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Isabel Rock
Large Surrealist Painting Royal of College Art LGBTQ+ Woman artist Blue Bicycles

2015

About the Item

IIsabel Rock is a creator of contemporary fairy tales. A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, her work is an explosion of strange occurrences while a surreal narrative takes the audience on a journey into the imagination. In October 2023 Isabel won the Evelyn Williams Drawing Award at the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize. Known as the UK’s most prestigious annual open exhibition for drawing; part of the prize is a solo show at Hastings Contemporary, scheduled for 2024. Whilst Isabel always has a tale to tell for each of her images, you may or may not choose to go on the journey with her or you may indeed have a different story, one of your own that jumps off the page at you and that that you decide to follow. Artwork Details: Isabel Rock, Bongo Bicycle, mixed media on archival pape,r 153cm x 122cm, unframed, 2015 *Please note we are happy to ship this work rolled in an art tube. Whilst the work is on heavy duty art paper and mixed media, the artist is happy that the painting will be fine rolled in a tube. This is a more cost effective and environmentally sound method of shipping. Shipping via this method is free Bongo Bicycle A white man worked in an office and wore a suit to work. He dreamed of being free to do as he pleased and to not sit at a desk. His country was cold, wet and miserable and there were many rules about wearing a tie to work. One day the boss called him in to the office and pointed out that he had put a comma in the wrong place on an important report. ‘You will not have a tea break this week, you must study this guide to grammer instead,’ said the boss. The guide to grammer was very very boring. The man laid down his pen, pushed his favourite mug aside and said ‘I’ve had enough, I’m off.’ So he got on a boat and sailed across the seas. After a month of good weather there was a terrible storm and the boat was destroyed. The man was left floating on the sea hanging onto a broken piece of the ships mast. Fortunately a shoal of tiny fish guided him to an island where the sand was hot in the sun. Tall palm trees lined the shore and looked inviting with their cool green fronds. As he lay under their branches he saw incredible birds of paradise with shimmering feathers in bright colours. When he saw these birds he knew that it was not enough just to look at them. He wanted to touch them, he wanted to possess them, he wanted to be them. The birds were quite tame as they had never seen a man before and did not know danger from humans. He shimmied up a tree and waited till a bird came close. Carefully he reached out and grabbed it. Holding it in his hands he caressed the feathers and was amazed at how they changed in the light, from green to purple to black to red. His wonder turned to jealousy as he thought of the bird’s freedom and beauty. He was angry and wanted to destroy what he could not possess. He broke the birds neck and made its feathers into a cape. He danced on the shore in a blind frenzy of ecstasy until he dropped down exhausted in a heap. When he woke up everyone in the office was staring at him. Artwork Provenance: from the Artist Studio A certificate of authentication comes from Gallery Art 1821 photo credits, Isabel working, black and white shots, James Brown About Isabel Rock and her work: Taking inspiration from Japanese woodblock prints and Indian miniature painting Rock has developed a unique collage technique that combines bold structures with large-scale woodblock prints and intricate detailing. The subject is a grand mixture of humour, drama, hidden morals, fanciful characters, modern culture, mythical beings and fantastical situations. Rock creates a world that pulls you in and demands your attention. Quality of line is paramount, the drawings are created using a dipping pen and acrylic ink. An essential tool is a squirrel’s hair brush that gives incredible fine lines and was purchased on her travels in India. Born in Hammersmith, London in 1981, Rock knew her destiny was to be an artist. Studying Fine Art Printmaking at The University of Brighton and graduating with First Class Honours in 2004 she went on to do a Masters Degree at The Royal College of Art in London, continuing her studies in printmaking and drawing, graduating in 2008. Her first solo show at Bearspace Gallery in Deptford, London in April 2009 sold out and was the beginning of a career that continues to rise. Rock participated in the first ever India Art Fair represented by Art 1821 Gallery, where her detailed and intricate work was met with great appreciation from collectors and public. She has since participated in international residencies in India, Iceland, Germany and West Africa as well as building up her portfolio and exhibiting at various galleries internationally. In 2013 she won the prestigious UK Arts Foundation Printmaking Fellowship, a £10,000 award given to emerging artists in certain fields, only six are awarded each year. This funded a move to Berlin as the vibrant art scene in the city seemed to be the perfect place to make the next steps in her career. The city proved to be a valuable creative inspiration as it was here that Rock began to explore the written side of her visual stories, which she now performs at spoken word nights. Rock sat out the pandemic in her port-a-cabin studio near Reading, UK, creating a series of large-scale collages and writing surreal short stories. In 2021 she was awarded a Special Commendation in the renowned Trinity Wharf Drawing Prize. Shortly after this she was evicted by the local council and is currently living and working in London where she also enjoys roller skating, growing sweet peas, reading novels and thinking up new and wild things to draw. Rock continues to exhibit widely and has a long list of exhibitions and shows to her name. In 2019 her work was selected for exhibition at the Royal Academy in the London Summer Show and in 2021 she was selected for the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize. Isabel Rock's work is held in Public Collections including the V & A in London and the Royal College of Art, London and also in many private collections in the UK and India. Shipping: Please note this artwork will be shipped in a professional, wide art tube and will be sent rolled. The cost for shipping will therefore be considerably cheaper than the amount quoted.
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