The Chronicle January 2020

26 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Portraits at The North Wall By Nicky Laird, Gallery Manager

with an inner stillness, reflective people. He uses controlled photographic sittings to allow him to spend time with the subject, and to provide copious reference data to take into the studio. In the studio, he lives with the essence of his sitters, often for weeks on end, learning, understanding, getting beneath the skin, trying to encapsulate some element of their being. Kevin Line: A Darker Shade is at The North Wall from 14th – 25th January, admission free. The Gallery is open from Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, from 12pm to 4pm on Saturday, and closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays. For more information visit www.thenorthwall.com .

Helena

Kevin Line

Later this month, The North Wall Gallery will host a solo exhibition of the wonderful portraiture of nationally renowned Cotswold artist Kevin Line. Kevin is a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. He features extensively in open exhibitions, most notably with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, and has been recognised with a number of national awards. Kevin is a latecomer to the world of fine art. Born in London in 1948, he studied at a grammar school and, although an obviously gifted young artist, he chose instead to pursue a career in industry and commerce, moving to the Cotswolds in the 1980s. In this second part of his life he worked for 20 years as a freelance garden designer, but this never entirely satisfied his creative urges. In 2009, fired by his intrigue to know more about an elderly, beautiful ballerina whose photograph he had seen in the newspaper, he started drawing again. He began with portraits, and over time they morphed into grisaille paintings using just charcoal pencils, dust and his fingers. He is a realist with particularly fine observational skills. He works in monochrome, and although his work is unsentimental, it has the rare ability to convey, not just a likeness, but a real sense of being in the presence of flesh and blood. His subjects live. He seeks out people who interest him, people

Sir Alec Reed CBE with his brother John

I have 400 friends and I am lonely

Win a Free Portrait Kevin has generously offered to undertake a free commission for a current or former Teddies family. The value of the commission is £2,000 – £3,500 depending on size. Please do take a moment to visit the exhibition, fill out the entry card and hand it in at The North Wall desk. You can also email lairdn@thenorthwall.com to enter. The winner’s name will be picked at the Friends’ coffee morning in the Gallery on Friday 24th January. Kevin Line will give a short talk at 12.15pm so please do come along then to hear Kevin speak about his work and see the exhibition before the prize draw at 12.45pm.