denise weston

Artist Biography

Denise Weston graduated from Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham in 1985 with a 1st Class Hons. Degree in Fine Art. She was awarded an MA in Painting in 1986 from the City of Birmingham Polytechnic. Exhibitions include work shown in Germany, Poland, Sweden and France. Nationally she has exhibited widely, including galleries in Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, Halifax, Glasgow and London. Her work is included in both private and public collections, including the
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris and Arts Council East Midlands Collection Between 1989 -1995 she was instrumental in setting up, co-ordinating and curating exhibitions at Oldknows Gallery, at the time the only artist run gallery space within Nottingham. In 1992 she received a grant from Wernigerode Kunst und Kulturverein to participate in the exhibition and symposium,
'Hinter den Sieben Meeren' This allowed the artist to produce work in a studio in Germany. In 1996, she co-curated and exhibited in mere jelly at Transmission Gallery Glasgow, later touring to Keele University. The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue with text by Stuart Morgan.
In 2004 she co curated and exhibited in mere jelly @ On the Wall, Olympia, London. The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue with text by Robert Clark. She has been the recipient of several major awards from Arts Council East Midlands and other bodies, both for her own work (bursary and project grants) and for co-ordinating open studio events, as well as curatorial projects. From 1987 onwards she has worked as both a visiting and part-time lecturer within Higher, Adult and Further Education. In October 2005, she exhibited a new series of works on paper at Nottingham Trent Universities 1851 gallery, as part of the Fabrication exhibition.

Artist Statement

My earlier work has been involved with the use of narrative within figurative painting, the iconography of the female form and exploration of gendered space. Past paintings have also depicted life size dolls and soft toys. Images of toys were used referentially to reduce the narrative element within the work. An element of lurking, not too distant threat was present. Dolls act as stereotypes, symbols, fetishes, therapy aids, actors in fragmented narratives. Recent drawings have been exhibited as both wall and floor pieces. The work references ideas of memory, preservation, family and the construction of female identity and space through large- scale drawings. Recent paintings explore the visual discourse of depicting both babies and older children.

Email denisecweston@hotmail.com

Education

1997 Basford Hall College of F.E. Nottingham. C&G 2301 Computer Aided Engineering, Computer Aided Draughting.
1988-89 Clarendon College of F.E. Nottingham. Adult Education Teacher Training Course, (PT) (Awarded City & Guilds 730)
1985-86 City of Birmingham Polytechnic. M.A. Fine Art Degree, (Awarded M.A. with commendation.)
1982-85 Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham. (B.A. Hons.) Fine Art Degree, (1st Class Hpns.)
1981-82 Chesterfield College of Art & Design. Arts Foundation Course, (Distinction.)

Selected Group exhibitions

2004 mere jelly @ On the Wall, The Grand Hall, Olympia, London.
2002 Bridlesmith Gate Gallery, Nottingham. 'Schmutter - 'Dialogues of Attire'.
Two person show
2002 Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery, 'Art from the Studio'.
2001 Gothenburg City Library, Foreningen Norden, Gothenburg, Sweden, 'Av Modern Brittisk Konst'
2001 Bonington Gallery, Nottingham Trent University, 'Visualise 2001'
2001 Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham. 'Drawing Space', with Alison Wilding, Simon Patterson.
2000 Oldknows Studio Group Exhibition, Oldknows Studio, Nottingham.
1999 Bonington Gallery, Nottingham Trent University. 'Circa ng 99.'
1997 Bonington Gallery, Nottingham Trent University. 'Representing Lives', with Lubina Himid, Sonia Lawson, Hilary Cartmel.
1996 Keele University, Staffordshire. 'Mere Jelly'.
1996 Transmission Gallery, Glasgow. 'Mere Jelly'
1995 Byard gallery, Nottingham.
1994 Dean Clough Galleries, Halifax. 'Disparate Experiences, Unheard Singing, Chocolate Hearts'. Three person show.
1993 Trigon Galerie, Magdeburg, Germany. 'Works on paper'.
1993 Bernburg, Germany. 'Works on paper', with Ulrich Tarlatt.
1993 Nottinghamshire. 'Mind and Matter'. Four person touring show, organised by Angel Row Gallery.
1992 Bonn, Magdeburg, Neustadt, Germany. 'Hinter den Sieben Meeren.'
1992 Mall Galleries, London. 'The Discerning Eye'. Invited by Marina Vaizey.
1992 Palace of Culture, Poznan, Poland. 'Twelve Artists from Nottinghamshire'.
1992 Wernigeroder Kunst und Kulturverein, Wernigerode, Germany. 'Hinter den
Sieben Meeren.'
1992 Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham. 'Myth, Dream and Fable'. Six person show with Paula Rego, Eileen Cooper, Amanda Faulkner.
1990 Northampton and Nottinghamshire Libraries. 'A Dozen of Each', touring exhibition. Organised by East Midlands Arts.
1989 Oldknows Gallery, Nottingham. '30 Artists', Nottingham Festival Exhibition.
1988 Oldknows Gallery, Nottingham, Oldknows Studio Group Exhibition.
1988 Nottingham Castle Museum & Museum, 'Artists Open', selected by Graham Crowley.
1987 Midland Group Gallery, Nottingham. 'Across The Board'.
1997 Bonington Gallery, Trent Polytechnic. 'Three Years On - Three Painters'.
1986 Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. M.A. Fine Art Exhibition.
1986 Concourse Gallery, City of Birmingham Polytechnic. '

Solo Exhibitions

2005 'Fabrication' 1851 Gallery, Nottingham Trent University.
2002 'Paintings of Youth' Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery, South Hall.
1993 Leicester City Gallery, Main Gallery space.
1993 Phoenix Arts Centre, Leicester.
1993 Nottingham Castle Museum & Gallery, South Hall.
1992 Leicester Museum & Art Gallery. 'Recent Paintings' invited to show alongside 'Domesticity and Dissent' - The Role of Women Artists in Germany, 1918-1938.
1990 Nottingham Polytechnic, 'Crossing The Water'.
1989 Nottinghamshire Libraries. 'Her Kind'. Touring exhibition, organised by Nottingham County Council.

Awards / Collections

2005 Arts Council England. Grant for development of mere jelly HQ
2004 Arts Council England. Research and Development grant. Individual award
2004 Arts Council England. Grant for mere jelly @ On the Wall 04
2004 East midlands Development Agency. Grant for curating mere jelly @ On the Wall 04
2003 Arts Council England. Grant for curating mere jelly @ On the Wall 04.
2001 Awards for All Lottery Grant for running art workshops at Stonebridge City Farm, Nottingham.
1999 Awards for All Lottery Grant for Open Studio and Creative Programme.
1998 East Midlands Arts. Project Grant for Open Studios event.
1996 East Midlands Arts. Bursary Award.
1996 East Midlands Arts. Grant for 'Mere Jelly' exhibition.
1996 New Arts Work, Commissions programme for Nottinghamshire.
1995 Eaton Fund for Artists. London.
1994 East Midlands Arts. Exhibition Grant.
1992 Wernigeroder Kunst und Kulturverein. Grant to participate in 'Hinter den Sieben Meeren', International Artists Symposium and Exhibition, Germany.
1991 East Midlands Arts. Project Grant.
1990 East Midlands Arts. Collection.
1988 East Midlands Arts. Starter Grant.

Private collections in U.K. and Germany.
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris .Common Sense 1992 (original lithograph in artists book
Edited by Ulrich Tarlatt)

Bibliography / Publications

'mere jelly' catalogue. Clark, Robert, On the Wall, Olympia , London 2004.
'Mere Jelly' Catalogue. Morgan, Stuart, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, Keele University Gallery, Staffs. 1996.
'Common Sense - Almanach fur Kunst und Literratur. Tarlatt, Ulrich & Kowalski, Jorg. 1992. Edition Augenweide 75ed ; produced lithographs for limited edition. (Copies held in collection of Biliotheque National, Paris.)
'The Discerning Eye'. Catalogue. Vaizey, Marina. Mall Galleries, London. 1992.
'Myth, Dream and Fable'. Hall, Charles. Arts Review. April 1992.
'Myth, Dream and fable'. Catalogue. Lucas, Pauline. Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham.1992.

Lecturing

From October 2006 Part-time lecturer BA Hons in Visual Art, The University of Nottingham.
2002 onwards - Part-time Lecturer, The University of Nottingham, School of Continuing Education (Visual Art)
1995 onwards Part-time Lecturer, New College Nottingham.
1989 - 1997 - Visiting Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University. B.A. and M.A. Fine Art.
1994-95 - Part-time Lecturer, South-East Derbyshire College of F.E.
Art & Design.
1992-95 - Visiting Lecturer, Loughborough College Of Art & Design. (BA Fine Art)
1993-94 - Visiting Lecturer, Clarendon College of F.E. Nottingham.
Foundation Course.
1989-92 - Part-time Lecturer, Adult Education Department, Clarendon College Of F.E. Nottingham.
1989 - Visiting Lecturer, Cheltenham College of Art. B.A. Fine Art.
Visiting Lecturer, City of Birmingham Polytechnic. B.A. Fine Art.
1987 - Part-time Lecturer, Stourbridge College of Art & Design Foundation Course.
1986 - Art Leader, Canon Hill Arts Centre, Birmingham.

Other information

2003-4 Co-ordinated and curated mere jelly @ On the Wall 04
1998 - Co-ordinated Open Studios event, Oldknows Studio Group, Nottingham.
1996 - Curated 'Mere Jelly' exhibition, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, Keele University, Staffordshire.
Participant in 'Hinter den Sieben Meeren', International Artists Symposium, Wernigerode,
Germany. Produced and exhibited work alongside Italian, Romanian, Spanish and German artists.
1991-94 - Artists' representative on Consultative Group, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham.
1989-95 - Oldknows Gallery Committee. Involved in fund-raising for artist-run gallery,
curating exhibitions, of work of artists from U.K., Germany, Poland, New York.

Music Collaborations

Denise has worked in several musical collaborations. In the early eighties she performed with Sheffield based 'Mooksie Hoot and The Cocktail Party', which later evolved into The Crocodile Party, Between 1983-1985 she played clarinet and sang with the art band, The Smoking Rat Machine. From 1999-2003, she recorded with the band, Zoo. She now currently sings with the jazz influenced based band, Milch.