Artist Bios
Johnny Cotter
Born in '61, I spent my early years growing up in Norfolk, Singapore and Wales.
Embracing the developments in technology I work mainly in a digital format constructing images that act as his mirror to society. I also create sculptural works that explore inventive techniques of expression, which critique the recession stricken society of today. Hailing the death of conceptualism I use a symbolic understanding in themes like religion, life and politics to convey my message, thus, heralding the return of an art form that is created for the public. My influences include Blek, Warhol, Hirst, Bacon, Blake and Lichtenstein.
My latest venture is a Gallery in my home town of Folkestone, Kent, converted from an old shoe studio. The two floors are used to sell my work and a percentage of the profits go to funding local up and coming artists in my home town.
Recent achievements include the global acknowledgement of my piece "Let me listen to me and not to them". The social-critical image has inspired journalists all over the world to discuss the work including a feature in Vogue’s Italian flagship magazine, the Washington Post and countless more in 30+ different countries. The work caused a protest in my hometown of Folkestone, where my gallery is situated. Since the story broke on Monday the 17th of January 2011, the image has been viewed online more that 160 Million times.
The viral nature of this work has proved my ability to create modern iconic images; a well-known celebrity acquired one of the two original prints.
Dee Taylor
I have drawn and painted all my life. I was born in India, and lived there until I was twelve.My Dad was a steam engine driver, and I spent many happy hours on the hot and rocking engine footplate breathing in the myriad sights, colours and smells of the Indian plains.
I would come home from these adventures with the excited longing to record my memories to pictures. Our house had cement floors and whitewashed walls, ideal for drawing, so I covered the walls with crayon drawings and the floors with chalk, all colourful images of elephants, vultures, rivers, waterfalls and steam engines. My Mum was an artist, and encouraged my art from that very early age. We eventually came to England, and after leaving school I joined a large West End advertising agency, as a junior in the art department. I spent my career in advertising and commercial art, eventually owning a group of art and photography studios in Soho and Covent Garden. However the recession of the early 1990s wiped me out.
Here was my chance to embrace the serious art world, and instead of producing work for magazines and press. I achieved my BA in Fine Art in 2009, and luckily have not looked back. My paintings are shown in many galleries in Kent, and there is growing interest from London. My work comments on many aspects of contemporary society. Large scale, images that evoke a bleak sense of isolation within dystopic urban scenarios, perhaps as metaphors for a dislocated postmodern culture. My large scale work that wrapped the upper half of Johnny Cotters Gallery building during the Triennial, titled “Frenzy” was a comment on just such a scenario.
Dan Catt
"Without any limitations, the deep inner workings of my mind never ceases, ticking like clockwork... conjuring new ways to captivate your imaginations"
Say hello to the artwork of the mysterious yet enchanting Dan Catt. Born on the 5th October 1987 - this 24 year old Folkestone resident has never lived a day without allowing his creative essence to flow from him. He started drawing at a very young age and since then has evolved various skills in a whole host of different mediums. He has a keen interest in ancient prehistory and the natural artwork. With that in mind Dan also enjoys capturing powerful and eye-catching images of celebrities/influential people and adding splashes of colour with bold black lines to create very emotion inducing pieces. Dan has a large community interest and is always keen to get involved with various art projects and has recently just helped brighten up the space behind Googies Art Cafe by painting their black wall as an abstract circus tent. He has also been involved in many events around the Kent and London area by providing them with body painted promo staff.
Lucy Wear
Lucy Wear is a local artist. Born in Folkestone in 1981, she completed both her primary and secondary education in the district before going onto work in the local community. Whilst Lucy's reputation as an artist has spread to the other side of the world, with private commissions having been received from Sydney and Perth in Australia, all her exhibited work to-date has been within the local area.
With a keen eye for art, Lucy has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Throughout her adolescence she constantly looked for opportunities to express her artistic side. Lucy's passion for art continued to develop as she taught herself a range of techniques and as she independently studied the work of various artists. The first artist to capture Lucy's imagination, in her teens, was M.C Escher whose black and white work instantly transfixed her.
Throughout her journey, Lucy found her enthusiasm for illustration shone through and it seemed a natural progression to channel this passion. So, in 2007 Lucy set up her own internet business and began taking private commissions for bespoke caricatures and cartoons. Whilst the venture proved popular, she found herself yearning for a bigger challenge. it was at this point that Lucy started to experiment with oils.
Lucy began painting sunsets, indulging her love of bold pictures, but felt the overall effect was somewhat lacking. She found that the paintings came to life with the addition of complementary black silhouettes, for example palm trees, piers or bamboo. In the process of experimenting with different forms and mediums, Lucy realised that it was always the black element in the picture that she most looked forward to painting. Consequently, her work evolved to where the black detail would be the focal point. Lucy also ventured into abstract art, pop art that subsequently led to her work being exhibited in an exciting new gallery (Johnny Cotter Gallery).
Lucy's work has developed naturally along with her interests and, today, can best be summarised as contemporary, bold, simple but effective.
BLAST
Bringing together traditional and contemporary skills to create iconic images of local landmarks.
Caroline Miles
I have been interested in photography since my teens but due to being busy with my family for the past few decades, have only recently had time to explore my passion for taking pictures in more depth. I live on the Kent coast and am surrounded by stunning scenery and vast open skies that make me want to reach for my camera every time I look out of the window.
Many of my photographs have been taken in the beautiful countryside near my home, including Dungeness, Folkestone and the Romney Marsh. Please have a look at my Flickr page to see more of my images.
I have recently exhibited my images which were well received and am now selling prints and canvasses in local businesses in and around New Romney in the Romney Marsh.
Peter Gander
Peter Gander (BA Hons) graduated from Canterbury College of Art to work in London as an art director. He lives in Herne Bay near Whitstable on the north Kent coast. During his commercial art career, which spans over 20 years, he lays claim to having re-designed the Monopoly logo to include 'Mr Moneybags' (still there to this day); winning an advertising D&AD Yellow pencil award for Spiller's Dog Food campaign featuring Dougal from The Magic Roundabout and having an award-winning cartoon featured on Londons Underground as well as having humorous poetry displayed for Londoners by Friends of the Earth, featured on Londons iconic Routemaster buses.
Elliot Masters
Born 1985 in Dover. I studied Fine Art at Reading University. I have previously exhibited paintings for the Royal Society of British Artists at the mall Galleries. At the moment most of my work is made by photographing/scanning my pencil or ink drawings then working with them digitally. My influences and interests are illustration, comics & graphic novels, films, typography and photography.
Emily Gray
I grew up in Kent in a house full of paintings of Sicily by my father and grandfather who were Sicilian and who both worked as professional artists during their lifetimes. Art was therefore part of my life from birth and I learned many of my skills from them.
I enjoy working in different mediums ranging from detailed pencil drawings to oils, acrylics, mixed media and collage. I am inspired by photorealism and surrealism, but am particularly drawn to pop art as I love bold eye-catching images.
My current focus is on producing designs of 20th Century icons which I sell both as prints and as Perspex collages. I feel Perspex works really well with pop art due to its high shine and the huge range of colours, textures and effects available. I adore bold colours and many of my designs are black, white and grey with touches of red, though some are all bright if the image can take it.