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Jonathan
Sanders
b 29/03/1959
Jonathan embarked upon his artistic career in
Norfolk after completing a degree in Fine Art. Captivated by
the intensity of light and colour of the North Norfolk coast, he became well known for his beautiful
interpretations of local beach scenes. Travelling extensively over
East
Africa he was further
motivated to produce some lively and ambitious work, concentrating more on the
African figure and experimenting with different styles and mediums. He was
influenced by the landscape, people around him and also by native African art.
Jonathan stages regular exhibitions in the
U.K. and abroad and recently had one of his paintings
commissioned by the South African band Ladysmith Black Mambazo for the album
cover of In Harmony .
I paint to express my joy of the landscape that I, in
that particular moment, have encased myself within. The memory to me should be indelible not
transitory.
I choose to paint Africa for so many reasons. It is such a difficult country to
comprehend, but with my paintbrush I can simplify; momentarily casting all the
problems and strife aside and recording the sheer beauty of the
place.
Africa intensified my love of the infinite hues of reds,
golds and earthy tones. When painting I spend as much time mixing colours as I
do in actually applying the paint.
I tend to favour acrylic paints as I find them easy to manipulate and
perfect for building up colour and texture.
I begin a piece by working out a monochromatic
composition then I apply the colour with a large brush, following instinct. For inspiration I study sketches and
photographs taken mainly from my time in
Kenya and Tanzinia.
I listen to music whilst I work, it is a great source
of inspiration, so was honoured to be asked to produce paintings for CD Covers
of some of my favourite and best
known artists in World Music : Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Felu & Femi Kuti,
Selif Keita and Sergio Mendes. One
of my most challenging projects was a portrait of Nelson Mandela for a CD
celebrating the 20 year anniversary of his release.
My love of Africa has also naturally led me to sculpt some of its
native animals. Working in three
dimensions has made me look at my paintings differently and experiment with new
techniques.
I am delighted that after 30 years of painting my
prints through Art Group and Ikea have enabled my work to become recognisable
and collectable. Over the next two
years I am committed to increasing the number of exhibitions of my original
paintings and sculpture and using my work to help the Continent which has been
my main inspiration
Recent Exhibitions (2007)
Agora Gallery
New
York
Burlington Gallery
Cheltenham
Catto Gallery
London
John Nott Gallery
Broadway
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