The Pulse of Life, 2022

Angela Dierks  

Artist Statement:

My background as an artist is somewhat unusual. I graduated from King's College London with a BA German and followed this with Master of Studies in European Literature at St Cross College, University of Oxford, in 1992. My first love has always been the written word. Over the years I developed a strong interest in the world of therapy having studied psychoanalytic readings of texts as part of my MSt. I started studying for a Counselling degree and completed an MA Integrative Counselling in 2009 followed by further courses in the field of psychotherapy and counselling. Both literature and psychotherapy continue to inform my work as an artist. While I never formally studied art I had been exploring different forms of expression - beyond language - for several years. The world of therapy opened up an exploration of the unconcious processes that painting helped me to access. The other, most obvious, connection between the profession of therapist and artist is the preoccupation with emotions. In my therapeutic work I talk about emotions; in my art I aim to translate emotions into visual markers on canvas.

Much of my earlier and more recent work is influenced by my psychotherapy training; the pieces were concerned with memories and dreams peeling away at them layer by layer. The other, constant focus of inspiration for me is the natural world which I return to at regular intervals in my work. More recently I started to be more pre-occupied with the internal world again. As a child I was fascinated by maps, copying the contours of continents and colouring in the different countries. In my latest work I am returning to this childhood love by painting imaginary maps of external and internal worlds. taking us to places that are "not down on any map; true places never are." (Herman Melville, Moby Dick)

Each of my pieces is unique and takes time develop. I aim to lend as much 'feel' to my paintings as possible, 'controlling' the painting as much as possible while also allowing for more spontaneity and risk by applying paint in a variety of ways: smudging, scraping, flicking, squeezing and rubbing paint onto the canvas, scratching paint off and re-starting the process.

My work has been sold to art collectors internationally with many returning customers.

Education:

Self-taught artist.

Education:

MA Integrative Counselling (London Metropolitan University)

MSt European Literature (St Cross, Oxford University)

BA German (King's College, University of London)

Awards & Distinctions:

Artgallery.co.uk - Artist of the Year 2015

One out of six finalists. 'Highly commended' by the art panel.

Exhibitions:

February/March 2019, Starfish Gallery, Palmers Green, London., Solo Show

July 2018, Lumi Arts, Pimlico, London, Group Show

September 2017, Loughton Arts Centre, Colour and Emotion, Solo show

July 2017, King's Head, Winchmore Hill, Group exhibition

July 2016, Mardleybury Gallery, Group exhibition

March 2016, Starfish Gallery, Solo show

Artistic Influences:

I am strongly influenced by abstract expressionism, in particular in my use of colour fields, gestural mark-making and in the emotional content of my art work. I am in particularly enamoured with the free flowing brushstrokes and dynamism of Joan Mitchell .

I admire the lyrical work of Frank Bowling and his use of colour.

A seminal influence has also been the later, abstract work of Gerhard Richter, whose Cage Paintings influence my work in terms of layering and subsequent scratches and indentations.

A contemporary painter whose work I hold in high esteem is Conn Ryder. Conn's use of space, light and lines is phenomenal. Her work has influenced my abstract florals.