Solo exhibition - Centrespace Gallery, Bristol.

I will be having a solo exhibition at the Centrespace gallery in Bristol from 10 - 15 October.

Nic Pehkonen at Centrespace, Bristol. October 10 - 15, 2014

There will be around a dozen both new and older large-scale pieces on show, all reflecting the various architectural influences which continue to dominate my work.

Corinium Museum, Cirencester

I am currently exhibiting with the Cheltenham Group of Artists at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.  The exhibition runs until 25th June and museum is open daily. Entrance to the gallery is free and it is a nice, compact space so well worth a look if you are heading to, or just passing through Cirencester.

I remember going to the museum quite frequently as a child and always loved seeing the Roman House room reconstructions (complete with underfloor heating), the life-size Roman soldier and the Roman? skeleton kept laid out alongside a darkened walkway for spooky effect…

There are also some amazing mosaics too!

Nic Pehkonen, Test Specimen, 2014, Emulsion on unstretched canvas, 86cm x 90cm 

No Parking!

Here is one of the North Place car parks in Cheltenham now closed since the council sold it off. It actually shut a while ago pending re-development as affordable housing although I believe the deal may have fallen through so I'm not sure what the future now holds for this site.

North Place Car Park, Cheltenham

From an aesthetic point of view though, I am enjoying the sight of an empty car park currently only accessible to pedestrians and cyclists en route to and from the town centre.

North Place Car Park, Cheltenham

Of course, I don't imagine this can last and my guess is that it will probably re-open as private car park until another developer comes along…

North Place Car Park, Cheltenham (looking South)

But in the meantime I can enjoy the satisfying and panoramic expanse of grey and white.

North Place Car Park, Cheltenham (looking North!)

My Cannondale SM2000 - again!

It seems that my bike certainly gets around. Stolen and recovered in the UK last year but now apparently being offered for sale on ebay in the USA…

My bike, apparently now in two places at once - my house and Denver, Colorado.

According to the ebay seller, "artbroker4u", the bike was recently purchased at an estate sale.

It is a nice bike which is why I still have it, happily taking up space at my house!

New work in progress

Here are a couple of new paintings I have been working on over the last few months and which are now finally approaching completion. The first painting is in two sections which are designed to be hung right up against each other. In the image below one section is hanging over the top of the other but you can hopefully imagine how they would look side by side from the shape of the piece in front (see the drawing below to get the idea). I need to find a suitably large free space in order to be able to hang and photograph the painting as I want it.

Nic Pehkonen, Yellow painting, (in progress), household emulsion paint on unstretched canvas, each section approx 6' x 6'

Nic Pehkonen, drawing design for yellow painting

As with most of my work, the ideas behind this painting have evolved over time from a variety of sources and subject matter so the reason it looks the way it does is mostly due to a visual coming together of this…

Orfordness, Lab 2 Blast-doors

and this…

Sizewell A, Perimeter wall section.

and this…

Uranium Oxide (Yellowcake)

The second work currently in the pipeline is:

Nic Pehkonen, Double Duct Pipe, 2013, 8' x 2' (approx), Household emulsion Paint on unstretched canvas

The idea for this painting comes from the pipes in the building below, the ends of which can be seen protruding at ground-level. I need to try and find out the exact function of these pipes within this test laboratory. Perhaps they were part of some sort of ventilation system? Either way, they look intriguing as they disappear into the wall. The tall cross-shaped openings set into the walls are going to feature in a new painting, which I have just begun.

Orfordness, View inside Lab 4