SOME GOOD CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS

It is a misconception that no good art is being created in the contemporary age. Very little is being created in the mainstream, that is true, but there are still those who persevere in spite of being starved of publicity, or even, as in the case of ceramicist Charles Krafft, receiving negative publicity. Even though his website has not been updated recently, I am pleased to report that Charles is still going strong despite recent illness and simultaneously celebrated and ridiculed the life of Charles Manson in his usual Delftware style:

  

 

But what about others who, while not politically aware or conscious, are creating good works of art that are implicitly white, by dint of their aesthetics and subject matters?

 

 

I am happy to report to the effect that Charles is not the only one creating great art that is pleasing to us. The subculture known as Steampunk has provided a source of inspiration for contemporary artists and artisans alike, foremost among them being Belarussian artist Vadim Voitekhovitch, whose scenes very much marry the aesthetics of High Victorianism with the fantastic technology of Verne and Wells. Voitekhovitch resides in Germany these days and is to be found at historical re-enactments and events.

 

 

Much closer to home is Tracy Savage, who has galleries in Hornsea and Scarborough, both along the Yorkshire Coast that provides the inspiration for her work, even though she herself hails from Rugby in Warwickshire. Tracy also creates and sells children's books, postcards and greetings cards with her artwork featured, which is a good tip for budding artists who wish to make a living from their art. Her paintings are a quintessentially English take on the surrealist genre and bring a humorous touch to the coastal resorts depicted.

 

 

Staying in the North of England, Salford artist Philip Westcott belongs to the Northern School of artists, who tap into the nostalgia of a time shortly prior to  mass immigration and multiracialism. Westcott therefore tends to focus on the 1980s when addressing townscapes and cityscapes. He also paints landscapes and holiday scenes both in Britain and continental Europe. While several of the Northern School are mere L S Lowry copyists, Westcott has developed his own distinctive style. To put it in his own words, "I started by painting individuals but now tend to paint a wider view of the scene. In these compositions I capture indiscriminate figures by painting them loosely so that they appear to merge into the scene." Unconsciously there, there is the knowledge that certain people belong to certain scenes.

 

Last but not least is up-and-coming Bavarian artist Ute Plank, whose work I first encountered at an exhibition in Bad Reichenhall last year and which was clearly far superior to all others. Her work blends the past and present of native German life and culture, as well as mythological and folkloric elements.