J A N E T T E  K E R R: 60 DEGREES NORTH

15 May – 9 June 2012

at C A D O G A N  C O N T E M PO R A R Y

Fingers curled into the waves,  

oil and thread on canvas, 150 x 190 cm / 59” x 74.8”

'Janette Kerr, in my estimation, is the best painter of the sea in these islands, and I say this with no risk of hyperbole... It is in the sea paintings that she seems most herself, in a lineal descent from Turner and Francis Danby or even, in some respects, the great Peter Lanyon. In that sense she is a Romantic artist.' Brian Fallon 2012, Chief Art Critic of the Irish Times for 35 years

C A D O G A N  C O N T E M PO R A R Y

87 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LD  

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7581 5451  www.cadogancontemporary.com<http://www.cadogancontemporary.com/>

Oceanographic imagery

I have a small show - Extremes and Instabilities - showing some of the Shetland work in February (18th - 24th) at the RWA in Bristol, and will also be giving a talk about the project there on the 21st February at 6.30pm.

Continuing to work on extreme wave project and have a small show - Extremes and Instabilities - showing some of the Shetland work (Feb 18th-24th) at the RWA, Bristol, and will also be giving a talk about the project on the 21st Feb, 6.30pm. Below are a series of small works on paper referencing oceanography - equations provided by Harald Krogstad (Dept. Mathematical Sciences, Trondheim), and imagery from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Bergen. Playing with the idea of mapping/fixing the uncontrollable by combining these with photographic imagery of equipment and tables of bottom water observations, and with painted/drawn imagery.

Hoping to be able to work at the Meteorological Institution later this year if they can find me somewhere to work (please…). My intention is to spend some time there developing further dialogue between oceanographers/meteorologists and my work. I want to make a series of large drawings that respond to their oceanographic world and language, and have begun to explore ways in which to incorporate diagrams, mathematical formulae/calculations of wave theory and ocean motion, instruments/equipment (both historical and contemporary), satellite imagery etc.

I've been looking at some beautiful early 1900's hand-drawn maps showing cyclonic circulation system of the northern Norwegian Sea, and juxtaposed these with recently-made paintings of the sea.

RWA President

Happy New Year! I hope that you will all have a very creative and productive year.

New President for Bristol’s first art gallery

Press release: Dr Janette Kerr has been elected to the role of President of the Royal West of England Academy.

Janette is the fourth female President to have been elected at the RWA – the previous three being Dame Janet Stancombe Wills (1911-32), Yda Richardson (1932-36) and Mary Fedden OBE RA (1984-89).

I now have my very own President’s Blog:

http://rwapresident.blogspot.com/

This has been set up for my posts about my Royal West of England Academy activities, so please visit it and leave me your comments.

On the Far Edge

Extreme Sea conference

At the World Meteorological Organisation, Geneva

New work

Returned from Geneva with a head full of calculations. And having met people from all aspect of extreme waves study - from mathematicians and scientists, meteorologists to boat designers and people who play (probably not the correct term) with model boats in wave tanks, and from all over the world.

My recent drawings are incorporating algebraic formulae; drawing and redrawing, marks obscuring and echoing others, contours describing surface of the sea, lines echoing oceanographic diagrams. The surfaces are also quite fragile and unstable – even transitory, as is a wave. They suggest a journey, movement, passage of time, past merging with present. They encompass those other connections - discussions with oceanographers, narratives of Shetland, and the dynamism of the sea.

Probability of incidence, circular drawing, oil, graphite and charcoal on cartridge paper, 100x100cm

The circular format references instruments on board boats, as well as the horizon seen from a boat in the middle of the sea.

detail of above

I am in process of developing these further - making more works - to incorporate oceanographic instruments and data.

Latest paintings:

Untitled, oil on canvas 122x152cm

Untitled painting incorporating oceanographic calculations, oil on canvas, 80x80cm

I will be showing this work at the Sir Terry Frost Gallery attached to the Kings School in Worcester in November. Hoping that the students will be collecting my sea water whilst they are on a trip to Cornwall. Whilst it will not be Shetland seawater, the sea flows where it will and so perhaps has made the journey around the coast...

Conferences

Off to Geneva to talk about all this wave-stuff and present my own work (and theories..) at an oceanography Extreme Wave conference - will definitely be out of my depth...

More new images soon.

Catalogue: In Search of Extreme Waves

Catalogues of the work in the Bonhoga Show are now available - either from the Bonhoga Gallery, Shetland, or direct from me: 7"x7" 20 pages, colour, soft-back. Price £10 (For UK addresses this includes P&P. If posting abroad P&P will be added to this price). Please email me at: root@janettekerr.co.uk

Primary School artwork

This is a drawing by John Andrews, a primary school pupil at Hamnavoe Primary School, Burra, Shetland. The class have been making work using charcoal and chalk, and using images seen on my Blog as inspiration for their own artwork. I think it's a great piece of work - very expressive. Well done John!