Wednesday 13 January 2016

Affordable Art Fair, Battersea 2015

Delighted to show work with the fabulous fourfour gallery for the third year. Thank you to everyone who visited, and for all the wonderful feedback.

Inscape series by M Cobbin.


Inscape series by M Cobbin

fourfour gallery stand, showing work by Beth Murray, Francis Murray, Julia McNeal,  Michelle Cobbin & Elisabeth Bell.

Another piece at the Towner Gallery 2015

By good fortune I had the opportunity to show another painting at the gorgeous Towner Gallery, Eastbourne, as part of Chalk Gallery's 10th anniversary show.

Moxie, acrylic on canvas 72x72cm. 2015.  M Cobbin





Italian Windows etc








Open House 2015

Pictures from May 2015 at BareFoot ArtHouse - Michelle Cobbin & Meg Griffiths.







Saturday 5 July 2014

At the East Sussex Open, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne

Pictures of the Private View of the East Sussex Open at the gorgeous Towner Gallery. Lovely to be part of this show. It is open until September.
Posing with my painting 'Steam'









Tuesday 1 July 2014

Teaism - the way of tea



Tribalism has been defined in engaged theory as a ‘way of being’ based upon kinship, place and communication . My body of work entitled ‘Tea Ceremony’ is an ongoing investigation into various cultural traditions of tea drinking and ritual that draws upon the simplicity of the teacup as a symbol of comfort, conviviality and contemplation. The Tao says that ‘tea is a way of being’. ‘Teaism’ or the ‘way of tea’ is a term to describe the tea ceremony that incorporates a set of rituals, which are practised to cultivate harmony with nature, and to help balance the heart and mind. Teaism teaches restraint and simplicity, and finds beauty in the ordinary.

Kukicha - acrylic on canvas
Tea has been consumed in Britain since colonial times. From China, via the Silk Road, to India, Africa and beyond, each culture, region or clan has its own variation of tea and tea ritual. Growing up in England, a nation of tea drinkers, I have enjoyed cream teas, tea parties and tea-breaks. I have found comfort, friendship and curiosity in all manner of teas, from the conventional ‘builders’ teabag to first-flush Darjeeling, and fair-trade green to multifarious herbal infusions. Travelling, I have enjoyed sweet masala chai on Indian trains and sage-infused Bedouin tea around a campfire in Sinai. Through yoga and meditation I have developed an interest in the more formal tea ceremonies rooted in the Chan and Zen traditions of China and Japan.  

Bedouin Tea
Chinese Tea


Much of my work is about finding tranquility or harmony in ordinary things. I approach the making of work in two distinct ways. Both originate with an idea I wish to convey, and the ‘letting go’ of that idea and simply painting.

Sunday Morning
I allow myself to play with the paint, being spontaneous with colour and movement. These paintings often result in many layers as I work over them, tidying up to create the right effect without losing the dynamic energy.
Matcha


At other times, I respect the power of the simplest mark, inspired by my study of Zen calligraphy. These paintings may appear to have been thrown together in minutes but there is often a whole stack of rehearsed pieces left behind.

Eventually I arrive at a place where the qualities I am searching for – rhythm, form, colour, harmony – are held in a delicate balance, allowing the overall result to appear effortless.  I draw inspiration from the philosophy of tea ceremonies to express these ideas in my work.
Gunpowder

Thursday 26 June 2014

East Sussex Open at Towner Gallery, Eastbourne
4 July - 14 September



'Steam' - ready for the Towner Gallery.
I am very pleased to have a painting selected to enter the East Sussex Open this year. This is my first success with open competitions. Now all I have to do is get the work there and wait for the opening next week.

Steam, oil on canvas 100x100cm. Michelle COBBIN

The work 'Steam' is an exploration of energy and stillness in the cycle of a breath.  The invisible fullness and emptiness of breathing is represented by painting the background white so that the canvas is loaded with paint to give the impression of steam – making visual the empty space.

This abstract image of the breath resembles a steaming pan – the inhalation is contained in a pan shaped rib cage, the exhalation is expressed in an arc resembling a pan handle.

This work is from an ongoing series investigating movement and stillness, through examining the breath, and also links to another series that investigates vessels concerned with tea-drinking – teapots, cups and pans.