Tag Archives: oxford

Evie Kitt

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Evie Kitt is a 21-year-old artist studying at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art at Oxford. Being one of the most esteemed Art Schools in the country, the course allows its students to follow their own art practice alongside immersive academia. Her dedication began by focusing on figurative drawing until she could accurately recreate her visual surroundings. Branching out into figurative drawing and then progressing into abstraction, Evie also partakes in illustrative drawing independent from her abstract creations.

One of the most striking things when first laying eyes on Evie’s paintings is the exploration of vivid colour and immersive landscapes. The depth of pigment and contrasts of light and dark complement the abstract visuals. Incredibly impactful yet beautiful without being shallow. Indulging the artist’s fascination with space, nebula, land and waterscape, balancing the organic and the natural world around us. Achieved through the medium of paint, which is underlined by intensity and luminosity. The paintings are designed to entice the viewer’s attention, to stimulate the eye and feed the visual appetite. It is clear Evie produces work that a viewer wants to look at whilst expressing her own creative enjoyment and physical process of painting.

Achieving these paintings by working on the floor, Evie uses a mix of professional and household materials. Making art with a hands on approach that sandwiches unique skill with igneous method. There is an understated charm about working on the floor and using a mix of materials to create something that is reminiscent of an otherworldly universe. Maybe this alternative visual is reflective of the process of painting, if you consider painting an attempt to control the uncontrollable. Often abstract art tries to obliterate some form of reality, which the works do, but they also succeed at creating a new center to focus on. With many focal points littering the painted canvases. There is a sense of creating an alternative visual within the physical boundaries of a canvas, referencing the old traditions of making art. Evoking a sense of freedom and movement, indicate how the paintings are formed. Evie’s creations rely on the tensions of knowing how to play with the materials to produce her vision versus the chance happenings that occur on the canvas. The success of her work should be measured by the stunning visuals she creates and the impact upon her viewers.

To find out more you can visit Evie’s pages

 
 
 

Marvellous Medicine

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If you’ve been searching for the new groove: look no further. How happy I was to be introduced to Oxford-based Marvellous Medicine: very much a mash of jazz and folk, ska and rap, most of their melodies obviously fall into a reggae mood. They say that ‘this is a consistent feature, but you can hear Brecker-inspired funk in our song Colour, klezmer music in Streets and Avenues, and Spice Girls (!) in Girl Back Home.’

Marvellous Medicine met whilst studying at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, (the informal, arty kind of college) and it was the initial efforts of Rob – bass, Piers – keys, Jake – sax, and George – cello/djembe that founded the band. A year later, they were joined by Jamie and Holly, playing the guitar and drums respectively, and together formed MM, the six man wonder-band they are today.

Hailing from all over the UK, their backgrounds are an equally mixed bag when it comes to music. Rob, former member of a thrash metal band, cites a particular love of Bruce Springsteen, which proved of great influence in the song Homecoming. George has had classical training his whole life, and is now a formidable cellist, whilst Piers studied jazz and classical piano in Cardiff. The others are equally enthusiastic about their work, and have all been from an early age. But they do stress that this is foremostly a collaborative effort  – all members of the band sing, and they fondly consider themselves to be ‘a colorful set of personalities, but the music that comes out puts a smile on our faces’. Ours too.

So what’s next for MM? They have just released a four track EP, available on soundcloud here. They intend to continue making music together for the foreseeable future, with the ultimate intention of touring ‘Planet Earth’. I for one cannot wait; this band’s unique and soulful sound is well worth a listen. Catch them on their facebook page: facebook.com/MarvellousMedicine.