Ibiye and Sokari Douglas Camp

Last week Alexandra Galleries completed the framing of eleven paintings by 19 year old London artist Ibiye Camp, daughter of one of the leading female sculptors of African origin, Sokari Douglas Camp, CBE.

Ibiye, currently studying BA Fine Art at Byam Shaw, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, was preparing for her first major show at Artco Gallery in Herzogenrath Germany where she will display a collection of her portrait paintings.

The exhibition opens on Friday 11 March and Ibiye, whose bubbly character instantly comes across in her work, is both excited and nervous at the prospect of her first major exhibition.

The planning and organising has had to fit in with preparations for her college end of term show, her lectures and of course a busy social life. But she need not worry as not only is her work refreshingly youthful and showing signs of promise, but she comes from a formidable stable of artists. As well as an accomplished sculptor for a mother she can also boast a successful architect father and an older sister who is a photographer.

Ibiye works with oil and acrylic paint both on board and on canvas. Her portraits are varied but predominantly based upon London life, its cosmopolitan atmosphere, style and vibrant youth culture. Growing up in Walworth, near Elephant & Castle SE17, has clearly had an influence on this young, and very ambitious artist. Her portraits focus on the energetic, diverse and confident nature of those people closest to her rather than convey the negative side of youth culture often associated with that busy part of London.

Ibiye sites Chris Ofili, Paul Gaugin, Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach among the many that have influenced her work.

When I visited the stunning family home, designed and built by father Alan Camp, to deliver the framed portraits I caught up with Douglas Camp in her studio/gallery and enquired as to what she was working on. As well as preparing for a solo exhibition in October 2011, also at Artco Gallery, she told me that she had not too long returned from the Bahamas where she had been invited to submit a proposal for a public art commission.

Her long time friend the photographer, writer, curator and lecturer David A Bailey, MBE who has well established links with the Bahamian art community, was the instigator. It was Bailey who curated the Remember Saro-Wiwa Living memorial, designed and built by Douglas Camp, to keep alive the issues that Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta fought and died for.

Discussions between Douglas Camp and officials in the Bahamas are well on the way. Meanwhile the artist considers the prospect of having to spend some 3 - 4 months away from her family, on a tropical island in the sunny Caribbean. How daunting!

Framing Clinic this weekend

Saturday 5 March

10am - 2pm

Admission Free

Spring is in the air and at a time when house clearance is top of most people's To-Do list Alexandra Galleries is offering to frame all those prints still rolled up in postal tubes and languishing on top of the wardrobe, and help get them on the wall where they belong. More....

Framing Tales - Only Fools and Horses

Among the items brought in for framing in January were a collection of film and TV memorabilia, belonging to a Wimbledon businessman , and a set of interesting masks purchased by a photographer whilst on a recent assignment in the Caribbean.

As an avid fan of Only Fools and Horses, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and Blackadder I was delighted to be asked by Mr B to re-mount and re-frame his collection of autographed photos of these BBC comedy giants.

I am not embarrassed to admit that I am old enough to have seen the original series of all three productions (Rising Damp anyone?) and can remember many of the episodes, including Del Boy and Rodney dressed up as Batman and Robin in their memorable Christmas special.....I've never laughed so much!

I also did a little research on the internet so that I could add credits to each collection, detailing the cast, year, writers etc, a personal touch for which Mr B was grateful.

The masks meanwhile, had to be set in a box and framed for presentation purposes. Ms W chose a deep rebated satin white frame with a complimenting ice white mount. This proved a good choice as it accentuated the colours of the masks and made them look very stylish in their contemporary frame. This was the look Ms B wanted for her hallway.

Other unusual objects we have recently been asked to frame include; football shirts, stamp collections and vinyl records. Framing your most personal treasured items ensures it provides a lasting memory for you and your family, and avoids potential disasters.

A quick reminder to those of you in South London who find the trek to our studio in Beckenham too far, why not come along to our Framing Clinic on Saturday 5 March at Streatham United Reformed Church where we will be accepting your prints, photo's, canvases etc for framing. Choose from our selection of frames and mounts and let us do the rest. We also promise to deliver your work back to you within 14 days. For more details call 020 8249 5807.

Framing Clinic

Saturday 5 March 2011, (10-2pm)

Admission Free, Free parking.

Streatham URC Hall, 388 High Road, Streatham, London SW16 6HX (next to ice rink)

Sisters in Spirit Exhibition celebrating Black History Month

Black History Month 2010 kicks off on October 1 with the opening of Sisters in Spirit, an exhibition of work by ten UK based female artists at the Original Gallery, situated on the first floor of Hornsey Library N8.

Commissioned by Haringey Council Arts & Culture department, Clem Richards of AG has assembled a group of artists, at different stages in their career, and examines the central themes of their artistic explorations; such as the unity of the family, relationships, the Black British experience, spirituality and identity.

The exhibition is an opportunity to see the everyday influences of Black British women, whether as a student, mother, business woman or employee and uncovers a primitiveness and traditional thread that binds their work together.

Sisters in Spirits showcase the works of Soheila Keyani, Paulette Robinson, Melanie "Shay" LaRocque, Michaela Lavine Lewin, Carol John, Munirah Olton, Dionne Ible, Jennifer Lewis, Carol Ann Edwards (Cezanne) and Mary Osinibi (Mary O) for this landmark exhibition at The Original Gallery and forms part of Haringey's 2010 Black History Month celebrations.

The artists will be available on rotation on certain days throughout the exhibition to guide visitors through the exhibits. If you are arranging a group visit and would like to be accompanied by one of the featured artists please contact AG on 020 8249 5807.

If you wish to attend the private viewing on Thursday 30 September 2010, 6.30 - 9.00pm please RSVP on info@alexandragalleries.com.

Sisters in Spirit - The Original Gallery Haringey Park London N8 9JA, 1-31 October 2010. Mon -Fri 13.00 - 19.00 hrs Sat - Sun 12.00 - 16.00 hrs. Admission Free.

Ken McCalla's Spring 2010 Open Studio Weekend

Join artist Ken McCalla as he unveils his latest paintings at his Balham studio this Easter weekend 3/4 April 2010, between 10am - 10pm. Admission free.

Ken has been producing art of all mediums for over 20 years and is one of the founding members, along with Jennifer Lewis and Alvin Kofi, of the leading black art collective, Colour & Movement.

This studio event has become the curtain raiser for Ken's many art promotions and brings together clients, visitors and friends to this relaxed and creative environment.

Also, at 11.30am on both days there will be an artist presentation. So why not stop by on your travels this easter weekend, you won't be disappointed,

Ken McCalla's Spring 2010 Open Studio Weekend 13, Letchworth Street, London SW17

Fairfield Spring Craft & Gift Fair

One of the most rewarding aspects of this job is the opportunity I get to meet clients past and present. Yesterday a number of you dropped in at our stand at the Fairfield spring craft & gift fair in Croydon. This was our first display for 2010 and we showcased our selection of Zimbabwean, Kenyan and Tanzanian stone and wood carvings. Many of you also took the opportunity to take advantage of our framing services by bringing in your artwork.

I wish to thank those of you who made the trip down and hope to see you again real soon.

For details of coming events click here

PARISIAN WEEKEND

We arrived around 3pm at Charles de Galle airport after a flight lasting less than an hour and took the Paris metro to Porte d'Ivry where we had a room booked at The Best Western hotel. After freshening up, and not wanting to waste time, we set off to meet friends for a drink at the perfect watering hole along the Seine called Cafe Fou, located just in front of the Bibliotheque National de France. It looked great, if only it was open!

We decided to re-arrange our drink for the following day and the two of us headed to rue du Faubourg-Montmarte and joined a lengthy queue of diners waiting for a table at Chartier. Not strictly a brassiere, this one time working-man's soup kitchen has appeared in every budget guidebook for decades. There's constant animation from a swarm of waiters who scrawl your order on the edge of the paper tablecloth and return with your food with breakneck speed. Unfortunately the food wasn't as memorable as the atmosphere. We rounded off the evening sipping organic vin rouge in a small bar located in a quaint arcade just off Montmarte which suspiciously had no wine list or price guide.

Saturday morning, after filling up on patisseries, scrambled eggs, toast etc, we set off for a cultured day at Musee D'Orsay where we enjoyed the current exhibition, Art Nouveau Revival, as well as the museums wider collection. I was delighted to see works by African American painter Henry Owassa Tanner (1859 - 1937) who, taken by the inspirational spirit of the city and its cosmopolitan flavour, made Paris his home.

His most famous painting The Banjo Lesson (Hampton University Museum), was painted out of his concerns for the way African Americans were depicted in paintings. The scene in the Banjo Lesson shows its subjects in noble light.

Later that evening we dined at popular African restaurant, Massai Mara 66 Rue Armand Carrel, 75019 (nearest metro Jaures). The food was first class as was the service and the resident guitarist (a doctor by day) creates a mellow mood. After bidding farewell and promising the Cameroon proprietor that I will return to her establishment we set off for Wine & Bubbles (why don't we have this in London....a wine merchant with a bar to enjoy wine and cheese into the early hours.....very bourgeois I hear you say! Final stop, DUC Lombards Club de Jazz at 42 rue des Lombards 75001 (nearest metro Chatelet) where we caught the after show jam session - get there early as nobody seems to leave the joint!

Sunday's pace was somewhat slower but did manage to scoot around Notre Dame before heading back home.