Johnny Dawes |
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| Shelley Hocknell |
| Shelley's artistry is both accessible and heartful. It seems to me that the
archetypal movement the rock renders in the climber remains in vital form in
her drawings and paintings. Bodies are interesting forms and so is rock. When
the two come together the mind and body can change in their own way according
to the rhythms they meet. Shelley represents these in a personal way which I
enjoy, I hope you do too. Johnny Dawes. |
| Shelley Hocknell combined a fine art and philosophy degree at
Bristol University, with her passion for rock climbing. Before graduation, she
was already making her mark with a solo show at the Bristol Guild of Applied
Art; this weas hailed by Venue Magazine as theearly work of a significant
artist. Her traditional figuaritive draughtsmanship and experimental painting
techniques have secured her place as one of the emerging young british artists
of today. Prince Charles was both fascinated and impressed when he saw her
working on a large portrait of a female climber last year. Shelley has exhibited the length and bredth of the country in over 30 shows. These include: 
The museum of modern art in Wales
The Gascoigne Gallery in Yorkshire
The Coningsby Gallery in London
The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal for the International Mountaineering Film
Festival 2000.Major commissions this year include a large mural at the World Climbing Championships for The British Mountaineering Council, and the National Rock Climbing Centre of Scotland. Shelley has collectors in the U.S.A., Australia, Russia and Thailand. As a climber, Shelley feels there is a natural correlation between climbing and art. "When you climb well you begin to flow with the rock, and feel that your mind and body are at one with your surroundings. Both climbing and painting require absolute absorption, and for me this creates an intensity that is crucial for my work" Alice Douglas
Artists Statement The work in this exhibition is based on rock climbers, whose dynamic ability requires not only the grace and power of a gymnast, but the mental dexterity and focus unparalleled in any sport. The often tenuous relationship of body and mind within the individual has always been the main concern of my work, so considering this combination under the duress of mortal risk, the powerful image of the climber, for me, has immense aesthetic potential. Climbers became an ideal subject matter for me after I started climbing about two years ago - as I too became addicted to the rush of adrenalin, passion for the outdoors, the feeling of being closer to nature, and sometimes achieving something I never thought I'd have the bottle or the strength to do. I found a natural correlation between climbing and art - in the obsessive, individualistic character, and a strong sense of the aesthetic of the actual climb (i.e. the integrity of the ascent). The hardest routes are not always the most satisfying, just as a simple line drawing can have more power than a detailed oil painting; at whatever standard you are climbing, when you climb well the feeling is the same - a wordless elation, you begin to 'flow' with the rock, and feel that mind and body are at one with your surroundings. Top climber Johnny Dawes, talking about the route he named 'Gaia' after the Earth Goddess, likened the sensation to listening to a piece of music - just as the music makes you dance in a certain way, the way the holds are placed on the rock make you move in a certain way. The water and the winds which create that rock maintain the natural force, the spirit of Gaia - so when you're moving on the rock, it's as if you're dancing with Gaia. It doesn't always happen, some days you're just climbing a rock face, but other times you're at one with the universe, and everything around you seems to conform to the fluidity of your movement, the power of your reaches, and the rushing adrenalin forcing the hard beat in your chest and the turn of your stomach. My first inspiration came from walking up Snowdon on a typically black, rainy day. I felt exhilarated not only from the exercise, but from the artistic energy I found in the tempestuousness of the elements, and the dark, intimidating grandeur of the mountain. Since then, I have climbed in the U.S.A., Spain, and most recently, Thailand, the experience of which has formed the impetus for the climber series, trying to capture the dynamic energy of the climb in the creation of an image - the spirit of which has seldom faltered and remains a powerful source of inspiration. |
