Until recently John Tierney lectured in criminology at Durham University in the north east of England. He has published a wide range of articles and books, though latterly his research has focused on criminological theory and its historical context and, in terms of substantive research, the links between alcohol and crime and disorder. His more recent books are: Key Perspectives in Criminology, 2009 (published by Open University Press, and Criminology: Theory and Context, 2010 (now in its 3rd edition, and published by Longman).

Retiring from the university in 2010 meant that more time could be devoted to oil painting. Much of his work takes the urban landscape of Los Angeles, New York, Helsinki, and the desert landscape of Joshua Tree National Park as its subject matter. He greatly respects and is influenced by the works of Edward Hopper and David Hockney, and his work has attracted a steady following of private collectors and admirers around the world.

Throughout his academic career, along with painting John maintained a keen interest in playing the guitar and songwriting. In 2009 he recorded and released an EP of his original songs entitled ‘The Silence and the Stars’, and performed live at Hotel Café in Hollywood along with other musicians such as Tom Morello, Perry Farrell, Ben Harper, and Cypress Hil

The Independent

Howard Hodgkin

Howard Hodgkin was educated at Bryanston School in Dorset. He then studied at the Camberwell Art School and later at the Bath Academy of Art in Corsham, where Edward Piper studied drawing under him. His first solo show was in London in 1962. His early paintings tend to be made up of hard-edged curved forms in a limited number of colours. Around the beginning of the 1970s, his style became more spontaneous, with vaguely recognisable shapes presented in bright colours and bold forms. His works might be called 'semi-abstract', and are often compared to Henri Matisse



Hodgkin's paintings often seek to convey memories of encounters with friends and frequently carry titles alluding to specific places and events such as Dinner at West Hill (1966) and Goodbye to the Bay of Naples (1980–82). Hodgkin himself has said that he paints 'representational pictures of emotional situations'.

His prints are hand-painted etchings and he has worked with the same master printer (Jack Shirreff at 107 Workshop) and print publisher (Alan Cristea Gallery) for the last 25 years.

Despite their apparent spontaneity and usually small scale, many of Hodgkin's paintings take years to complete, with him returning to a work after a wait and then changing it or adding to it. He often paints over the frames of his pictures, emphasising the idea of the painting as an object. Several of his works are on wooden items, such as bread-boards or the tops of old tables, rather than canvas. A number of his works not shown in frames are surrounded by rectangles of simple colour.

In 1984, Hodgkin represented Britain at the Venice Biennale, in 1985 he won the Turner Prize, and in 1992 he was knighted. In 2003 he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as a Companion of Honour. A major exhibition of his work was held at Tate Britain, London, in 2006

A YOUNG man takes a hammer to a brick of mulched paper, scattering shreds helter-skelter across the floor with each strike.

“That’s €50,000 you just smashed,” says Dublin artist Frank Buckley, who doesn’t seem to mind.

Buckley can afford to be nonchalant about the hunk of cash his visitor reduced to rubble – there’s plenty more where it came from.

The artist has been building a house out of decommissioned euro notes from the Central Bank’s mint, €1.4 billion all told, which is slightly more than the amount unsecured bondholders in the former Anglo Irish Bank are to receive this week.

While originally built as a gallery to house his series of mixed-media artwork Expressions of Recession, the house quickly drew attention for its own sake. Now Buckley hopes he will inspire visitors to question the status quo, namely the state of the euro.

“I’m sitting in my studio with my feet up on a box of €4 million of shredded notes and I thought, ‘God, this is just paper’,” Buckley said. “I just felt there needs to be a debate on this. Kids in school need to come down and see and get talking about it. What does currency mean?”

 

 

Bricks of money make up the walls and shredded bills carpet the ground on the first floor of the aptly named Glass House, an empty office building for let on Coke Lane in Smithfield where Buckley has set up camp. He has been building for 12 hours every day, and living on-site since December 1st, last year.

The home consists of a living room, bathroom and bedroom, with patio, kitchen and money shower soon to come. The whole project is set to be completed within seven weeks. In the meantime visitors are encouraged to see the work in progress.

Actual construction hasn’t cost much. The largest expense was €35 on as-yet unused wallpaper and the lumber was donated by building supplier Chadwicks.

“Current affairs can be art,” Buckley says.

And so can currency.
by JENNIFER WHOLEY

 

London Art Fairs 2012

Octopus (Nevercrew 2009) from NEVERCREW on Vimeo.