Explore a diverse array of curated art collections at New Blood Art. Each selection, curated by Sarah, draws inspiration from various themes, art movements, and media, offering an immersive journey through the world of emerging art.
Start with the Art: Pieces to Anchor Your Vision
Starting with art allows the interior design to be driven by inspiration rather than imitation. This approach often leads to a more original and unique design because the artwork serves as a muse, inspiring colour schemes, textures, and even the mood of the space. This results in a design that is cohesive and tells a story, making it more authentic compared to designs that might feel more generic or trend-driven.
Small is Beautiful: A Collection of Small-Scale Artworks
In this curated collection, “Small is Beautiful,” we celebrate the compelling nature and versatility of small-scale artworks. These pieces are perfect for creating a gallery wall or bringing life to an overlooked corner in your home, adding a touch of intimacy and focus.
Circling Home: Embrace the Infinite
The circle is a shape as ancient as humanity itself, a symbol that transcends time, culture, and place. From the rising sun to the eternal moon, the circle represents the infinite, the boundless, and the cyclical nature of existence. It’s a form that draws us in, offering both a beginning and an end – yet neither fully.
Multiplicity | Arrival | Pattern
There’s something very rejuvenating about these mainly abstract works: a cellular reset through living colours and organic shapes. Many have a diffuse energy to them, and would make a brilliant focal point to a room. Such works – in any colour or neutral palette – can bring balance to a space. Multiplicity, arrival and pattern are the key words of this curation.
How Paint Works: Verging on Abstraction
This curation showcases artists united by an interest in how paint works. From James O’Connell’s modernist echoes to Andrew Szczech’s weathered surfaces and Sarah MacFarlane’s voluminous forms, each piece invites exploration of paint’s potential. Through varied techniques and styles, the works provoke questions about surface, depth, and meaning.
The Sea: A Space for Invention
In the popular imagination, the sea is a space of possibility. Stephen Todd’s layered seascapes and Octavia Madden’s glowing nighttime harbours evoke visceral responses and open-ended interpretations, inviting viewers to explore memories and experiences beyond the horizon. These works offer a canvas for the imagination to roam freely.
A Floral Rebellion: The Drama of Transcience
Paintings of florals often evoke sentimentality, yet contemporary artists transform these motifs into profound symbols of life’s cyclical nature. Orlanda Broom’s lush, exotic landscapes, Emily McGuire’s reflections on transient beauty, and Xiaoyu Shi’s personal explorations of life and decay all subvert traditional notions, capturing the deeper essence of beauty, decay, and transformation.
Nature and gardening evoke deep contemplation, vibrant colours, and playful escape. The artworks here, though united by their outdoor subject matter, vary in treatment: some emphasise color, others instill calm, and many evoke emotions and narratives. Collectively, they capture the essence and diversity of the natural world.
Each artwork in this collection carries a striking immediacy, using color and pattern to capture attention. In a world saturated with images, these pieces aim to create a pause for reflection. Their visual impact invites viewers to linger, prompting questions about their creation, content, and formal choices.
Joy and Music: A Space to Dream
Rooted in the old English ‘drēam’, connoting joy and music, the artworks here evoke a dreamlike quality. A cold night sky transforms into a space for togetherness and storytelling, with glowing shelters full of possibility. Secluded winter landscapes heighten our senses, turning everyday sounds into music. These scenes capture joy, offering a concrete space for dreams.
From Bruegel’s feasts to Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe, food has long been a subject in painting. Integral to our lives and wellbeing, these works feature freshly picked fruit, teas, and picnics, evoking leisure and contemplation. They explore food’s journey from uncooked to cooked, uneaten to empty, reflecting on its significance in our daily existence.
From Fire to Feathers: The Wild Other
Animals, our dignified companions, have always fascinated artists. From ancient Egyptian deities to Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical studies, and Baroque hunting scenes to Victorian pet miniatures, animals populate art’s history. This selection cherishes the dignified animal, exploring their world through diverse, symbolic depictions that celebrate their glory and tenderness.
A Void of Colour: Neutral & Achromatic Works
Pared down and stripped back, neutral interiors highlight thoughtfully placed artwork, allowing it to become the room’s focal point. This selection features achromatic and black-and-white schemes, where texture, shape, and form take precedence. Sculptures, like Nathan Henton’s Untitled (nihil Dicit), further emphasize this void, inviting deeper contemplation and imagination in the absence of vibrant color.
New works by contemporary artists reveal a deep engagement with nature and artistic traditions. Zhize Lv’s tranquil yet strange ink paintings and Sara Willett’s layered, contemplative pieces from her recent residency in China both invite reflection and dialogue. Alongside Sammi Mak and Kyle Noble, who explore Chinese landscape traditions in their distinct styles, these artworks prompt viewers to consider their relationship with art and the natural world, extending the conversation beyond the canvas.
Stars of the Future: New Blood Artists at the Royal College and Royal Drawing School
Royal College of Art and Royal Drawing School alumni showcase diverse works with New Blood Art. Common themes include vibrant colors and voluminous brushstrokes in Malcomson and Williams’ pieces, a collage-like sensibility in Davidson and Francis’ works, and deft, meaningful gestures in Valik and Martin’s art. These artists are ones to watch.