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Kite flying in Flamborough
18.02.24 Art Thought #37
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A Life In Art: By Kate Houghton
22.06.21 Art Thought #31The below interview, featured in Living Edge Magazine and published on https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/shabs-beigh-altrincham-artist-8077138 dives into the past, present and future of my life as an artist.
Artist Shabs Beigh is inspired by what he sees around him, and is taking the sights of Altrincham to the walls of LA.
Shabs Beigh grew up in northern India, attended an army boarding school and had his future pretty much mapped out – if only it wasn’t for his passionate obsession with art. At 17, despite heading for a place at university to study physics, he knocked on the door of a local newspaper publisher, asked why they didn’t have a cartoonist and illustrator, requested the role – and got it.
‘I didn’t like to ask my parents for money,’ he says, ‘so I offered to work for the publisher for one month for free, to prove myself. I had always known how to draw, from a very early age, and the art teacher at school had taken me under his wing, having me do everything possible art-related in the school. At first I drew cartoons for the children’s comic, then caricatures and more satirical, political cartoons. I was only 17, but was obsessed by wanting to see my work, my name, in print.
‘The consciousness that I can draw was always there. Funnily enough, the fact that I am a painter by temperament – that took me 40 years to realise. Ability to draw is one thing, but the consciousness that of the fact that by nature you are an artist, is a different thing. To be able to convey an emotion, to focus on something obsessively until you are an authority on that subject, to paint and paint until you have it right... I went to Claude Monet’s house in France, to look at the garden. I wanted to see first-hand what he saw. I realised that he never painted his garden in autumn. When I arrived in Giverny, in September 2019, I had been contemplating for a year an attempt at impressionistic work based on his pond. I was actually scared of attempting it, because it’s quite a big task to draw work that is ‘Monet-ist', so well-known, and expect people to say “oh, that’s alright”. I did a series on the pond, however, and they all sold.’
A move to the UK to study for a Masters led to a decision to settle in Altrincham, not only for a career, but because of the travel links across the UK and further afield.
‘I love to travel, and when I travel I am inspired, and I paint what I am inspired by.’
Shabs’ work scatters across the globe. He has followers on his social media platforms from almost every continent, maintaining contact with them through regular emails, though he says nothing beats meeting people face-to-face and actually talking about his work.
‘In 2019 I took part in 20 art fairs here in the UK. I love it when people come to my stand and we talk, and I can explain my work and the inspiration.’
In 2019 he was accepted by Saatchi Art, which ‘collects’ artists from all over the world and curates exhibitions across the globe. It’s a complicated process, with submissions, interviews, assessments... but Shabs has now not only been invited to join, but was chosen as one of the top 10% of artists to feature in the Saatchi Spring Catalogue in the USA.
‘The curators at Saatchi seem to think my work will appeal more to the US audience than the UK, so they put my art in shows in LA and Chicago, and it sells, so they must know what they’re doing,’ he laughs. ‘I went to LA and to Chicago in 2019. 2020 it was all virtual, of course, but I had hoped to go back to LA this month, but travel restrictions don’t allow – I plan to go in September, however.’
Lockdown and travel restrictions mean that Shabs’ latest body of work, and indeed the one before that, have been inspired by subjects closer to home.
‘During lockdown, and still now, I would walk every day to Dunham Massey. The first lockdown it was so quiet, my only companions were the ravens. They’re so clever and I could watch them for hours. I decided to do a series of ink drawings, which have really been popular, both the originals and the limited edition prints.
‘This year, I became obsessed with the magnolia trees I would see on my walks. I love these flowers, and they bloom for such a short time, I wanted to capture every stage.’
His paintings and prints of the magnolias that inspired him have already started winging their way around the world, and hang on walls from Mumbai to SoCal.
‘I am obsessed with the British coastline. I intend to paint it all, like no one else. It will be at least a 15-year project.’
And no doubt, like his other work, will also end up on walls across the globe.
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A few siblings pooled some money together and bought a River Wharf print as a surprise gift for their mum, Pam, who follows me on instagram. One of those siblings, Sarah Wright, wrote the below blog.
Mother’s day is always a special time in our household and my three siblings and I always try to do something to mark the occasion. A few years ago, my eldest brother flew in from Copenghagen to surprise her. With the current circumstances, we knew that seeing one another wouldn’t be possible but we still wanted to capture that essence of surprise, joy and gratitude towards our mum. We contemplated what we could do and then I recalled...
Last Autumn, as part of my support bubble, I went to visit her and as we sat nestled in the living room of her home in the foothills of Snowdonia we discussed the possibilities of a vacant space above the mantelpiece. A large mirror had hung there previously; a few years ago we renovated and it never went back up. There was an opportunity to fill the space with something interesting, beautiful and emotive. Snowdonia is known for its picturesque and diverse landscape and so it seemed fitting to find a print that paralleled its unique beauty. We measured the space and entered into one of those wistful daydreams where you start to visualise about what would bring the room to life.
This is how the topic of Shabs’ artwork came about. Mum has always been interested in Art; an interest that she has passed on to us. Like many of us over lockdown, she rediscovered her love of an old hobby; painting. She always enjoys finding new artwork on Instagram which is how she discovered Shabs. She showed me his catalogue of paintings and one stood out for this space immediately....River Wharf.
As our eyes were drawn closely into River Wharf, we noticed the blue and green hues of the piece encapsulated the word ‘glas’ in Welsh which means the rich blues and greens that are found in nature. The way the trees gracefully bow and dip into the water and hint at a mystical world behind them is what collectively captivated our imaginations and transported us back to childhood days spent on the river bodyboarding, swimming and panning for fool's gold. It immediately invoked a strong sense of place, the smell of fresh plants and the feel of the cool water trickling over your toes.
That is what’s so masterful about the painting; it has a universal appeal as we each have a memory associated with a river. I asked my mum what she liked about the painting and she said she was ‘enchanted' by River Wharf, with the sensitivity captured in it's serenity. The deep colours of the foliage and the tree canopy gave me the feeling of being there in reality. The light bouncing over the river brought back happy memories of many river walks and days spent on the riverbank. It's a print to feel peaceful with, whilst daydreaming away time spent by the riverside. I also admired the precision, and skill of the immensely talented artist, Shabs in capturing that unique river moment, when light streams through the green to reflect and dance on the water.’
The painting is inspired by Monet, who converted an old fishing boat into a floating studio in 1872 and spent his time observing the verdant scenes of the River Seine at different points throughout the day. Shabs was inspired to paint River Wharf after enjoying morning walks in Wetherby, Yorkshire, drinking in all of the vivid colours surrounding this section of the river. The quiet contemplation and calm that Shabs has captured reminds me of a poem by Wendell Berry called The Peace of Wild Things:
I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light.
For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
My mum isn’t easy to surprise; she’s good at piecing clues together. However, we really did manage to pull this one off! Shabs literally went the extra mile to hand deliver the print in time for Mother’s Day, along with a lovely card . She was overjoyed with the present...and has since informed us that she rather likes Lilies in Blue and there’s an empty wall space waiting in the office reserved for next Mother’s Day…
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26.09.19 Art Thought #2
Salvador DaliWhile we were in Santa Monica, myself and my art agent Leon Jeffrey were lucky enough to meet some amazing people from all walks of life. I was blown away by a story from one such gentleman, Luciano.
He used to live next door to Salvador Dali – the (now) well-known Spanish surrealist painter. However at that time, Dali wasn’t a famous painter, and would often bother Luciano for food etc. On one particular day, he took an expensive tie from Luciano and proudly signed his name across it – Salvador Dali. Although he meant it to be a thoughtful gesture and an investment, Luciano was not at all happy and when Dali left he binned the tie!
Decades later, we could laugh over coffee together at Luciano’s hasty mistake. The moral being: Never throw away something an artist has signed for you – It may just become worth something!
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Why Do I Paint ?
It is an urge. A strong impulse to draw and do a visual dialogue. Expressing how I feel at the time about a subject that would have been on my mind for days, weeks, months, even years. And suddenly after a lot of soliloquy and procrastination I would pour my intuition on to the canvas or paper with a lot of energy in short bursts. I can't stop till I am drained of the energy burst that was bubbling. I have to identify with the subject, feel it and in some cases, I have to have touched, felt or visited the landscape or been around the animal. There is always an emotion or feeling that lingers on, even if the experience was years ago.
For example, the bulls and bisons series took birth from early childhood memories. The impressionist works were done after a pilgrimage to claud monet's house in Giverny, France last year
Even the kites series - As a kid, I loved flying kites. You feel a sense of achievement working against the wind manoeuvrIng the direction height etc . I still fly kites with my kids now, more often on the beaches of north west England. Indian kites are fascinating . The paper they are made of, the bright happy colours . It is an art form in itself - the making of the kites , the design . Yes I have read and seen the kite runner too ha. I am fascinated with the shape, form and colours and the feeling that goes with it. I have started a series on kites . Paul smith Interior Design London has recently started selling my works and the first few paintings they have chosen are kites.
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