Tim Woolcock

Tim Woolcock (born 1952 in Lancashire, England) is a Modern British painter painting in the tradition of the 1950s. His works have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are in private and public collections worldwide. In 2009 the Office of Public Works in Dublin, Ireland acquired one of his artworks for the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.[2]

Tim Woolcock
Born (1952-05-02) 2 May 1952[1]
EducationLondon University
Roehampton Institute[1]
OccupationPainter

Life and career

Between 1963 and 1970, he attended Arnold School in Blackpool, northern England. In 1971, he attended Roehampton Institute (London University) to study Philosophy and Art. From 1974–1986, he taught in London schools.[1] Currently he lives part of the year on a farm in County Carlow, Ireland where his studio is located. Tim Woolcock is a supporter of Blackpool FC.[2] In 2019 Tim Woolcock created and then donated the painting "Blue and Turquoise Amalgam" for the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital second floor atrium as he and members of his family have been patients in the hospital, and he wanted to return something in gratitude.[3] As of 2022 Tim Woolcock is being represented by Simon Shore of the Stow Art House gallery.[4]

Family and childhood

Tim Woolcock's grandfather was a tin miner at the Geevor mine near St. Just, Cornwall. He left for South Dakota, US when tin mining slumped. His father was born in South Dakota but lived his early life in St Just after his grandfather's return to his home country. Tim Woolcock spent many years as a young boy in St Just on a holiday and was astounded at the turquoise color of the sea which he noticed as being different from the seawater in Lancashire where he was born. He also finds the light in Cornwall great for painting and that many artists ended up in St Ives 11 miles from St Just, a very important artistic community especially in the 1950s. He heard of this as a teenager and began to explore this artistic movement and the lives of these artists. He was fortunate to one day take a long walk with Alan Davie on the rocks near St Just.[5]

Style and influences

As a modern British painter Woolcock's landscapes have often been described as mystical in their composition.[6] He has always shown an affinity with Zen and this is reflected in most of his work. The strong pigments used in his oil colour have also made his work distinctive.[2][7]

The Jenna Burlingham Fine Art gallery describes his style this way:

"Tim's painting clearly shows his inspiration from Modern British painters, particularly the traditions of the 1950s and St Ives Schools. As with landscape painters of the earlier twentieth century, such as Paul Nash and Evelyn Dunbar, Tim's landscapes have a somewhat mystical quality and at times approach abstraction. The simplicity and geometry found in work of the St Ives School - so important to the development of Modern British art - is a particular inspiration, with artists such as Patrick Heron, William Scott and Ben Nicholson being most key in his development, though Tim's paintings have a strength and clarity all their own. A knowledge of Zen and understanding of the natural world is reflected in his work,

'I have been greatly influenced by Zen writers, some who have said that the real aim of art is purposeless - not to be confused with a nihilistic approach - in 'Zen and The Art of Archery' it is said that in calligraphy strokes are made by the brush with perhaps the painter not fully being conscious of his or her efforts. I have found this to be true when painting, as if a certain effortless process is ignited where the self drops away and a painting manifests without a painter.'

His main subjects are landscapes and abstractions, taking his influences from the locale surrounding his studio in Ireland, where he takes his daily walks, and trips to the countryside of the UK. As with many painters who take landscape as their subject, Tim's works usually begins life as a series of sketches. However, it is the spirit of the place that determines his final outcome. It is the particular beauty of the British and Irish countryside that he seeks to convey in his landscape paintings."[8]

The London Times art critic Joanna Pitman wrote this about Woolcock's style and influences: "The scale and proportions of his work present an internal harmony, and this mood is completed in the delicate balance between form and the exquisite colours he uses. We see lyrical lines and geometric fragmented shapes...Woolcock has seemed to show an interest in Cubism and a wonderful sense of contour and drama. There is a meditative serenity in his colour variations which perhaps reflects the contemplative personality of Woolcock himself...his landscapes evoke the beauty and grandeur of the Irish Countryside"[9]

At the Paisnel Gallery Exhibition "Nine by Three" in 2016 Tim Woolcock stated "The execution of a painting can be startling spontaneous once I've comprehended the essence of a subject. Some of my paintings may instill different feelings in two separate viewers. Over the years I have asked collectors what motivated them to purchase my paintings and the majority replied 'the primary visual impact was the deciding factor'. I have never really attempted to manipulate my material to communicate something to an audience. I would always hope that paintings produced would evoke a spirit. If the 'self' can be forgotten in front of an easel who knows what may manifest?"[10]

The Sladmore Gallery published a video on Vimeo titled: 'Tim Woolcock, Recent Landscape Paintings' in which the artist details his inspiration and style.[11]

Exhibitions

Notes

  1. MyHermosa.com. "Tim Woolcocks CV". MyHermosa.com. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  2. MyHermosa.com. "Tim Woolcocks Interview". MyHermosa.com. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  3. "Artwork Spotlight: Tim Woolcock". CW+. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  4. "Tim Woolcock - Overview". Stow Art House. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  5. "Tim Woolcock • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  6. "Tim Woolcock". www.timwoolcock.com. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  7. MyHermosa.com. "Tim Woolcocks Exhibitions". MyHermosa.com. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  8. "Tim Woolcock - Biography". Jenna Burlingham Fine Art. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  9. Pitman, Joanna. "Tim Woolcock". The London Times. Ransom Contemporary Art. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  10. "Paisnel - Nine by Three - exhibition e-catalogue, page 46". Issuu. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  11. Contemporary, Sladmore (13 October 2023), Tim Woolcock, Recent Landscape Paintings, retrieved 13 October 2023
  12. Paisnel Art Gallery. "Tim Woolcock". Works Available. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  13. London Art Fair. "Fairs". Paisnel Gallery. London Art Fair. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  14. "Works | St Ives & Post War". The Nine British Art. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  15. dijit.net. "Art Fairs | Paisnel Gallery". www.paisnelgallery.net. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  16. "The Nine British Art". London Art Fair. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  17. "Exhibitions & Galleries | Tim Woolcock Paintings | British Artist". www.timwoolcock.com. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  18. "The Nine British Art". London Art Fair. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  19. "The Abstract Line | 1 - 31 August 2022". Stow Art House. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  20. "Tim Woolcock : Sladmore Gallery". sladmore.com. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  21. "Tim Woolcock : Sladmore Gallery". sladmore.com. Retrieved 1 October 2023.

References

  • Tim Woolcock: Modern British Artist, Author: John Bloxham
  • Tim Woolcock Exhibition Catalogue
  • Jorgensen Fine Art Exhibition Listing
  • Boston 13th Fine Art Show
  • Joanna Pitman, The Times (London) about Tim Woolcock
  • Online Interview at MyHermosa.com
  • Art Critic and Editor Carol Cordrey about Tim Woolcock
  • Paisnel Art Gallery
  • London Art Fair via Paisnel Art Gallery
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