Ashley West

Infobox Person
name = Ashley West

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caption = Ashley West in 2006.
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birth_date = 1953
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occupation = Artist
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Ashley West is a British abstract artist.

Biography

Ashley West is from Kettering, Northamptonshire and currently lives in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire and has a studio there. His early work was influenced by the automatism and lyricism of painters such as Alan Davie, Graham Sutherland, and Peter Lanyon. While at Leicester, he became interested in the colour fields and grids employed in the minimalist work of Mondrian, Barnett Newman, and Agnes Martin. His work explores the relationship between these two processes — the automatic, and the measured. He acknowledges Richard Diebenkorn as the most profound influence on his work of the last ten years. Present work reflects an increasing interest in the horizontal layering of Moroccan rugs, the shifting motifs of Shoowa designs and the structure of Persian miniatures.

About His Work

On the process of observing works of art, West has written that "the substance, meaning and reality of anything, and indeed its potential to nourish … [one] , seems to be relative and proportionate to … [ones] willingness and ability to give attention to it."cite web
last = West
first = Ashley
title = “Discovering ‘Black Club’”
publisher = "in-between"
url = http://www.in-between.org.uk/arts-and-crafts/discovering-black-club/
accessdate =2008-02-03 ] West’s point being that beneath the surface of the painting, one discovers either less than one expected or more that one expected. Regardless of which, West’s position is that " [e] ither way, … [ones] attention and discernment have been exercised, something has been revealed, and … [one] has been nourished." Moreover, West writes that the end result for the observer of art is not just a function of that which is observed, but "also … [of oneself] observing it," that the observation is as much affected by that which is observed as by he who does the observing.

In 2004, West released a book of his works called "Ashley West: Selected Works 1995-2003". [cite web
title = "Ashley West — Selected Works: 1995-2003"
publisher = W H Smith
url = http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/ProductDetails-Ashley+West+-9780954721503.html&tab=1
accessdate = 2008-02-03 [http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/ProductDetails-Ashley+West+-9780954721503.html&tab=1] ] He also completed his Master of Fine Art (Painting) in 2007. ["Currents: MA Interim Show," "Wimbledon College of Arts". [http://www.wca-ma-interim2007.co.uk/] ]

One Man Exhibitions

* 1979: Alfred East Art Gallery, Kettering
* 1994: Queen Elizabeth's School Gallery, Barnet
* 1994: St Austell Arts Centre
* 1995: Slade School of Fine Art, London
* 1995: Salthouse Gallery, St. Ives
* 1996: Malvern Arts Workshop
* 1997: Queen Elizabeth's School Gallery, Barnet
* 1998: Leonardo Centre, Uppingham School
* 2003: Salthouse Gallery, St. Ives

Group Exhibitions

* 1978: Leicester Polytechnic Degree show
* 1990: Jersey Arts Centre Open
* 2004: Plumbline Gallery, St. Ives
* 2004: Gallery one0two
* 2005: Gallery one0two
* 2005: Hunting Art Prizes Exhibition, Royal College of Art

References

External links

* [http://www.ashleywest.co.uk/ Official site]