As the end of 2011 fast approaches, and people turn their focus to Christmas festivities and the New Year celebrations to follow, we wanted to take time out of our daily routine to show you some of the fantastic artwork that has passed through the world of Gallereo this year.
The end of 2011 marks the end of Gallereo's first fully fledged year helping to create websites for artists. We're pleased with how things have progressed this year, and are excited about the things that are in store for 2012.
That being said, we wouldn't have made it this far without the support, creativity and all-round wonderfulness of each and every one of you, so Merry Christmas and a huge thank you!
Here are just a few of the artists, photographers, illustrators, printmakers and sculptors that we've had the pleasure of coming into contact with in 2011:
Alysia Anne
Twitter @limnides
Picture: "Fractures" Multiple exposure photograph
New Jersey-born, Alysia Anne, creates intricate photographs that explore form and space through use of overlaying, and repeatedly exposing urban landscapes and man-made structures. Her choice of subject matter and compostional flair make her multiple-exposure works nothing short of a treat.
Arctoa / Darren Shields
Picture: "Network"
Working under the alias arctoa, Darren Shields specialises in abstractions of photography, taking otherwise mundane objects and moments, and calling attention to their form and being. A great use of focus and blurring gives his images a great deal of depth and texture.
Chris Smith
Picture: "Flag of Painting"
Chris Smith joined Gallereo early on in 2011, and we've been taken with his painting all year. Having just finished his MFA at the University of Leeds, Chris produces wonderfully coloured and wonderfully composed paintings that really revel in the medium. Be sure to take a look.
Dan Wrightson
Twitter: @danwrightson
Picture: Siena from San Domenico
Dan Wrightson is a seriously talented watercolorist who first trained as an artist in Florence, before applying his skill set to architecture in Cambridge and Sheffield. He captures beautifully detailed scenes of the likes of Rome, Florence, London and Sena, and anywhere else that his travels take him.
Aston Art
Picture by Time Wallace
Aston Art is part of the Aston Workshop, which specialises in all things Aston Martin. The Aston Art website showcases the photographic works of Tim Wallace, who captures this timeless brand in all its glory.
Harry Atkinson
Twitter: @Harry_Atkinson
Picture: "Intervention" Long exposure photography
Harry Atkinson is a photographer currently pursuing a journalistic path. In creating his Gallereo website he has shown a lot of creative flair, and has some wonderfully contemporary images to boot. Being able to mix contemporary imagery with contemporary, newsworthy affairs should see Harry make a success in his current pursuits.
Marion Kuit
Picture: "December"
Marion Kuit is a printmaker based in Kendal, in the Lake District. She draws on biological and geological forms to produce wonderful linocuts, etchings and screenprints. A lot of her work is dark and edgy, making great use of line, composition and lighting to enhance her subject matter.
Sarah Francis Photography
Picture: "How I Made Me, Self Portrait with Legs"
Sarah Francis creates photographic worlds steeped in ideas of reality and representation, reinterpreting the facts and fictions of her past. Her self-referential imagery often looks, on the one hand, spontaneous and surreal, yet her stage is very often carefully composed, as those in the best stories always are.
Richard Seymour
Twitter: @richardseymour
Picture: "Hanger 2"
Richard Seymour has astounded us with he collection of stark, graphic, and at times futuristic photography. Being a successful photographer in the world of design and advertising means that Richard gets access to some amazing locations, something that is clearly reflected on his website.
Suzie Banks
@FoodieSuze
Picture: "Lychees"
Suzie Banks is a talented photographer whose passion and focus lies with food. After starting to publish recipes online, Suzie discovered that she enjoyed the process of creating the accompanying photographs as much as anything else. And so her website at Gallereo was born to showcase her food-photography talents.
Hans Meertens
Picture: "Wooooosh"
Hans Meertens is an internationally known artist whose strong graphic and graffiti style aesthetic has won him representation and collectors all over the world. Based in The Netherlands, Meertens frequently shows his work in Amsterdam, New York, and Daugard in Denmark.
Nigel Painting
Twitter: @nigelpainting
Picture: "Notebook Tower: Summit"
Nigel Painting is based in Yorkshire and joined Gallereo on our art fair journey to both NewcastleGateshead and the Manchester Buy Art. His worked proved popular and delight to audiences in both Newcastle and Manchester. Nigel is concerned with the act of painting, rather than the object itself. As a result he produces beautiful paintings of otherwise unremarkable objects.
Ray Campbell
Twitter: @RayCampbellart
Picture: North Shields Fish Quay
Another talented water-colour artist, Ray Campbell focuses on scenes of his native Northumberland. He has a
wonderful story about how he got back to his love of art, and his website is is full of treasures for anyone with a love of seaside scenes and local cityscapes.
David Mayne
Picture: "Chariot"
Sculpture didn't make a fully fledged visit to Gallereo until towards the end of 2011, but boy are we glad that it finally got here. David Mayne is one of the top sculptors with a Gallereo website, and he splits his time between making bronze, steel and wooden works of art, and teaching others about the joys of sculpture as an art form.
Anna Welsh
Twitter: @annalouisewelsh
Picure: "Cat and Mouse"
Anna Welsh is an artist focused on the art of illustration. Predominantly using collage as her medium, Anna produces textured images, full of narrative and character. Anna is also very interested in keeping her practice green, by dealing in reusable and recycled goods when making her illustrations.
Ryan Fawcett
Picture: "Mike, Dirty Helmet"
From the cute and the cuddly of bears, owls and squirrels, we move onto the rough, ready and manly world of Ryan Fawcett. Ryan is an illustrator and designer who specialises in video game concept art and character design, and leans very much towards themes of modern and futuristic fantasy and warfare.
Jasmine Roberts
Picture: "No one could ever love someone like you"
Jasmine Roberts is an artist based in the North East of England, and her particular talents lie in the medium of glass. Specialising in blown glass and engraving, Jasmine puts these skills into making fabulous glass creations that use form, text, light and space to wonderful effect.
AleRT is Not A Gallery
Picture: "Psychedelic Urban Landscape" by Claudia Campus
AleRT is Not A Gallery is an arts project that was set up this year with bases in London, Venice and Los Angeles. They organise events, exhibitions and performances, and generally support artists to make work that engages with the modern age. They're always on the look out for new artists to work with, so take a look!
KJ Arts
Picture: "Garden in Winter"
KJ Arts, or John Dance as he is otherwise known, lives in North East England, and is heavily engaged with the scenery that surrounds him in the Northumberland country side, and the cityscapes of the Tyne & Wear estuaries. His paintings are expressive and painterly in their execution, and absolutely full of life.
These are just a few of the great artists that have crossed paths with Gallereo this year, imagine what we must have in store for 2012!