F1 LEGEND Eddie Jordan has taken delivery of a major new artwork by top British abstract artist Nat Bowen.
The piece called ‘FLASH’ was commissioned during lockdown and delivered to Eddie’s west London home.
Eddie, who is an avid art collector, discovered Nat’s work earlier this year as she was planning her second major exhibition at London’s prestigious Saatchi Gallery.
British abstract artist Nat Bowen unveiled her ‘Back to Light’ collection at the world famous Saatchi gallery last week (Oct 21-25) at the Start Art Fair and Eddie’s piece was exhibited alongside her other works.
Eddie, 72, said: “The artwork is sensational, the only problem I have is which wall to put it on! We experimented with resin on Formula One cars many years ago but we could never get it as smooth as this.
“Nat’s the queen of colour in the art world. The artwork is so unique and the way she uses colour is mind blowing. The art is alive with colour and breathtaking, I’m so pleased with it, it’s art you pay attention to.”
Nat, who works from her studio in Notting Hill, London, said: “Colour has come to the forefront during the pandemic with people of all ages using this global language to communicate messages of positivity, gratitude and hope during dark times.
The ‘Back to Light’ collection reveals how I have used colour to express my spectrum of emotions throughout this period. Eddie’s commissioned work will be shown at the Saatchi and I’m very grateful he is allowing me to exhibit this piece with the rest of the collection.
Eddie is a great supporter of British artists and I’d like to thank him for his continued patronage.”
Nat created the 150cm x 180cm ‘FLASH’ with layers of resin on recycled acrylic with a gold mirrored frame.
The piece, priced at £40,500, uses a mix of synthetic neon pigments, rare and historic pigments and elements from the earth.
The London artist is known for her vibrant, colourful resin pieces and was inspired to create her latest collection by the emergence from lockdown and ‘back to light’ again.
Nat uses the study of Chromology, the psychology behind colour and the brains response to it, as the foundation of her unique art.
This knowledge is incorporated into the work as a way of communicating non verbally through colour, with the viewer having a physical and emotional response to the art based on their own perceptions and personal experiences.
Former fashion designer and model Nat has spent lockdown creating the stunning pieces which will form her much anticipated return to the Saatchi Start Fair (October 21-25) after a sell out show last year.
The collection of ten major resin works have been created using a mix of synthetic neon pigments, rare historic pigments and elements from the earth.
Pigmented epoxy resin is poured onto a recycled acrylic canvas which is then manipulated using a paintbrush to build up abstract layers of colour. The pigments within the lustrous resin adapt according to the light, reflecting and absorbing the surroundings with the work becoming a part of the space it inhabits.
The visuals that these colourful, glossy orbs form have a depth and a three-dimensional aspect, similar to those seen during meditation, the image of a vortex or looking into water. Bowen relates her practice to wellbeing, meditation and mental health using the creation of her artwork as a way to manage these areas of life.
And the centrepiece of her collection is ‘Black Diamond’, a £100,000 powerful star of the show with one hundred layers of resin representing the facets of a diamond demonstrating how dark colours can be used in a positive way. All of her pieces are available using cryptocurrency, the increasingly preferred way of buying major artworks.
The Black Diamond contains 4.5 billion years old meteorite dust with amorphous carbon and graphite pigment used to create an intense black colour in the centre where 1000 carats of crushed genuine black diamond will be set in resin.
It is framed in solid bronze and there will be a 2.86 carat natural black diamond set in an accompanying small, boxed frame.
Black diamonds are more rare than white diamonds and are primarily found in Brazil and The Central African Republic unlike white diamonds which can be found in other parts of the world. The origin remains a mystery but one theory is that they crashed to earth from space.
The diamond dust from which they are formed may have been released when a star exploded in a supernova billions of years ago which then over time became embedded in asteroids. Black diamonds represent strength and power with diamond being the strongest material known to man.
As well as the main collection the exhibition also features the collectible ‘Fragments’ a set of 49 small original pieces which are based on fragmented sections of Bowen’s large scale works.
Artworks by Bowen are in private collections worldwide and have been shown at the Saatchi Gallery in London and international shows in Miami, New York, Hong Kong, Hamburg, Chicago and San Francisco
Nat, who works from her studio in Notting Hill, London, said: “Colour has come to the forefront during the pandemic with people of all ages using this global language to communicate messages of positivity, gratitude and hope during dark times.
The ‘Back to Light’ collection reveals how I have used colour to express my spectrum of emotions throughout this period.”