ART ADVENT CALENDER 2024
Day 21

The Jack House Gallery Art Advent Calendar is back for 2024 and one of 25 artworks submitted by 25 individual artists will be revealed on a daily basis on the gallery website, on social media platforms instagram and Facebook and of course in the Gallery window. The theme for the calendar this year is TIME and it has been fascinating to see how the artists interpret this tricky subject!

Day 21 is a much used very useful word 'Until' by printmaker Tabitha Fedden

"UNTIL: an expectant, romantic word describing the passage of time up to but not including the designated moment. I have chosen this word as usually it is superseded by events; it is a bridging term, time spent whilst waiting for something to happen. Here “until” gets its moment of glory..

The background of this print has been created with many layers of Monoprint and Linocut creating a unique, rich and textured surface, perhaps indicative of the mists of time. The word ‘until’ is double printed in silver ink on to this background. The lettering is a hand drawn Linocut."

‘Until’ Variation 1by Tabitha Fedden 25x25 Monoprint and Linocut  £125 framed@tabitha_fedden to purchase click here or contact the gallery info@jackhousegallery.co.uk

Day 20 made me laugh. Time Will Eat your Face is by Lesley Warren

"I remember as a small child reading how time will erode  mountains and wondered how it would affect me. Now, after a lifetime of research, I am able to reveal the secret of how to prevent the ravages of time from touching you.....DON'T GET TOO CLOSE TO IT"

Time Will Eat Your Face by Lesley Warren Acrylic paints, ink and collage 25x25cm £55 framed to buy click here

Day 19 is by the lovely Jacqui Mair  - I have long coveted the fox in her back garden and the glimpses she gets of it. Here it is 'Waiting for the Night the Night to Come' 

‘Time stands still when the fox comes to our garden .I could stare for hours if he stayed longer ,he is a regular visitor and despite advice I have given him a treat or two. Here I imagine him inviting himself to dinner sharing a plate and telling us how is day has been.’

Waiting for the Night to Come collage & acrylic 25x25cm by Jacqui Mair @ja £180.00 to buy this go to the online shop here

Day 18 is a family portrait and a family generational name by 'Enjoy Yourself while you are Still in the Pink by Louise Roulston 

"The painting “Florence” depicts the artist’s grandmother, linking past and present. Florence, a treasured family name, continues through generations now carried by her great - great granddaughter symbolising continuity and shared heritage."

Title:‘Enjoy Yourself While You’re Still in the Pink’ by Louise Roulston Oil on board 20x10cm £105 framed to buy go to the online shop here or contact info@jackhousegallery.co.uk

Day 17 - I was fascinated by 3 pictures submitted by Andrew Kerr. In the end I selected this one as the beautiful drawings won out over the other beautiful drawings. I loved the ideas and execution of this series.

'Grandma to Grandaughter and back Again' represents looking back through Time to childhood when drawing was uncluttered but always fabulous. It also shows my grandaughter's view of her grandma. Hopefully, in another 2,044,224,000 seconds approximately, she will be looking at her grandchildren's drawings and having the same thoughts'

Grandma to Grandaughter and back Again by Andrew Kerr mixed media drawing and collage 25x25cm £205 framed available in the shop here

Day 16 is a much loved familiar landmark 'Portsmouth Cathedral Clock Tower' by Kevin Dean

"Nowadays access to the time of day is constantly to hand, on our phones, TV or radio. Some of us even wear wrist watches. And yet for centuries, for many people the only means of telling the time was via a clock on a church or another public building. The clock would tell people when to get up for work, to finish work or when to attend church. Portsmouth Cathedral was dedicated in about 1180 but the clock tower was a later addition demolished and replaced in 1691.The clock tower has since been extensively restored - in 2018, topped off by it’s ‘Golden Barque’ weathervane." 

Portsmouth Cathedral Clock Tower Mono print 20x20cm £155 framed to purchase click here

Kevin Dean who trained at The Royal College of Art, is a versatile artist and designer who has illustrated numerous books, designed textiles and ceramics. He is probably best known for his floral marble work at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, which is visited by over 6 million visitors and worshippers a year. Kevin is also the founder of The Omega Art School for adults in Southsea and is a member of Art Space Portsmouth.

Day 15 and a visual pun 'Time Flies' by Doug Davis

"This is a nod to the tradition of Memento mori. The symbolism, watch, bitten apple are obvious but I added the fly as a symbol of death with all the associations of rotten flesh and maggots."

'Time Flies' Acrylic on canvas £ 185.00 framed to purchase go to the online shop here

Day 14 is a familiar image of what may or may not be be an early attempt to measure time? Stonehenge by Louise Griffiths-Kimber 

"Stonehenge has long been considered to be a solar calendar due to it's alignment with the summer & winter solstices. The ancient people may well have used it to measure the days and months of the year. However the monument also appears to be aligned to the Moon's movements as well so the Ancients may have also used the cycles of the moon to mark the passage of Time. Research is ongoing at Stonehenge especially this year where a rare celestial occurence is taking place. This is the Major Lunar Standstill where the northern most and southern most moonrise and moonset are the furthest apart.This phenomena only occurs every 18.6 years and could be considered a once in a generational event - maybe leading to specific celebration" fascinating stuff!

''Stonehenge, Lunar Standstill' 'Mixed Media £105 framed @louisegriffithskimber to purchase go to the online shop here

Day 13 is Time Zones by Sabatin Bascoban

I am constantly surprised by the different approaches that artists have taken with the theme and this is another piece that has visual abstract qualities whilst also coveying an idea.

"For Time Zones, which looks at the relativity of time, I made a collage with additional ink drawings. The cut up black and white images juxtapose water and grassy ground elements – the future and the past. The two circles can be interpreted in many ways. One could read them as clocks showing the time in two cities in different time zones. It’s nearly 3 pm in one place and approaching 8 pm in another. In one city there are still chores to do, while further east the day is already done."  

Time Zones Acrylic, ink, collage 25x25cm £175 framed @space_sled to purchase go to the gallery online shop here

Sabatin Bascopan is one of several artists who are included in the Art Advent Calendar who has a base at Art Space Portsmouth

Day 12 - is Timelapse by Sue England - an abstracted 'impression' of a year in the life of a tree through it's seasons. This was selected because again it’s such a contrasting approach to the subject and the artist has clearly taken pleasure in the fluency of the paint. Sue England observed the changing seasons during a year's residency at Denmans Garden near Chichester. 

Timelapse Oil on board £180 framed @28sueengla0547 to purchase go to the online shop here

Day 11 and a return to the melancholy and inevitable sadness of time passing and our own mortality. 'Death and the Maiden' is a recurring motif in art history and this one is by Debbie Lee.

'My work reflects upon the fragility of life and human existence as people pass through our lives.  The maiden in this print is dancing with a figure of her own mortality.' Debbie Lee is making her debut as an invited artist to the Calendar. 

Debbie Lee RWA The Veil of Time Monoprint 25x25cm £200 @debbie.lee88 to buy this go to the online shop here

Day 10 illustrates the faith we put in time with Jill Poole's  'Window of Optimism'

"Autumn leaves are falling, and the garden is going to sleep.  The gardener in me knows that it’s time to dream of springtime, of longer days full of colour and scent.  It’s time to plant bulbs that hold the promise of joy that follows winter."

Window of Optimism by Jill Poole mixed media collage 25x25cm £105 framed @jillpooleart to purchase click here

Day 9 is called '9 of 17' and is a 'wallpaper sample' by Anita Lawrence. This entry demonstrates how an artist might take a completely differently approach to a theme in both interpretation and execution. The stylised section of wallpaper depicts 9 out of 17 places Anita has lived in during what she describes as an 'unsettling' period of time and that she has then distilled into a stylised domestic pattern.  

Medium: printed wallpaper £125 to purchase go to the online shop here

Day 8 is a representation of what happens over time and the patterns of erosion - 'Remnants of a Tree' is a mixed media collage by Joan Lee. 

"Walking along the shores of the Solent and its estuaries has made me aware of ongoing the changes to this coast through time, through a combination of natural processes and human activities. I've imagined what the landscape might have looked like before sea levels rose after the last ice age: wooded river valleys where the sea and estuaries now are... This picture is one of a series based on Weston shore, near Netley Abbey, where the trunk of a dead tree remained routed into the beach for several years after winter storms but has gone now. Until fairly recently, it was part of the small area of woodland on the backshore which in turn will disappear as the beach continues to erode." 

Remnants of a Tree by Joan Lee Mixed media collage 25x25cm £100 framed to buy go to the online shop here

Day 7 is “Who knows where the Time Goes” a collage of charming dandelion clocks by Carrie Swinburne.

This piece was  inspired by a song with the same title by Sandy Denny and captures the transience and impermanence and fragility of time.

Who Knows Where the Time Goes by Carrie Swinburne mixed media 20x20cm £105 framed @floramorauk_art to purchase go the online gallery shop here

Day 6 is an enviable spot in a lovely garden and the only photograph in this year's calendar.

'Whiling Away...' by Sue Eves Photographic print 25x25cm £55.00 framed to purchase click here

"The sun dial itself suggests historical time as it has been used for thousands of years. I like the way the shadow on the table mirrors that of the time piece. Clues can be found in one's environment. The length of shadows indicate the time of day. The lush green vegetation suggest it is mid summer. I like the idea of whiling away an hour or so sitting on the bench, in the dappled sunlight, watching the shadows slowly change." Sue Eves

Day 5 - Time is flying and Day 5 is a mixed media collage by Colin Merrin.

Colin muses on the theme, "My initial thoughts were around the linear nature of time and that it exists as a way of regulating and ordering events. It’s therefore a human invention, so the imagery and text collude to raise questions about our relationship to time."

'Time Worn Smooth’ collage 25x25cm by Colin Merrin £250 to purchase go to the online shop here

Day 4 is a seascape by local man Chris wood who is well known for his nautical themed artworks.

This piece is "exploring coastal erosion, geology and the elements. With the passing of time the shape and form of the Suffolk coastline has dramatically changed and not just  over the artists lifetime - looking further back over the last three or four hundred years whole towns and villages have disappeared into the North Sea!"

Painter / Printmaker Born 1952 Suffolk UK.  Whilst Chris Wood lives and works in Portsmouth he still has a firm foothold in Suffolk,  exhibiting both in Suffolk, London and the South Coast. In essence, Chris responds directly to his physical environment and has long been interested in the weather and change. He is a keen yachtsman and time and tide are never far from his thoughts.

'Liminal' by Chris Wood @chris wood is acrylic on board 25x25cm and priced £250.00

He is exhibiting a range of nautical and topographical linocuts at Oxmarket Contemporary Gallery in Chichester 26.11.24-08.12.24.

Day 3 - Inspired by another poem - this time by the great Louise McNeice - day 3 is 'Meeting Point' a mixed media joy by Jonny Hannah...time was away and somewhere else

'Time was away and somewhere else,
There were two glasses and two chairs
And two people with the one pulse
(Somebody stopped the moving stairs):
Time was away and somewhere else...'

Meeting Point by Jonny Hannah @darktownresident mixed media 25x25cm £125 (£130 framed) to purchase go to the online gallery shop here

Day 2 is a sad sunflower by Don Hopes which makes me think of my neglected allotment. "The title of the work ‘Ah Sunflower, weary of time’ , is a poem by William Blake

Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,

Who countest the steps of the Sun:

Seeking after that sweet golden clime

Where the travellers journey is done....'

'Ah Sunflower,..' Oil paint and graphite over print on paper. © Don Hopes @donhopes £160 (£165 with frame). To purchase go to the online shop here

"I think of myself as painter , sculptor , and photographer . Studied painting / printmaking at the Slade schools , leaving with diploma and a Boise Scholarship. a career in teaching which ended after 10 years as Head of Sculpture in the fine art course at Portsmouth University . I’ve exhibited in London , Germany , Portsmouth and Wales over the years." Don Hopes 

DAY ONE The Witching Hour. by Gillian Hawkins Watercolour, pen& ink, and soft pastel on paper mounted on board. 25 x 25 cm. 2024. £100.00 (£105 with frame) to purchase go to the online shop here

‘In the dead of night there is a period when witches, ghosts and supernatural creatures appear. In this piece I show these events: the demons emerging from the red underworld preparing to take command of that hour when they are free to roam. Although the sky above them is dark, there are patches of yellow moonlight or possibly it is the materialisation of their intentions which brightens parts of the sky.

The materials used heighten these effects: a dip pen gives a slightly irregular line, and the soft pastel above watercolour work to create a particular atmosphere of place.’