Approved: 16.08.2006

Sandy Sykes

Approved: 16.08.2006

Concepts
Landscape is an essential part of her being and integral to her production. She does not paint landscapes but absorbs them along with their inhabitants. Sykes watches the behaviour of animals, birds, and insects; She take photos of clouds, the sea and the fields. These creatures and the natural movements of the elements leave significant marks and patterns in their wake. she records these

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  • Location: Bradwell-on-Sea, East
  • Artforms: Drawing, Mixed media, Painting, Printmaking
  • Tags: 3d object, drama, dreamlike, environmental, landscape, otherworldly, mythic, narrative, textural, other-wordly, tactile, a play area, experimental, exploited, physical
 

Artist Statement

Concepts Landscape is an essential part of her being and integral to her production. She does not paint landscapes but absorbs them along with their inhabitants. Sykes watches the behaviour of animals, birds, and insects; She take photos of clouds, the sea and the fields. These creatures and the natural movements of the elements leave significant marks and patterns in their wake. she records these moving and ephemeral drawings in sketchbooks, which are essential to the development of her ideas. The comedy and tragedy of animal posturing does not escape her and appears in her images, alluding to the social and political conduct of humans, and the inevitable consequences. Processes and techniques Drawing is the basis of her entire philosophy and vision and is essential to the production of her work in any discipline. She works in series to allow ideas, connections and allusions the space to move, to change and to re-form. Uncompromising and often humorous the drawings over the last few years have used pencil as the most basic, available and appropriate tool to render the most barren scenes of weather damage and the consequences of war. Imagery is often gleaned from newspapers and Sykes sticks together almost transparent ecological, hand made papers from India made from rags and grains in an effort to suggest the inconsequential, throw away nature of the finished pieces. Constructing paper panels of rough and transparent quality for the 150 cm x 100 cm prints she provides a paradox of images, attacked and coerced from all sides. Collaged and multi-layered they hide as much as they reveal. Nothing is stated; much is questioned. They are a colourful mass of inconsistency and blemish and an obvious product of the human hand. Unique and hand burnished and using many methods, the surface is built into a complex and intricate mapping of time and content. Influences Long-term research into boundaries and demarcation lines within and around present day cultures; people who are displaced whether by choice or circumstance, provide a basis for her paintings, prints, drawings and books. References to visual and literary influences throughout history and internationally invest her work with a wry humour. She brings together present and past mythologies, stories of destruction and survival and above all else, hope is always there. Text is often a factor. The novels of Michael Ondaatje have been exceptionally influential. The poetic and stunning novels of Cormac McCarthy have long inspired her. Set in wilderness and the desolation of the early American West, where values decline and itinerants' drift and change, he captures the bleakness of our morals as well as the barrenness of the terrain. She has a life long interest in Ancient Manuscripts and Palimpsests, their accumulated dilapidation and their captured history held in the boundaries of the bindings. Fire damage, worm holes and mice nibbles taped and restored, text over text, cut and defaced, sewn and conserved; each century adding and taking away. Career path Sandy Sykes was born in Yorkshire and is a painter, printmaker and maker of Artist's Books. She studied BA (Hons) Painting at Leeds Metropolitan University and MA and Fellowship in Printmaking at Wimbledon School of Art and Design. She now works in London and in her studio in Essex. Sykes won 2nd Prize in the '2nd Lessedra International Painting and Mixed Media Competition 2011' Sophia Bulgaria. She was an Award winner at 'International Print Triennial Krakow 2009' and was Nominated and Finalist for the Sovereign European Art Prize 2008. She was selected for a Solo show in Project Space P7 at 'The London International Art Fair 2007' and awarded a Residency at 'firstsite' Contemporary Art, Colchester 2006. In 2005 she was Winner of 'The Bank of Canada Award' for 'La Bienniale International D'estampe Contemporaine de Trois Riviers, Quebec Canada, she was also Prizewinner in 'Bird 2005 International Art Award' Beijing China, a Medal winner in the '2nd Seoul International Bookarts Fair '05' Seoul Korea and won the Annual Lome Award Scholarship in 2003/4. She also received a major Artist's Award from Arts Council England East in 2003/4. In 2002 Commissions East granted her funding towards the development of another artists book. She won a Residency to work on the Nagasawa Art Project in Japan Winter 2001. She was awarded a Research Residency in New York in 2000 to work on a three month Manhattan Graphic Center Scholarship. Since 1970 she has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally in solo and group shows, some of which have toured in Britain, Europe, USA and Russia. Represented in International Art Fairs in New York, Chicago and London, her work is in Collections such as the Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Tate Britain and the V&A Museum.

CV & Education

Solo exhibitions 2013 - Sandy Sykes 'From the Heart', Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough Wiltshire 2012 - Sandy Sykes: New Prints and Drawings, Wharpuke Print Studio, Kerikeri New Zealand 2010 - Sandy Sykes: Ambush , Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough Wiltshire 2008 - 'Manuscript', Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough Wiltshire 2008 - Sandy Sykes: Prints and Drawings, Selected Artist for the Project Space P7, The London International Art Fair Business Design Centre London 2006 - Residency and Exhibition, 'firstsite', Colchester 2006 - Sandy Sykes: Dwelling, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough Wiltshire 2002 - Hopping the Pond, Manhattan Graphic Centre, New York, USA 2000 - Manhattan Transfer, London Print Studio, London 1998 - Sandy Sykes: Do We Not Feel The Breath of Empty Space?, New End Gallery, London 1997 - Re-write: Blank White Page, The Dante Series', Hardware 1995 - And The Wearing of Beasts Heads, Crossley Gallery, Dean Clough 1995 - Liquid Sun, Brahm Gallery, Leeds 1995 - The General Said Series, Hardware Gallery, London 1994 - The Factory Series, London Print Workshop, London 1991 - Sandy Sykes Recent Work, Hardware Gallery, London 1990 - The Dragon Series, Printworks Gallery, Colchester 1988 - Book of Spells Series, Creaser Gallery, London 1988 - Heat and Dust, Pentonville Gallery, London 1988 - Miners Strike Series, Wakefield Art Gallery, Yorkshire 1988 - Prometheus, Hardware Gallery, London Group exhibitions 2012 - 8th British International Mini Print Show, Opening London Print Studio then touring for 2 years, London and Britain 2011 - 2nd Prizewinner in the 2nd Lessedra International Painting and Mixed Media Competition 2011 Competition, Lessedra Gallery and Contemporary Art Projects, Sophia Bulgaria 2011 - Invited Artist to 'BITE London 2011', Mall Galleries, London 2011 - Laureates of International Print Triennial - Krakow 2009', Dalarnas Museum , Falun, Sweden 2011 - London Original Print Fair 2011, Royal Academy of Arts, London 2011 - Sandy Sykes and Tricky Walsh, Celia Lendis Contemporary, Moreton-in-Marsh Glos. 2011 - Totem Body, The Crypt Gallery, London 2011 - Works on Paper Fair 2011, Science Museum , London 2010 - Affordable Art Fair , with Interior Angle Gallery, New York 2010 - Art at Wharpuke: PMC Print Show, Kerikeri Print Studio and Gallery, New Zealand 2010 - International Painting and Mixed Media Competitionn 2010, Lessedra gallery and Contemporary Art Projects, Sophia Bulgaria 2010 - International Print Network, Horst-Janssen-Museum, Oldenburg Gemany 2010 - Invited Artist to Art and Language exhibition, Lloyd Gill Gallery, Weston-Super-Mare Somerset 2010 - London International Art fair, Business Design Centre , London 2010 - Multiple Matters, Kuenstlerhaus Vienna, Vienna Austria 2010 - New Impressions: Four Printmakers, North House Gallery, Manningtree Essex 2010 - Origionals, Mall Galleries, London 2010 - Pushing Print, The Pie Factory , Margate, Kent 2010 - Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2010, Royal Academy of Art, London 2010 - Royal Academy Summer Show, Royal Academy of Arts , London 2010 - The London International Art Fair 2010, Business Design Centre , London 2009 - 4th International Drawing Competition Wroclaw 2009, Museum of the Euigeniusz Geppert Academy of fine Arts and Design , Wroclaw Poland 2009 - International Print Triennale Krakow 2009 and also at Bunkier Rondo, Katowice, Poland 2009 - Invited Artist to 7th British international Mini Print Show, Opening London Print Studio then touring for 2 years, London and Britain 2009 - IRIS: Books made by Artists, Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries Scotland 2009 - Jerwood Drawing Prize 2009, Jerwood Space, London 2009 - Open Prints Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol 2009 - Wild is the Wind -Four Artists, WALL, London 2009 - Winner of the Rector of Poznan Award at the International print Triennale-Krakow 2009, National Museum Krakow, Poland 2008 - Burnham Art Trail, Burnham-on-Crouch Museum, Essex 2007 - ABC Creative Book Exhibition, The gallery, University of Northampton, Northampton 2007 - Mini Print International de Cadaques 2007, Cadaques, Spain 2007 - Prints Tokyo 2007, Sakima Art Museum, Okinawa Japan 2007 - Regenerator: Altered Books Project, University of the West of England, Bristol 2007 - Royal society of painter Printmakers Annual Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London 2007 - Small Print Big Impression, Leicester Print Workshop then touring to April 2008, Britain 2005 - 2nd Seoul International Bookarts Fair, Coex Pacific Hall, Seoul, Korea 2005 - Contemporary Prints Exhibition, London Print Studio, London 2005 - La Biennale Internationale d'estampe Contemporaine de Trois Rivieres, Place de l'Hotel de Ville, Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada 2005 - Lessedra Third World Art Print Annual 2004, National Palace of Culture, Sophia, Bulgaria (annual) 2005 - Originals: The Contemporary Printmaking Show 05, The Mall Galleries, London 2005 - Summer Exhibition, 2005 Members Show, Bankside Gallery, London (annual) 2004 - 5th British Miniature Print Exhibition, Gracefields Art Centre, Edinburgh 2004 - Multiple Encounters: Artists of Manhattan Graphic Centre New York and New Delhi Artists, Indira Ghandi Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, India 2004 - Originals: The Contemporary Printmaking Show 04, The Mall Galleries, London 2004 - Tradition and Innovation - A Flavour of 20th Century Art, Scarborough Museum and Art Gallery, Scarborough 2003 - Do-Don't/Can-Can't, exhibition at 'Impact' Conference, University of Cape Town and Rhodes University, Cape Town and Rhodes, South Africa 2003 - Exhibition of '9/11 Portfolio' by Manhattan Graphic Centre Artists, New York Historical Society, New York, USA 2003 - Global Matrix International Print Exhibition, Robert L Ringal Gallery and Stewart Centre Gallery, Purdue, Indiana 2002 - 2nd Montreal International Miniature Print Biennial, Conseil quebecois de l'estampe, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2002 - Art Reactions, Exit Art Broadway, New York, USA 2002 - Nagasawa Artists 1997-2001, Skydoor Art Place Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan 2002 - September 11th Portfolio, Manhattan Graphic Centre, New York, USA 2002 - Witness and Response, The Great Hall, Library of the House of Congress, Washington DC, USA 2001 - Indian Exchange Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, New Delhi, India 2001 - 'Inside Cover' begins international touring programme including; Helsinki, Berlin, Paris, Bilbao, New York and Australia, south Africa and Canada 2000 - 3rd International Triennial of Graphic Art, Bitola, Macedonia 2000 - A Survey of Photo Mechanical Prints, The Create Centre, Bristol 2000 - Contemporary Art Fair 2000, New York 2000 - Indian Exchange, Bankside, London 2000 - Launch of 'Inside Cover' Artist's Book project, London Print Studio, travelling to Dean Clough, Halifax, Edinburgh City Library and Dundee University Gallery 2000 - Rise Phoenix, Saatchi and Saatchi, London 2000 - Royal West of England 5th Triennial Open Print Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol 1998 - 11th Talllinn Print Triennial, Salt Storage Arts, Estonia 1998 - AgB SNAP Exhibition, SNAP Gallery, Alberta, Canada 1998 - The 'Special Portfolio Publication', Redfern Gallery, London 1997 - Pilar Juncosa and Sotherby's Special Prizes, Mallorca, Spain 1997 - The Hunting Art Prizes Exhibition, Henry Moore Gallery RCA 1996 - Weatherview, Den Haag Norwich, Koninklijke Academie Van Beedende 1995 - Contemporary Print Show, Barbican, London 1994 - Prints From Wood, Arts Council National Touring Show Throughout Britain 1994 - Ten British Artists In Poland, Pryzmat Gallery, Kracow, Poland 1993 - Bradford Open Print Exhibition, Cartwright Hall, Bradford 1992 - WASP Editions, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 1991 - Fifth International Print Biennale, Roc, Taiwan 1991 - Tre Artiste Inglesi a Venetzia, Scuola dei Calegheri S Toma, Venice 1989 - Premier Internatzionate Biella, Biella, Italy 1988 - Printmaking From Britain To Moscow, Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia Artist talks 2010 - Ambushed by Drawing, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough Wiltshire 2009 - Meet the Artists, Jerwood Space, London Workshops 2010 - Drawing to Discover, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough Wiltshire 2010 - Sketchbook Workshop, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough Wiltshire Residencies 2010 - Art Lab. Residency, Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre, Marlborough Wiltshire Competitions, prizes and awards 2011 - Awarded 2nd prize in the 2nd Lessedra International Painting and Mixed Media Competition 2011, Lessedra Gallery and Contemporary Art Projects, Sophia Bulgaria 2010 - Honourable Mention, International Print Network of Oldenberg, Oldenberg Germany 2009 - Award winner at the International Print Triennial 2009, National Museum Krakow, Krakow Poland 2009 - Awarded Honourable Mention, 4th International Drawing Competition 2009, Wroclaw Poland 2008 - Nominated and Finalist for the 'Sovereign European Art Prize 2008' , Embankment Galleries, Somerset House, London 2007 - Selected for a Solo Show in Project Space P7 at the London International Art Fair 2007, Business Design Centre , London Publications 2011 - Extraordinary Sketchbooks by Jane Stobbart Pub.A&C Black 2011 2011 - Featured in 'How Artists See People' Ed. Ruby Ormerod Pub.Green Pebble Publications 2011 2010 - Featured Artist in 'Critical Mass: Printmaking Beyond the Edge' by Richard Noyce Pub. by PanMacmillan 2010 2010 - How Artists See East Anglian Places Ed, Ruby Ormerod Pub. Green Pebble Publications 2009 - Featured Artist in 'Printmakers Secrets' by Anthony Dyson Pub. by A&C Black 2009 2008 - Featured in 'Printmaking On a Budget' By Steve Munberson and Mandy Bonnell A&C Black Publishers 2000 - Artist's Book 'Paradise is Always Where You've Been' by Sandy Sykes Pub. Marty Apple Graphics