Jamie Frost Studio

Surprisingly and unexpectedly I have someone new in my life. She arrived as Bernard, a willing and patient model for a class I was teaching. I never expected things to develop the way they have. We’re just having fun at the moment, expect a series of new drawings to be released in the New Year.

I’ll have to focus on getting ready for now, so I’m signing off with this rather special piece.

The reason for developing a way of using paper over stretcher bar is so that the drawing can be done right up to the edges and not have to be cut from a board afterward. This allows multi-panel works to be butted together. I’ve always enjoyed making pieces in parts, I’m a big fan of Japanese screens in particular. The dividing lines call for a subtle shifting of focus as your eyes moves between the panels. Each piece can be read separately or as a whole image. Relationships of space and mass can also vary between each panel.

Practically it’s possible to work at any scale on paper in this way, which is my ultimate goal.

I’m not sure if I’ll show this at the weekend (it will occupy all of my stand) but I’d jump at the chance to discuss commissioning something on an epic scale, produced to suit the proportions of a wall or room.

If you would like free tickets to the fair this year, subscribe to my mailing list by using the link in my biography. I hope to see you there.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

Not long to go now. This one is varnished and framed up and looking forward to going up on the wall. Measuring 60cm by 140cm, the drawing has an unusual tall portrait format. Come down to see this and more from Friday. Message me for free tickets.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

There’s all kinds of drawing and I draw every day. If I had to define what I do, I’d say I draw. The type of drawing I put in a frame and show in galleries is usually the result of developing some kind of process, a particular deepening of a language that I was exploring. The last time I made a series of drawings with this intent they were painstaking and detailed, made with fine pen. I now realise It was what I needed at the time. Something to pin me down and give me constancy when life felt chaotic and fragile. Years of sculpting and pandemic-ing and other stuff and I had a yearning to work something out that was spare, direct, open to chance. I didn’t need that stability of process any more. So, two years ago after being inspired by a digital tapestry , I picked up a brush and started working until I’d worked it out. The pieces I’m exhibiting this weekend at are the first major showing of that work. I’m very excited but also feeling slightly exposed. I’m going to enjoy myself and I’m sure you will too if you come along. DM me for tickets.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

Space and composition are key considerations when putting together an image. In these works, which have a simple figure/ground arrangement, I consider carefully the use of space. The drawings are figurative but can be enjoyed for their abstract qualities, the relationship between figure and space encouraging this. Not long now, DM me if you haven’t got your tickets for and I’ll get something to you.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

This drawing will be with me next weekend but it’s a subtly different to most of the other works. I’ve been playing around with multi figure compositions for a good while now, though nearly all of the offering at Manchester will be images of single figures or details. The graduated background is new too, one of the many possibilities I’ll be exploring when I’m back in the studio. Before that we’ve got the main event, DM me for tickets.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

I’ll be showing a handful of larger pieces at manchester in a couple of weeks, including this one measuring 110 x 80cm (framed). This is one of the few pieces that will be displayed on its original stretcher bars, so it’s pulled tight like a drum skin, with much more tension than canvas.

There’s no reason to stretch the paper this way unless I’m making a multi panel piece, I just prefer them as objects so I thought I’d show some drawings in their original state, some bonded to panel.

If a collector would prefer a drawing on panel it’s a fairly easy process to make the conversion. Scroll through my feed and you’ll see details of how I mount paper on stretcher bars. It ends up much tighter than canvas and makes a satisfying reverberation when ‘drummed’.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

The drawing in the last post is still reasonably detailed,which seems to be particularly common in the dark red/brown pieces I’ve made. The practicality of drawing hands also requires it- they are complex forms. I am looking for simplicity in my drawing and I think this one does that beautifully. I’ve been drawing and making figures for a long time now and I needed to strip it right back, trust that the understanding is there and that it will be felt by the viewer. The illustrative elements of drawing (detail, graphic outline, modelling of form) are delicious and enjoyable. I felt they were, in their clarity, becoming bounds outside which I couldn’t reach. This piece will be available to collectors in just two weeks time at , among many other new works. If you’d like to attend please message me for tickets.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

This piece will be available from me at Manchester Art Fair in a couple of weeks. It’s drawn on paper using ink, acrylic and oil paint. The drawing is mounted permanently to a panel and varnished with a satin finish, framed in a pencil-thin black frame. I’ll have several pieces available this size, you should come down and see them all.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

I took the decision to work in three colour ways for Manchester this year. This blue, and the previous two posts, show the full complement. Which one is your favourite?

If you would like free tickets to the fair this year, subscribe to my mailing list by using the link in my biography. I hope to see you there.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

Another piece bound for Manchester next month. Drawn with ink, acrylic and oil paint. My piece are produced using a unique process of working on paper. This work is then mounted to a flat, stable panel and varnished to protect it. The clean, simple gestures rest on a subtly textured ground which is far easier to appreciate in person. If you would like free tickets to the fair this year, subscribe to my mailing list by using the link in my biography. I hope to see you there.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

The clock is ticking down for my participation in next month. Most of the work is finished but there’s still a lot to do getting it ready for showing. I’m really pleased with the pieces I’ll be bringing, I’ll share some of them on here in the run-up. If you would like free tickets to the fair this year, subscribe to my mailing list by using the link in my biography. I hope to see you there.

Manchester Art Fair is a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances and installations.

Manchester Art Fair blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly, unpretentious and quintessentially Northern art-buying experience. Immerse yourself in art on 17-19 November 2023 at Manchester Central.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 17 November 17:00-21:00 (Preview)
Saturday 18 November 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 19 November 10:00 -16:00

The cartoon process is important to simplification. The paintings I make ask for brevity but a complete understanding of the content. In the cartoon I labour over the placement of an elbow, the width of a calf, the angle of an outstretched arm. All this drawing and re-drawing sets me up, teaches me about all the things unseen in the image. The trick is to switch mindset when it comes to the painting, it’s no longer about the direction of a gaze (or even eyes) at that point.

Image courtesy of for

All my paintings start as figurative cartoons- charcoal drawings where I work out the composition, dynamics etc. The paper is thin but tough and generally these cartoons are covered in footprints.

Image courtesy of for

Someone once described drawing as ‘Art’s best kept secret’ (Michael Craig-Martin?). I always understood this as an acknowledgement of drawing as a private activity. Drawing can be very highly produced and public facing, however my cartoons are definitely made more in the private realm. They take me right back to my roots as an artist, the basic activity of making paper dirtier in an intentional and directed fashion.

Image courtesy of for

Free tickets to Manchester Art Fair and new shortcourse dates released. - https://mailchi.mp/175f578fb228/free-tickets-to-manchester-art-fair-course-dates-released

This last image is so satisfying to me in its ex*****on. I’m working this up into a 1m x 1.2m panel this week, in a different colour way. The economy of mark that is in this little study will be carried through using a brush probably 6-8 inches wide. Come see it next month

Preview is the evening of the 17th Nov, with the show continuing all weekend. I have a newsletter going out soon with free tickets available- use the link in my biog to subscribe from my website.

The pieces I’m bringing to next month are a distillation of the figurative work I’ve been engaged with for well over a decade. The studio has several multi figure pieces in progress which explore the language of European figuration, not least its tendency to conflate ideas of love and violence, passion and suppression. A lot of work goes on exploring the language contained within the shapes of a single figure, with a view to bringing that language to the multi-figure pieces. The flailing limbs and dynamic imagery of mannerist and baroque works are definitely an inspiration. There’s a thing going on with legs, I’ve noticed. They’re the powerful limb, the thing that gives us stability and motion. When they are uprooted, upended or contained, the power of that figure is compromised.

Preview is the evening of the 17th Nov, with the show continuing all weekend. I have a newsletter going out soon with free tickets available- use the link in my biog to subscribe from my website.

This week I took some time away from the oversized panels to make a few smaller works. They are 21 x 30cm in size (approx A4) and produced as studies for larger works. I’ll be bringing a good selection of these with me to next month, perhaps I’ll see you there. Preview is the evening of the 17th Nov, with the show continuing all weekend. I have a newsletter going out soon with free tickets available- use the link in my biog to subscribe from my website.

Here’s something you won’t be seeing at this year. My first jaunt on these stretchers turned out pretty well actually but I think there’s something stronger in the reserves. It’s difficult to destroy a piece of work after so much has gone into it. However, there’s time to go until the show and if it works out better it will be stunning. I’ve got other options for the wall which I’m extremely happy with already so if this works out I’ll have an even more difficult decision to make. Either way, you’re not seeing any of them until the show. Make a date with this year. See you there.

I love it when I come in to the studio and the previous day’s stretch has worked out perfectly. I might go on about it a bit but I love paper. It’s taken quite a while to get a reliable method for flawlessly stretching it over the wooden bars usually used for canvas. I’ve persevered because I simply can’t make these drawings work on other surfaces, or maybe I won’t because did I tell you I love paper? The last image shows the 3 pieces that have been removed from the stretchers as I wasn’t happy with the drawing. You can see how tough the paper is, still holding it’s shape perfectly. The paper I’ve used for this second attempt is even stronger, a better quality paper that I’d avoided as it is slightly lighter weight. The assumption that heavier paper is always stronger was one of those ‘schoolboy errors’ I had to unlearn the hard way. If this drawing pans out and I’ve got the courage to ‘go big or go home’, this eight foot long, three panel drawing will be in my stand in November. Hope to see some of you there.

TERRACE PRESENTS
DARKER THAN A BLACKBIRDS RETINA CURATED BY KARL BIELIK AND ROB HALL

22.09.23 PRIVATE VIEW 6-9PMRUNS TO CLOSING DRINKS 4-6PM ON 20.10.23
OPEN FRI-SAT 10-5PM OR BY APPOINTMENT

PAINTINGS BY PAUL BEHNKE-GISLI BERGMANN-KARL BIELIK
MATT BOYLE-STEPHEN BUCKERIDGE-SIMON CARTER-MATTHEW
COLLINGS-GORDON DALTON-LUDOVIC DERVILLEZ-EC-ALISON
EDMONDS-MICHELE FLETCHER-JAMIE FROST-ROB HALL-DAN
HOWARD BIRT-DIANE HOWSE-LUCY JAGGER-ANGELA JOHNSON
LEE JOHNSON-SAM JUDGE-MARK LIPTROTT-GAVIN MCINTOSH
VANESSA MITTER-CHRISTINA NIEDERBERGER-NARBI PRICE
EMMA RICHARDSON-SARAH SHAW-GARY SPRATT-CHRISTOPHER
TANSEY-SABINE TRESS-JUDITH TUCKER-AUGUSTO VILLALBA
JULIA WARR-GRANT WATSON-ANDREW WILD+SEAN WILLIAMS.

THE ART STUDIO, CALDER ART SUPPLIES, 2ND FLOOR, BYRAM ARCADE,
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INSTAGRAM/TERRACE_GALLERY

Terrace History
In 2004 Artist opened in Hackney, London.
Over the years exhibitions have been held at Terrace Studios, a
reclaimed wasteland and in a pub back room.
More than 50 exhibitions have been held showing works by over 500
Artists including the likes of Matthew Collings, Bob and Roberta
Smith, David Leapman, Mali Morris and Eddie Peake.
In August 2022 Terrace Gallery relocated to .xyz
The primary focus of Terrace Gallery is painting.

Proposals
Proposals are welcomed for group shows from curators.
Send a basic one page maximum outline of your proposal with confirmed
Artists to Enquiries on www.karlbielik.com

I simply cannot describe how much of a buzz it is when the careful placement of a few gestures hits the spot. Come down to in November and see this work in the flesh.

It’s all go in the studio at the moment, getting work ready for my participation in in November. Got something rather special going on with this colour way.

Every time I produce a batch of these drawings I make some subtle changes to the process, to continue to refine them. The Blues need thinner paint in many layers, the browns lots of creamier paint allowed to intermingle on the paper and then lashings of ink, the ochre with the brush always held perpendicular to the surface. Every time I discover a new refinement to the process I can’t wait to start the next batch. There’s a slight fear I’m going to forget things so I scribble it on a piece of paper with a crayon and then lose the paper.

Early on when I set out developing these images, I had a sense that I wanted them to be very spare and verging on the abstract. Historically I have not worked in an abstract way so the figurative picture is usually still very clear. The images are at least more stripped back than ever and I always get a bit of a buzz when I get to the end and I haven’t overburdened it. This drawing was for the burn pile right to the last layer when something happened to completely change my mind. Space and composition are everything in this one.

New work continues. I’ve settled into a groove now, less experimentation and more refinement. I’ve focussed on 3 different colour ways, this ‘nocturne’ palette being one. Of the three colours this is the most complex, there are 9 layers in all. I’ve checked and double checked, it’s nine. They all happen in quick succession and it’s a bit of a ‘call and response’ situation, each subsequent layer responding to the last. Everything’s very liquid in this palette until right at the end, when I switch from acrylic to oil and apply the very highest highlight. Such immediate but layered processes have a burn rate, I probably only select about a third of the pieces produced. My next big deadline is in November, which I’m really looking forward to. I’ve shown sculptures there before and I’m heartily impressed with the organisation and the standard of the work, it’s the best fair outside of London and honestly outshines many of the capital’s events. Please do come down and see me if you can. Maybe you’ll see this one there.

The early stages of refining a cartoon are intended to keep the content ambiguous. I hope this doesn’t seem disingenuous, it matters that the work allows for many readings. At the core of it all is an appreciation of uncertainty. Making your peace with not being able to know is a fantastic survival skill. The unknowable universe and all it’s unknowable inhabitants are terrifying and beautiful. I render the drawings with paint because I want them to be sumptuous things. The way in which I apply the marks and layers, choosing what to show or suppress, adds to the uncertainty of the content. This new work is now available, measuring 50 x 70 cm. DM for enquiries.

I’m working through a few ideas at the moment that depict two figures. I make a charcoal cartoon and spend quite a lot of time moving things, shifting the grip, tilting a head. All the things that subtly change the reading. Sometimes I’ll change the gender of someone or adjust their physique just to see how that affects the feel of it. I’m interested in the power dynamic, the roles of oppressor, saviour, victim, martyr, among other archetypes. The drawings are then developed into painted images like this new piece, which measures 50 x 70cm and is now available.

When drawing a single figure I think more about the persona or character and how that is expressed bodily. Hands are obviously expressive. Faces too but I’m not making that kind of portrait anymore. Feet feature quite a bit and I’ve found them to be surprisingly expressive. Feet (and legs) have tremendous physical power. In my work they often feature as a signifier of vulnerability when hands are shown as strength. That’s probably something best saved for a longer post. This piece came from a cartoon of a figure waking on all fours, the hands trying to be feet. You can enquire about this work by messaging me directly. It measures 50 x 70cm.