Annie Mackin is a Hastings based artist, known for her oil paintings inspired by the natural world, ancient pagan and magical history as well as the history and pageantry of the town.
Annie has had work exhibited at the De La Warr Pavilion in the mother artist collective she co-founded and co-curated ‘Babes In Arms’. The collective recently took over the studio at Hastings Contemporary for International Women's Day. As well as this, Annie has exhibited in a number of galleries and other locations such as Stella Dore, collected fictions and Heist, all in St Leonards-on-Sea.
Frank Nunneley attended St. Martin’s School of Art and then Trent Park College of Education, both in the 1960s. He taught art for a short while but then spent a lifetime working in another field entirely. He returned to his artwork in 2007 and started to develop his sculpture and photographic work alongside his painting and drawing. He has exhibited at many places, including the Farley Farm Barn Gallery, (Farley Farm is known as the former home of Lee Miller, the photographer); the Menier Gallery, London Bridge; and the Rye Society of Artists. He was also the official photographer for the first Rye International Jazz Festival in 2012.
Most of the photographic work in this exhibition was taken in and around Hastings, Camber Sands, and Dungeness. It speaks for itself.
With its varied landscapes and changeable weather and light, East Sussex has always been a huge inspiration for local artist and retired art teacher David Graham. Studies include ancient trees of Sussex, the rolling hills of the South Downs and the colourful beaches of Bexhill and Hastings.
All pieces for sale at The Crown Hastings.
Please contact @davidgrahamart on Instagram for more information.
I usually paint on the kitchen table, which I find it less daunting than a blank canvas on an easel - although I occasionally do that too. This is the first time I’ve shown my work anywhere outside our home and I hope what people see is that it’s all done for the love of it.
These paintings, drawings and collages follow on from the work I did in Hastings during the lockdown. Returning to favourite places, seeing them from new angles and exploring different ways to render what I see. When you live by the sea it is your focal point.
Always a little tongue-in-cheek, Vanessa Farinha's work explores the symbols and signs that we hold onto in order to understand who we are and what it means to exist in the in-between spaces.
At the Crown, she'll be showing painting and collage work that subverts some recognisable icons, giving them new forms to inspire action.
Vanessa Farinha lives & works in Hastings.
Nick Ballon and Alma Haser are both artists and photographers who live and (sometimes, in this case) work together. Nick has a background in portraiture and documentary photography and Alma more in fine art experimental portraiture, using paper cutting and folding, amongst other techniques. Together their practices add different elements and elevate their works. Both working to their strengths. They are showing two series of work, both in collaboration with Maharam, a New York fabric company.
The first, shot in 2020, started with Nick photographing on location, at Electric Daisy Flower Farm in Somerset. Where he began experimenting in their polytunnel. Its eerily soft, diffused daylight gave the images an almost clinical feel, as if the flowers were being propagated deep underground using artificial lights. Then working at home during lockdown, Alma layered the photographs with Maharam textiles, cutting the images to reveal the material/surface beneath and, in turn, adding a sculptural dimensionality that offsets the tactility of textiles. Then everything was re-photographed imatating the harsh mid day sun, creating shadows and a stark contrast to the original poly tunnel setting.
The second series, shot this year, was done in reverse. This time Alma started, by cutting shapes into the fabrics. Each cut shape, a window to photograph through. Nick then transported them to the Isle of Skye where he found beautiful rugged landscapes and man-made object to photograph.
Alice Powell and Molly Stredwick are artists based in St. Leonards.
The two artists share an interest in the concepts of nostalgia and the use of text in their work. They have together developed a dynamic working relationship and friendship since meeting at Camberwell College of Arts.
Alice will be displaying a collection of found poems in the snug, while Molly fills the restaurant and bar with a series of works on paper and wood.