Oxmarket are delighted to welcome Steve Bicknell, sculptor and Steve Gallagher, fine art photographer to the Wilson Gallery for their exhibition ‘Natural Beauty’. The exhibition brings together the work from both artists and their response to the natural world and beauty around them.
Steve Bicknell started as a self-taught sculptor after a career as a photographer spanning four decades. He works predominately in ceramic and bronze sculpture, often working in a free nature, letting the clay suggest the final form. He has exhibited in Spain, France and Italy with a selection of bronzes along with work in Surrey Sculpture Society shows, Doddington Hall and Beaulieu. His long-term project is working towards a solo show, “Return to the Earth” a body of work exploring the relationship between humanity and nature. Steve works in ceramic and bronze using no reference material, preferring to let the clay inspire him towards the final form. His work is of contemporary figures in a semi realistic abstract style. Self-taught, Steve has a strong recognisable tactile feel to his work.
Steve Gallagher is a Sussex-based fine art photographer specialising in large format floral portraits and seascapes. He is known for his innovative approach to fine art photography and for his richly detailed and immersive images. He has a Fine Arts degree in Photography and Visual Design from the prestigious School of the Art Institute in Chicago. After a decade as a fashion photographer in New York and Miami, Steve then transitioned into a career in graphic design in the US and UK. Picking up his camera again during the Covid-19 lockdown, he was inspired by the natural beauty of his surroundings in coastal West Sussex, and has since exhibited successfully in London, Seattle, New York, Sussex and Surrey. His work has been purchased by collectors as far afield as the USA and Australia. Steve Gallagher’s floral artworks are intricate studies of colour, form, shape and texture. He is fascinated by the different stages of a flower’s lifecycle and how the aging process results in new levels of detail, contrast and intensity even as a bloom begins to fade. His most striking works are a series of 3D lenticulars, which showcase the unique luminosity, layering and intricacy of everyday flowers such as tulips, dahlias and peonies. He has also created unique works on glass, metal and cloth. Steve has been inspired by contemporary photography innovators such as Nick Knight and Irving Penn, but his work stands alone as a uniquely immersive and captivating experience for the viewer.
