Thank you for taking a look at the art of Andy Crowe, an artist whose work celebrates the materials and people that make up the diverse world in which we live.
The site takes its name and inspiration from Frigiliana, the most beautiful of all the pueblos blancos of Andalucia.
'Having been fortunate to travel extensively, the Andalucian 'pueblo blanco' of Frigiliana remains, for me, the finest place on the planet. Over a period of ten years I spent many months creating over 50 paintings, developing a style that mixed palette knife and brush to highlight the colours, textures and people that make this ancient and diverse place so unique. An eclectic mix of styles drawn from Stanley Spencer, Fra Angelico and Picasso, the paintings became the subject of my first ever solo exhibition at its beautiful Casa Culturale in December 2009 and occasionally as part of the Rutas del Arte of Frigiliana.'
From 2012 to 2015 Andy worked on the South Atlantic Island of St Helena. Exile to Napoleon; home to Jonathan, the world's oldest living creature; venue for some of the greatest scuba diving and fishing in the world; a forgotten remnant of the British Empire and one of the remotest inhabited places in the world.
'Much of my spare time was spent creating townscapes of the capital, Jamestown. The rugged volcanic cliffs and corrugated Georgian buildings are quite a contrast to the pastel land and buildings of Frigiliana and so it was a challenge to apply the same knife and brush angles to this new setting. But by December 2014 the collection was large enough to warrant an exhibition in the Museum of St Helena (a wonderful venue but, six days by ship from Cape Town, with very little passing trade!). The exhibition was a great success resulting in twelve commissions and the honour of having four of my paintings reproduced as postage stamps and a first day cover by the St Helena Government.'
As old as Frigiliana, the Hampshire market town of Bishops Waltham has its own Palace Ruins and numerous listed buildings.
'Like Frigiliana, Bishops Waltham has grown organically over a thousand years, but with an even more diverse range of materials, styles and finishes. It is a riot of brickwork, stonework and tiling which rewards the time spent just wandering and looking around .'
The Rest of the World
One of my long term ambitions is to produce a series of oil paintings of the best villages and towns in the world. They will feature here as they progress.
The Gift of Painting
An oil painting can be a great and unique Birthday, Christmas, leaving, wedding or anniversary present. It can remind you of a favourite place or holiday. Also on offer are posters, cards, mugs, first day covers and needlepoint canvases.
Most of the paintings shown are for sale, many for little more than the cost of getting the car serviced, but providing a lifetime of pleasure.
Prior to the Covid pandemic Andy exhibited regularly in Spain and England. And at the end of his two year visit to St Helena he held the first art exhibition to be held at the National Museum. Brexit makes life more difficult, but he remains a committed European, inspired by the company of the many people and cultures that live together in a modern society. Frigiliana's annual Three Cultures Festival, bringing together the North African, Middle Eastern and European arts, crafts, foods and beliefs in harmony is the best example of this.
LATEST NEWS
Andy is participating in the 2023 Hampshire Open Studios, exhibiting at the historic King John House, opposite Romsey Abbey and a retrospective is to be held in 2024 (date to be confirmed) at the Town Gallery on Calle Real, Frigiliana, Andalucia.
