Fountain Fine Art

Jeffrey Spedding

Artist's Statement

Since my real interest and ambition lie in composition, it is painting and the process of mark making that provide the most appropriate vehicle in the handling and transformation of visual material. In my case photographs.

By composition I do not mean just arranging or general arrangement, however crucial they are to supporting the central activity, but the prioritising of more or less developing form being inherent if not realised or resolved in the photograph.

In attempting to create some kind of visual order and optical sense to the formal relationships observed, figuration, illustration and depiction remain at the very most, only secondary or even incidental concerns.

My ultimate aim in giving expression to my responses is for me, best achieved or at least tested in this way.

Commissioned Portraits

Much of my painting is influenced by my interest in classical and contemporary music, and I have produced commissioned portraits of certain musicians, composers and critics, including:-

Leonard Bernstein
Alfred Brendel
Edward Greenfield
Sir Edward Heath
Lord and Lady Menuhin
Sir Andrjez Panufnik
Mstislav Rostropovich
Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Walter Legge
Sir Michael Tippett

More recent commissioned portraits outside the musical world have included those of the Vice Chancellor of Roehampton University and the Chair of Governors of the University of Northampton as well as a group portrait for a former Head of HTV.

Major Exhibitions

Exhibitions of work have included solo and group shows at:-

Royal Festival Hall, London (1 Solo)
St David’s Hall, Cardiff (2 Solo)
Richmond Gallery, Cork Street, London (1 Solo & 1 Group)
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool (1 Solo)
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea (1 Group)
Stables Gallery (Orleans House Gallery), Twickenham (1 Solo)
Work on Permanent Public Display

Work on permanent display in public venues, including:-

St David’s Hall, Cardiff - Large Igor Stravinsky painting
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool - Two large paintings of Serge Rachmaninov and Sir Charles Groves, together with three paintings of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Royal College of Music – Painting of Benjamin Britten
Art Workers’ Guild, London – Painting of Edward Greenfield
Roehampton University – Painting of Vice Chancellor, Dr Bernadette Porter
University of Northampton – Painting of Sir Patrick Walker, Chair of Governors