Evolution: GeGe Hirst, Pari Aazami, Richard Poole, Sarah Lake

This exhibition encapsulates the development of GeGe Hirst, Pari Aazami, Sarah Lake and Richard Poole, whose talents have placed them under the spotlights of UK and international art galleries.

Private View: Friday 28th June – 6pm to 8pm

Committed to fine art throughout her career as an architect, GeGe Hirst’s passion and skill in both representational and abstract techniques is evident in these highly emotive faces, which bring a fresh look to the conventional genre of portraiture. They are not depictions of recognisable people but enigmatic, multifaceted characters bursting from undefined backgrounds to attract attention. They mesmerise through unexpected colours applied softly or energetically; crisp anatomical details where full lips are often slightly apart as if in conversation; and the most striking eyes!

Leonardo da Vinci’s statement, “The eyes are the windows of the soul” certainly applies to these, painted so sensitively that they compel us to stop and connect with the emotions and characteristics that their eyes undoubtedly reveal – determined, suspicious, powerful, contemplative, liberated…to name but a few.

GeGe’s website: gegehirst.com

GeGe’s Instagram: @gegehirst

Equally impressive is Pari Aazami’s distinctive art. Now a retired dentist, her lifelong loves of photography and fine art emerge as mixed-media transformations of nature’s ordinary subjects that become extraordinary, abstracted versions of the world around us. Small scale dental skills are adapted to excellent effect, evidenced by Pari’s close-up photographs of tree bark, later enlarged before combining with portions of delicate, coloured metal leaf. Framed, they become beautiful, abstract artworks but their complexity tells us there is more to them than meets the eye: Those irregular patterns; carefully placed highlights of sparkling metal that vary the light and shade.

The multi-layers are Pari’s metaphor for our multi-layered world so, unsurprisingly, her work has been sought after in Switzerland and in the UK at Chilworth Manor Vineyard and London’s Mall Galleries and The Brick Lane Gallery.

Pari’s Website: pariaazami.co.uk

Pari’s Instagram: @pari.aazami

A simple day course at Aylesford Pottery was enough to hook Richard Poole, and to spark an obsession in clay which would come to dominate his time outside of working in software engineering. He considers his ceramics as decorative pieces reflecting Lloyd Wright’s mantra, Form over function; but for me, they offer the best of everything – elegant, decorative, contemporary forms, and some with practical functions such as his trinket bowls.

His use of cut-outs and texture add drama to richly glazed areas and colouring is clearly chosen sensitively and appropriately. Best of all, Richard’s work enhances modern or old environments, domestic or commercial and that broad appeal brought success at Bluewater’s exhibition, plus invitations flowing in from elsewhere.

Richard’s Website: rpceramics.com

Richard’s Instagram: @rp.ceramics.uk

Sarah Lake’s portraits of wildlife have not just made a career from a home hobby, her self-taught talent has become recognised internationally. Winning Sketch for Survival 2021 emboldened her confidence to enter then win more huge competitions: The International Wildlife Artist of the Year 2023; Sketch for Survival; and Art & Color 365.

Sarah’s meticulous art form primarily uses photography, glue and a scalpel with amazing results! Photographs are computer separated into delicate layers, printed onto hammered paper then ready for her drawing skills to edit areas or add highlights. Cut-outs of each layer from her adroit scalpel handling are glued onto the next layer until a detailed composition emerges. Each evolves from a single photograph and only when viewers look closely can they appreciate the layering and an artwork far greater than the sum of its parts.

Sarah’s Website: sarahlakepaperart.co.uk

Sarah’s Instagram: @sarah_lake_paperart