes, as are ideas about identity, politics, mortality and commemoration, all bound together in a style which finds its origins in the cartoons of my childhood. The Beano, Disney, Hanna Barbera and all that jazz.
I saturate paper in layers of colour and line with a sense of spontaneity once the intimidation of the white surface is overcome. As my work evolves, in some instances beyond the paper itself, I settle into a state of reflection about the initial trigger. My mind wanders, emotions are agitated and experiences re-lived. Some details become less relevant whilst other elements are exaggerated, twisted by time, leading to a heightened, distorted, sometimes abstracted impression of the original idea. There is an ever present tension between black and white, life and death, and the colour of everything in between.
It’s an introspective, often subversive process underpinned by anxiety, ageing and a dark humour; an attempt to make sense of the world and my place in it.
ART SHOP is an extension of my practice, an opportunity to get out of the studio, connect, curate and celebrate like minded artists and generally just to have some bloody good fun…
@stevenaronwilliams
HELEN BRYANT
Helen is a wonder, a painter, nature lover and in my opinion a sartorial wizard.
I’d heard about Helen through a friend of a friend but couldn’t really find much about her bar what was on Instagram. Her work is a dreamland of colour and whimsical characters that charm and baffle in equal measure. She draws in ink using seagull feathers, paints with the audacity of a child wandering off paper and canvas onto tablecloths, clothes and any other surface she see’s fit.
Helen kindly invited me to her home in St Leonards after I approached her to take part in the ART SHOP. Her family were concerned about this random stranger coming to the house but she assured them and me that she knew where all the kitchen knives were.
Sitting in Helen’s back garden drinking tea in the sun, talking about her artistic journey, love for Vivienne Westwood, family life and those tartan shopping trolleys was enchanting. It was like we’d known each other for years. When we did get round to looking through the work, rummaging through the shed, the rolls of canvas and stacks of paper I was overwhelmed with pure joy…
@helenbryant46
KRISHNA SHANTHI
Krishna is a Tamil-Canadian queer visual artist and graphic designer currently obsessed with blue. He sees it as a metaphor for remembering and forgetting queerness relating to his learned understanding of queer identity.
In his practice, he creates representation of hybrid identities. He weaves concepts and materials relating to Hindu epics and myths, comic book superheroes, Disney princesses and gay adult material.
I first saw Krishna’s work at the Queer Art Now show last year at Space Station Sixty Five and since then his work has kept materialising before me. I love his instagram stories. They flow with images of incarnations of the blue god Vishnu, including Krishna and Rama.
ART SHOP is playing host to pieces from the From the Blue Series. The bejewelled gods or men are confronting, lustful and glorious. They form a protest, a sense of belonging and a way to exist without shame…
@_skrishnanana
GAVIN DOBSON
Gavin is one of my favourite painters. He’s based in East London at the Print Club Studios. We met at the The Other Art Fair a few years back. It was a bit odd and awkward as we were all wearing those face masks with the pandemic still looming large. His work popped out of the sterile white booths with so much fluid charm, soul and lively colour.
Gavin’s work is expressive, exploring themes of homosexuality, its subcultures, expectations and stereotypes that encompass the “gay experience” Gavin’s practice also encompasses more traditional aspects of painting including still life and landscape which are tackled in a very non traditional manner. Whatever his subject, he approaches it with a pure joy of what paint can do when applied to a surface.
Gavin is becoming a regular visitor to Folkestone, popping down from that London to soak up the sea air and sideways rain. It never dampen the spirits. Last time we sat and ate our burritos in the drizzle on the harbour arm then took refuge in the lighthouse where we had a good natter about art, our love for funny northern women and our plans to take over the art world…
@gavdob
RACHAEL HOUSE
Rachael is an ART SHOP favorite and total inspiration. The pink haired queen of the zines is the purveyor of queer delights including posters, zines, ceramics and brilliant medals for deserving trouble makers! You can shove your OBE’s and all that nonsense!
For people who don’t know Rachael, she is a pink haired wonder. She makes events and workshops, remember the gender binary and patriarchy piñatas at Folkestone Pride? Also performances, drawings, tiles and zines focusing on feminist and queer politics.
Over the past few years Rachael’s work has been exhibited at Queer Britain, The Grand Union Gallery (Birmingham) The Triangle (Deptford) The Feminist Library (Peckham) and most recently as part of the Margate Pride Arts Trail. She even has a piece in the V&A collection…
@rachaelhouse
ASHLEY WILLSON
Ashley is a Folkestone based artist and clinical photographer for the NHS. His series of paintings entitled “Behind the Red Door” are an exploration of his experiences whilst working within the hospital environment.
His observation of the spaces that medical staff, patients and their visitors inhabit are a revelation. Beyond the white walls, there is a world of colours that have developed their own connotations due to the context they are placed in.
The electric blue of the curtains, the magnolia yellow of the walls, the green sheets amplified by the operating lights, exposing the vibrant red underneath the skin. There is a calm violence to these colours reflecting the environment where the fragility of life and death is omnipresent.
I first saw Ashley’s paintings in 2022 and they instantly stirred something. The perspectives and obscured identities reminded me of Francis Bacon but it was the colour which I found so profound. Since that show Ashley has been pretty quiet, however when I visited him recently in his studio with my mother in tow, it was exciting to see him getting back into the painting. We’ll have to wait for the new series but in the meantime the “Behind the Red Door” series needs to be appreciated…
@ashley_jamesstudio
BEN GORE
Ben is a multi-disciplinary artist and purveyor of brilliant bootleg toys based here in Folkestone.
Beginning his career as a photographer, Ben went onto to establish Blue Monday Press in 2015 and is a force for platforming other emerging artists through publishing and exhibitions. Ben’s practice is a playful, nostalgia filled adventure which takes you back to a childhood of action figures, cartoons and sci-fi interwoven with a dark humour, a love of skateboarding and an obscure yet joyful obsession with Mr Blobby.
Ben’s been out of action recently due to an incident involving a skateboard but I’m glad to say he’s back on his feet hobbling about chasing kittens…
@bengoreartist
HOLLY MAY OLUWO
Holly May Oluwo is a poet and collagist whose work exudes a pure and soulful energy. The layers of recycled newspaper she uses so intricately in her therapeutic practice convey profound messages and a wit so subtly, they could easily be missed whilst taking in the bigger picture. They need to be studied for them to unleash their complete brilliance.
Her most recent works are an education in anatomy. Specifically female anatomy which reflect her journey into motherhood. She delves into natural forms and beauty without sexualising it, presenting works which continually proffer the viewer her ideas through the headlines and bylines she so adeptly weaves together.
KAREN GROUT
Karen is a whirlwind of colour and joy. A designer and educator, she’s one of the most comical and fun people you could ever hope meet. Her stories are the stuff of legend, her work whimsically fun and accessible and I’m so happy she’s in the ART SHOP. It was touch and go there for a while!
Karen studied at the RCA along with fellow ART SHOP designer Tamasyn Gambell and has gone on to design for the likes of Liberty, Paul Smith, John Lewis and Habitat. Her illustrations are nostalgic, reminiscent of vintage toys, her travels and love for her native Islington.
Karen is one of my oldest and best friends. We met 20 years ago in New York and since then we’ve shared many insane adventures together for which I’ll be eternally grateful…
@karengrout
KARIN BRINK AKA STUDIO WELLESLEY
As if this lady needs any introduction. Karin has been with the ART SHOP since it started in the little shop when she was Crack Den & Wonky Pot. She’s since rebranded but the wonk is still there. This proud immigrant lives and works round the coast in Margate and is an absolute Swedish gem of a human being.
Along with the Immigrant mugs she crafts joyous ceramic fish, stoneware plates, and vases, all hand made and unique.
It’s interesting watching peoples reaction to the immigrant mugs. Bafflement, laughter, pride and a few tuts which is ridiculous because we’re all immigrant or descended from immigrants. It makes us who we are. It should be celebrated…
@studiowellesley
TAMASYN GAMBELL
I met Tamasyn many years ago whilst she was studying printed textiles at the RCA. Since then she’s navigated a career of high fashion, high street as well as interiors and trend forcasting. Stints at Louis Vuitton, Sonia Rykiel, H&M though impressive additions to the CV left her frustrated by the amount of waste and lack of innovation she witnessed. The speed of consumption left little time to reflect.
It was at this juncture she decided to take a leap of faith, establishing her studio which has become known for its timeless, considered designs and quality homewares. All of which are hand printed by Tamasyn in her East London studio. Her ethos upholds a responsibility to work in the most environmentally and socially responsible methods possible. Production runs are small, waste is minimal and everything is made in the UK by people who share her values.
Expect bold colours and geometrics with a Bauhaus vibe adorning handy eco friendly products which are a joy to live with…
FREYJA CROW
Freyja is a multi-disciplinary artist based predominantly on planet earth, or more specifically, Dover. Her work is rooted in a DIY ethos, heavily influenced by ancient craftsmanship, mythology, folklore and the 1970’s punk movement. These influences manifest into dreamy ceramics and textiles that are adorned with her own mythical deity, The Sprout.
Freyja’s intrigued by mythical creatures, deities and idols throughout history and the constant search for belonging and a higher purpose which is something almost innate within all humans…
@freyjacrow
NIKKI THOMPSETT AKA DAWSON ROAD STUDIOS
Nikki is a local Folkestone superstar. Her playful, up cycled, textiles based practice documents and weaves together the adventures and drawing she shares with her daughter.
One of the first things I ever bought when I moved to Folkestone was one of Nikki’s T-shirts. I was rummaging through the rails in @bouncevintage and came across this embroidered blue baby. It was bizarre and brilliant, reminiscent of the dancing baby in Ally McBeal.
Hanging out with Nikki and her mum in their studio was an education. They introduced me to the work of Alice Kettle, I discovered Toyota make sewing machine and we nattered about everything from arts education to ideas for an audacious t-shirt…
@dawsonroadstudio
AMY PATTERSON
Amy is a London based photographer and producer. We collaborated on the project and exhibition SELF.
A project documenting the reconnection with self and the rediscovery of personal creativity between Amy and myself during a pivotal period in our lives. Separately but alongside one another, we both utilise different mediums to rediscover parts of ourselves which perhaps have been forgotten. Through documenting encounters, time and place our work is a method in processing ideas of grief, trauma and fundamental life changes.
This process ultimately converged into a period of separation, collective grief, anxiety and fear with the rest of the world as the pandemic took hold. Without the distraction of ‘normal’ everyday life we were forced to adapt and took the opportunity to delve even deeper.
@amyjpatterson_
ETHAN SHEPPARD
Glasgow based Ethan Sheppard’s artistic practice explores topics of identity, values and value judgements; the constructed and the pre-conceived. Researching in-depth topics about the human condition, their goal is not to provide an indefinite answer, but rather to reimagine ideas of what the question looks like. This research guided them into finding and embracing their own queer identity; using an erotic drawing based practice.
Ethan has exhibited work throughout Folkestone and abroad. Continuing to be part of the creative discussion that occurs within the community whilst also critically investigating the role of the “creative”
@_ethantheartist_
JOAO CARIDADE
Joao Caridade hails from a small town in Portugal whereas a child he dreamt of being abducted by aliens. The abduction never happened yet the aliens materialised in his work, ET amongst them along with a host of other weirdly wonderful characters. His illustrative and photographic practice is an ode to the simple pleasures in life. Coffee, cigarettes, a good book, bread, a day by the seaside, spotting something rare, something new.
@caridadeworld
LEE WALKER
Lee Walker has been shooting for over 15 years. His interest gravitates towards the beauty and raw emotion inherent in landscapes and documentary photography. Drawn to darker themes, his work strives to capture a deep-seated fascination with the intricacies of the world. Having resided in many places across the USA and England, he finds himself compelled to capture the essence of places, immortalising their present form for future generations. His work serves as a bridge between the past and the future, speaking to the social consciousness that drives a passion for documenting the world around him.
@leewalker.photo
WILL THORBURN
Will is a contemporary artist and fashion educator based in London and Folkestone. His work is a collage of illustrative brilliance and energy. Fashion, pop culture, anatomy, nostalgia, the cult are layered, merged and twisted into brilliantly busy compositions.
@wthorburn
LAURA MARS
Laura Mars and I are newly acquainted in “real life” but I’ve been following her on the socials for several years after seeing her paintings in Margate. Her work has a frantic, magical quality, a world of fantastical characters and places. After much procrastinating, I shoved myself through that wall of shy, weird awkwardness I often find myself in front of and I sent her a message asking her to consider becoming a partner. A few days later I was sitting in Laura’s vivacious dining room. We conversed innately, discovering our views on the ridiculous art world, painting and nostalgia were wildly in tune. She introduced me to the work of John Bellany and George Raftopoulos, then quite out of the blue gave me an impromptu rendition of Doris Day’s “Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps” The entire encounter will forever be a dazzling and treasured memory.
Laura’s paintings, drawings and sculptures are influenced by childhood experiences. She believes in magic and creates a world of possibilities and permutations in which she see’s herself as the art as much as artworks she creates.
@lauramars_artist
SINA SPARROW
I was introduced to Sina’s work via his fabulous “Cher Don’t Care’ T-shirt kindly gifted to me by the riotous Jules Jones. Sina Sparrow aka Sparrow Boy is an illustrator, comic book artist and DJ from over there in Hastings. His work explores themes of popular culture and movie icons. The camp and the cult, the gays and their pop idols…
@thatsparrowboy
CONSTANCE MACQUEEN
Before Constance MacQueen left for the bright lights of that there London, she kindly invited me to her studio to have a rummage whilst she was in the midst of having a pre-move clear out. What I had the privilege to experience was a journey through her practice from her uni days to the present day.
Sheets and sheets and sheets of paper, lines, faces and body parts. It was an exciting exploration of mark making and form that are the foundations of her paintings. Paintings which are known for their intricate and subtle qualities along with a wild and dextrous use of colour.
@conqueenie
STEPHEN FOY-PHILP
Known to his students and their parents as “Crocodile Guy” Stephen is an artist with whom I feel a natural allegiance. His awkwardly endearing and absurdist paintings have a poignancy which unravel before your eyes. We met recently at the artist grit sessions run by the amazing Threads Kent. If you’re based in Kent I would highly recommend. Seeing his work took me back to the cartoons and storybooks I grew up with as a child. Made by hand, flamboyantly colourful with an underlying darkness.
@Stephen_fp
FROUDE & FROUDE
Laura and David Froude are well established in these parts. They have a co-active, prolific practice forged in marriage and a love of materiality and colour. Their studio is a crucible of painting, drawing and ceramics which has evolved to host and support a community of artists from the Folkestone area. Sitting in their calm white space whilst the ferocious rain battered the windows recently we had the chance to good natter about their past and present endeavours. Laura is currently venturing back into the expanse of gestural abstract painting after a period of figurative works, whilst David is experimenting with pots that have a distinctly post modernist vibe. It was an incredibly zestful studio visit.
Whilst rummaging through the attic stacked with old canvases and boxes I clocked an unexpected yet familiar face. It was Noel Fielding, but it transpired he wasn’t alone. In the box with him was Mary Beard, Clare Balding, Jon Snow amongst others. Laura explained they were from back in lockdown when famous folk had sat for a Sky Arts life drawing telly thing. I don’t think she ever intended to show them. They were just a bit of fun.
SANDRA MADELANE
Sandra is a person of few words when it comes to her work. All I could really get out of her about her work is that it’s really stressful. She doesn’t really think that much, she just creates, lets nature and physics take its course and allows the imagery to speak for itself.
This makes sense having known Sandra for almost 10 years, from first working together at John Lewis. Her career as a commercial photographer has been ruled by corporate guidelines and bossy art directors like myself. Her practice is the antithesis of her “main job”
Her submerged floral sculptures are fragile and transient, yet she has the innate ability to capture them at their most magical. Her images have featured in Rakes Progress Magazine and she is the recipient of a BJP International Photography Award…
@sandramadelane
SUE BRIDGE
“I’m a gallerists nightmare, I change direction everything six months or whenever I get bored” This is what I love about the work of Sue Bridge. You never know where she’s going to take you. This capricious approach to her practice hasn’t hindered her success either, winning “the most innovative use of colour” award at The Royal Society of Watercolour Painters and once again being selected for the Discerning Eye show at the Mall Galleries. Sue’s expedition through painting has taken her from the shores of Folkestone and its sea swimming community to the fractious landscapes of Iceland and into the realms of unapologetic abstraction. Sue has recently joined the punk band She Won’t Bite, proving it’s never too late to tap into that rebellious sprit and give two fingers to the establishment. “My mother would be horrified”
@sue_bridge
ROVANECHE
Until recently our paths had never really crossed in real life. I’ve always loved his approach to drawing. How he often utilises found materials or objects. It is a joy to watch. Intuitive and slick, simple yet somewhat awkward and unnerving. These figures are often paired with poetic and poignant words.
We’ve followed each other on the old socials for ages but for some mad reason we’d never conversed. The modern world is messed up like that isn’t it? I recently saw him at the @dampdisco I was out of my tree and just staggered over where I believe we agreed we should collaborate on something at some point. The next day whilst suffering from the fall out of the night before, I was sorting out a box of old fashion ads I’d hoarded. They called out to be drawn on so I offered them up as drawing material. Michal kindly accepted and they were sent to Bristol. The results are simply brilliant.
A Folkestone resident until recently, he describes his work as “A representation of the phenomenon of contradiction. Failure and success, confidence and disappointment. Vulnerability as a force not a weakness” It’s quite rare for such a simple and concise artists statement.
In fact it is this simple and uncluttered approach Michal has taken with his offer at ART SHOP & Partners. Nothing is framed, no paper works are priced. Instead he asks the customer to pay what they can. I’d caveat that with “don’t take the piss”
@rovaneche
ANGELA SCHÜTZ
Recently Angela has been held captive by that demon, creative block. We can all relate and empathise how frustratingly debilitating it can be. We’ve been working to reignite the artistic furnace. Whilst visiting her studio I noticed the sparks there were there. I asked her about the bags and boxes of old ceramics dolls, scraps of fabric and nicknacks.
“I love things with a (hi)story, I feel it gives them soul, and that touches and inspires me. My favourite places are junk and charity shops but also DIY stores and shops that normally would be of no interest to me. A while ago I passed a fishing tackle shop. I thought they would make really nice necklaces!"
“My particular passion is with old dolls though. About 10 years ago I picked up my first porcelain doll from a junk shop and since then they haven't stopped fascinating me. I especially like the ones that have been knocked about by life, that have cracks and scars and bits missing. They are my favourites!”
“I pick them up, wash them, dry them, paint them, give them clothes, sometimes jewels to wear...... whatever I feel it needs to express what I see in them. I've done it many many times and have been asked many many times: "Why these dolls?"
“They have dignity for me, a timeless beauty I can't resist. Their little faces unimpressed by what has happened to them. Discarded, forgotten and reclaimed a hundred years of history looking back at me. They remind me of myself, my mother, my grandmother. Our wounds, cracks and scars, our discarded and forgotten parts, the hidden bits that feel awkward and don't fit in”
“I’m touched by what I see and in this literally very small way - only a few centimetres in size - I want to celebrate who we are. Celebrate the beauty of cracks and scars and bits missing and how we can shine through cracks and scars and bits missing”
“Every little doll says: "Here I am, look at me! I am what's beautiful - crazy - weird in you and I'm not afraid to show it."
@artandsoulwork_studio
BECKY BECKETT
Becky is a queer, neurodivergent artist that has resided in the Midwest of the United States for the last five years. Their work is in constant contradiction with itself. A push, a pull, a total scramble of the extreme personal and the surface matter of dopamine hits the artists seeks out.
Visuals are made up from an array of images that the artist collects daily from life as well as any specific interests that they happen to be ‘rabbit holing’ on at any given moment.
Their need to physically move on an almost constant basis plays heavily into the layers of the work. This energy is present in the form of bodily prints that create patterns and shapes, overlaying colour and textures on to the pieces. These are by one of several processes they use not only to convey what they wish to produce visually but the act itself creates great joy, a sense of play and a sensory experience that can be repeated over and over, a stim that is pleasing and soothing all at once.
Line drawings play a major role in the artists practice and very easily becomes a hyper focus that the artist can loose themselves in. Works range from the minute to the very large in both 2D and 3D forms. Quite often making one from the other, repeating and reusing.
All these elements build up over time creating layers from a documentation of life that the artist experiences in a cyclical way. As the owner of a menstrual cycle the artist has spent years documenting their behaviour and how their neurodivergence interplays with what they find joyful and difficult. A kind of untangling or attempt to constantly understand themselves better. Creating work that may seem chaotic is a method of controlling the chaos without destroying the spontaneity of the final result.
@becky.beckett.and.crapopolis
FOLKESTONE HARBOUR YARN
Earlier this year I was sat in a local coffee establishment with fellow ART SHOP artist Lee Walker when were unexpectedly model scouted by Suzi. It wasn’t however for our dashing youthful looks but for our feet. Next thing I knew we were parading around in these rather deliciously fruity socks.
Suzi’s Walk With Pride Socks collection were amongst the haberdashery offering for ART SHOP & Partners.
@folkestoneharbouryarn
MARK MILLSTED
Mark is one of my favourite painters, primarily for the way which he intuitively runs amuck with colour, often in very unusual combinations. His works are texturally engrossing, their subjects materialise is an ambiguous fashion, often failing to materialise at all. They are exquisite lessons in painting…
@markmillstedpainting