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Isabel Rock
Surrealist Painting Royal College Art LGBTQ+ Female Artist Heads Pink Orange

2011

About the Item

Isabel 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, that that you decide to follow. Artwork Details: Head, 100x70cm, acrylic ink and acrylic paint on paper, 2011 Artwork Provenance: from the Artist Studio photo credits, Isabel working, black and white shots, James Brown In Isabel's own words: Head It was the day of the feast and the centaurs were excited. Many types and different flavours of delicious heads would be available at the feast. Some crunchy like cornflakes, some fluffy like candyfloss, some soft and smooth like ice cream, others sharp and chewy like jelly sweets. There was a texture for everyone and so many flavours your belly would explode before you tried them all. There would be dancing at the feast but eating decapitated heads was the most important tradition and the bit they all looked forward to the most. Tonight was especially special as there was the great head of the red chameleon Borgalorf that had been slain by the centaurs. As they brought it in to the banquet hall it was still talking. 'You stupid idiots, do you think you can kill me? Imbeciles, the lot of you.' The great red head of Borgalorf would not be quiet and kept calling the centaurs names. It was disconcerting for the centaurs. Nobody wants to be called a fool by their dinner and it really did make them feel foolish. Nobody wanted to take the first bite and the insults really put a dampner on the feast. In the end they left the great red head of Borgalorf in the corner and went home to bed. *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. 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.
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