MANY guests and contributing artists attended the opening of a new exhibition at Quarteira’s Galeria Praça do Mar, on the seafront.
This is just one of several venues where the atmospheric paintings of artist, Jessica Dunn, are being shown.
A member of an international group, the ‘Algarve Artists Network’, her paintings in Quarteira capture the vibrant spirit of the seashore, the cool of the sea and the brightness of a summer’s day.
During the month of August, her work can also be viewed at the recently-opened ‘Arte Bar’ in Olhão, prominently situated on the seafront, near the Municipal Market. Her distinctive style often includes impressionistic figures placed in hazy land or seascapes, located in the Algarve.
Dunn’s paintings have received international attention at places as prestigious as the Eaton Gallery, in London’s Piccadilly and the Biennale Internazionale Dell’Arte Contemporanea in Florence, Italy.
Her paintings and her lifestyle have also been the subject of a picture story in ‘Hello!’ magazine. She resides in the Algarve with her Portuguese husband and two young daughters. Living nearby are her mother, the actress and director, Priscilla Morgan and her father, comedy actor Clive Dunn. An artist in his own right, Clive has always encouraged her professional work.
One of the most exciting developments in her painting can be seen at another exhibition due to open at Galeria Corte-Real on Saturday July 26th in Boliqueime.
Entitled ‘Another Time, Another Place,’ she shares the space with the work of the gallery’s co-owner, Pedro Corte Real. Their pictures adopt the theme of Portugal’s colonial past and, as Dunn explains, “Pedro has his own first-hand experiences of Mozambique, where he spent his early life. Some of my new paintings have been based on black and white photographs contained in Pedro’s family album. Dating from the 1930’s and 40’s they are evocative of Europeans living in Africa at that time.
“I searched through hundreds of other pictures, some of them belonging to a friend who was brought up in Angola. Yet another source of stimuli were the photo albums of a family friend who was born in Madagascar.
During the 1930s, she spent time travelling with her British parents through South America. Many of her photos capture the worldliness of that era. “Part of the challenge, for me, was to turn black and white photographs into colour images. My palette became more subtle in an attempt to suggest the mood of the age,” she said.
Dunn’s section of the exhibition consists of more than 20 oil paintings, each of which tells a story and has been specially framed to add to its faded colonial beauty.
During the opening party, music with a suitably Brazilian / South American feel, has been arranged by Matt Lester. Drinks and canapés will also be served from 6.30pm.Tickets are available by telephoning: -
912 737 762 or 918 980 199
At other times, Galeria Corte-Real is open five days per week from 11am until 5pm / closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Located in the Boliqueime Railway Station and signposted from Fonte de Boliqueime roundabout on the EN 125
Galeria Praça do Mar in Quarteira is open daily from 4pm until 11pm
Contact Jessica Dunn by telephoning: -
289 360 306 or 96 254 4650
Website: - www.jessicadunnart.com
E-Mail: - info@jessicadunnart.com
Jessica Dunn artista britânica a trabalhar em Portugal, radicou-se no Algarve com o seu marido português e filhas, que são uma constante fonte de inspiração.
Jessica já expôs extensivamente um pouco por todo o Portugal, na Galeria Cógito em Setúbal, na Galeria de Arte Vale do Lobo, na Galeria Corte Real e na conceituada Galeria Eaton em Londres. As suas pinturas a oleo estão representadas em várias colecções privadas em Portugal e no estrangeiro. Em 2003 expôs na Biennale Internazionale Dell'Arte Contemporanea em Florença, Itália.
Através de uma pincelada vigorosa e do uso liberal da côr, a artista consegue transmitir um sentimento de tranquilidade que permite assim ao observador disfrutar de um momento de prazer e evasão, que evocam tempos de infância cheios de dias de sol e de memorias felizes e despreocupadas que elevam o espírito e sossegam a alma.
art.com
