Contemporary Fine Art @ The Piper Art Bar

Will Teather (b.1980) 2015/16 Artist-in-Residence for Norwich Arts Centre "Teather's works frequently wrenches us back and forth through time and style; As we are shifted between romanticism and classicism we are left entranced,IWC Aquatimer Replica Watches entertained and certainly captivated by the uncertainties." Neil Powell, Academic/ Curator "Very clever... and beautiful." BBC News "Teather's work is arresting, heart-stopping and exquisitely executed." Laura Williams, Art historian, East Publishing / Art 1821 "A leading UK artist." Press and Journal, Scotland "It is theatre, storytelling and art, woven into a single painting." Green Pebble Publishing "Utterly beautiful, and one of the highlights of the fair as a whole. " Tristan White, Remote Goat British artist Will Teather is known for creating images that reveal a unique imagination combined with a mastery of traditional skills. The artist's figurative paintings and drawings often depict curious characters caught up in uncanny situations. Influenced by magical-realism and lifting motifs from diverse sources such as Flemish still life, baroque art and Weimar painters, the artist enters into direct conversation with the history of painting with the aim of bringing a contemporary sensibility to the table. After spending his childhood in rural Norfolk surrounded by religious imagery and books on historical painting, Teather's knowledge of contemporary art was refined through periods of study in London at Central St Martins and Chelsea College of Art & Design. Teather's skill as a painter, however, remains largely self-taught through personal experimentation and his close inspection of masterpieces from major museums. After establishing his artistic practice in London, Teather came to wider attention in spring 2007 when he was selected from international applications to be the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for Aberdeen Arts Centre. Following his time in Scotland, the artist returned to Norfolk where he spent over 3 years as the Artist-in-Residence for the Anteros Arts Foundation, based in their Bergh Apton venue and subsequently Norwich, before setting up a permanent studio in the city's cultural quarter. In 2012, as a recipient of the Ruth Katzman Scholarship, he visited New York, USA, where he took part in The Vytlacil Campus Artist-in-Residence Program. Over the last ten years, he has been the recipient of numerous grants and bursaries, with his paintings and drawings featuring in over 100 gallery exhibitions across the UK and overseas. Recent venues to display his work include London's Panter and Hall, the Colomb Art Gallery, The Mall Galleries, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Vermont's Catherine Dainich Gallery, Norwich's Art 18/21, Edinburgh's Open Eye Gallery, RH Gallery New York and Oxfordshire's Modern Artists Gallery. He has featured in several international arts prizes, including thrice been a finalist in Mayfair's "Cork Street Open Exhibition," and being short-listed for the "Celeste Prize" 2009. His artwork has been widely showcased in publications including The International Drawing Annual, Wall Street International, Artists and Illustrators, The Artist Magazine and The Antiques Trade Gazette. He has also provided art criticism and articles on technique for award-winning books, magazines and television. Teather's work is held in a number of notable collections in the UK and overseas. His unique paintings have attracted many discerning collectors, repeatedly breaking sales records for events. Work has been acquired by Matthew Bourne (choreographer/ director), Peter Stephen (Lord Provost of Aberdeen), the Aude Gotto Collection, The Wolterton & Mannington Estate and The Modern Artist's Gallery. Commissioners for projects include Arts Council England, the City of Aberdeen (under curatorial care of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums), Norfolk County Council and Ana Silvera (singer). The artist's interest in theatre and music has led to a variety of collaborations. Guest appearances in his paintings have been made by theatre groups such as Les Enfants Terrible, Hocus Pocus Theatre, plus the singers Ana Silvera and Andrew Plummer. His wife, the visual artist and performer Dot Howard, is also a recurrent muse within the works. In 2010, Teather collaborated with members of the art collective Other Other Other to create a performance themed around gallery etiquette, performed at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts (and later revived in 2015 at Firstsite). This was followed by a performance in 2011, conceived by Teather and developed in collaboration with the performer Holly Bodmer titled "The Reappearance of The Remarkable Disappearing and Reappearing Maudeline Spacks." The event was subsequently awarded an Arts Council England grant for it's development and re-staging as part of Norfolk and Norwich Festival's 2012 Beta Programme. The artist has taught on drawing courses at The University of Arts London, Leeds College of Art & Design and currently is an Associate Lecturer at Norwich University of the Arts. His workshops have featured in the Times Educational Supplement and, in 2008, he was awarded a staff award, in recognition of his contribution as a demonstrator for the university's Drawing Workshop. He was made an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2016. In 2010, he co-founded The Chelsea Collective, an international art group made up of postgraduate alumni of Chelsea College of Art and Design, which has exhibited in the UK and USA. He joined the board of Directors and Trustees for the Anteros Arts Foundation for 5 years, before leaving the role to co-found Art Fair East, a major art fair for the East of England.