We’re excited to present a series of limited edition screenprints by new artist
Sophie Smallhorn. Angie talks more about the artist behind the colour spectrums displayed around the London Olympic Stadium in 2012 and her works available at Eyestorm below.
Sophie Smallhorn is an artist who is serious about colour. Many artists focus on colour in their work, but not in the same way that Sophie does. It’s clear that she is obsessed by it; every decision she makes is a journey, an exploration of the relationship between colour and proportion, and she has done this, successfully, through sculpture, on paper and in the form of impressive large-scale site specific installations throughout her 20-year career.
It’s not surprising then, that she was chosen to work on the stadium that became the focal point of the London 2012 Olympic Games two years ago, along with a team of established designers and architects. Taken on as ‘colour consultant’, she was commissioned to put together what became the changing spectrum of coloured lights for the fabric wrap that ran around the outside of the building - a huge job that must have made her feel both humble and honoured in equal measures, not to mention the pressure to make something that was to be seen around the world by millions look so impressive. Inspired by the colours of the Olympic rings and the flags of the countries participating, through her passion for colour, Sophie helped transform the monochrome structure into a dynamic object that has become one of the most recognisable buildings in the capital’s ever-evolving skyline.
Alongside these site-specific public commissions - which also include a glass roof structure in London Victoria and wall-based vinyl colour bands at Canary Wharf’s Jubilee Line underground station - Sophie enjoys spending time in her West London studio making works on paper for exhibitions, which are usually in the form of monotypes and screenprints. For a recent show in Zurich she made a series of screenprints in editions of 30 at Jealous print studio, which is where I first met and was introduced to her after noticing her work there.
Continuing to focus on colour, these prints are clean, crisp and uplifting as they explore shape and form through well thought out geometric arrangements. Despite the placing and overlapping of the shapes being a conscious decision, there is no theory or science in Sophie’s approach; everything is done visually and she has a very ‘hands on’ role when it comes to making her work. In the past she has often made mono prints by herself, but as the techniques she’s working with have become more complex, she’s turned to Matthew at Jealous for his expertise.
Having visited Sophie’s studio last summer and subsequently introducing her work briefly in October when we exhibited two small pieces at Multiplied Art Fair at Christie’s, the new prints we’re presenting today - simply titled
Wine,
Pale,
Yellow and
Navy, encouraging us even more so to think primarily about colour when viewing them - have a definite air of sophisticated minimalism about them, and would be perfect for those who have an interest great design as well as beautifully created art.
In editions of just 30, each piece is a substantial size at 50 x 50 cm and is available to buy via Eyestorm. See them all in more detail
here.