Fine Artistes

Fine Artistes Lead Mintfest Summer School 2011

2011-09-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

Before and during Mintfest 2011 Brian led a group of five "students" on a ten day course in Street Arts. With this really creative team he dreamed up a scenario based on the latest local health scare - Sheep Tick Outbreaks. As a result Mintfest 2011 became Infest 2011 and International Insectologists gathered in Kendal to deal with the giant swarm of dangerous bugs spotted in Europe en route to Britain. The students' performances on the weekend were accomplished and enjoyed by public and participants alike.Brian hopes to attend again next year. Here we see the students in action, warning townspeople of the imminent danger of bugs as big as chickens heading their way.. They are armed with the latest zap-guns in the top picture.
See clips of their performances - with thanks to Antoinette Burchill, one of "The Delegates" and a performance artist herself click below on - http://storify.com/misachievement/the-delegates
and http://vimeo.com/album/1690385
This piece has now featured in Derby Feste 2011 as "Made in Derby" as the performers were mainly sponsored by Derby City Arts. These second performances were an even greater success, and "The Delegates" now intend to continue as a performance group.
What you might call " a result".

Street Studio at Henley Youth Festival 2011

2011-02-26T08:34:00.000-08:00

We were in Henley on Thames on Saturday March 26th with the Studio in the Street.
Here are some comments from Jane Gray, one of the organisers:
"Fine Artistes came to our Art Event as part of the Youth Festival "Fantasy in the Square". The studio made a fantastic central piece to our event.Everyone loved the still life table and the "talking pictures". The end result of the interactive canvas was brilliant - even more impressive than the photos on the website - and this is now proudly hanging in the local Youth Centre for all to see. Brian and Rose were brilliant artistes and entertainers and we would ask them to come back for a future festival in one guise or another!"

Criminal Gang Slash Somerset Arts to Death

2011-02-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

Conservative controlled Somerset County Council ratified their decision to cut the entire Arts budget for 2011 at a meeting in Taunton in February. Fine Artistes and Friends were there to mark this act of vandalism.
We were dressed as a group of mourners who delivered an In Memoriam for the old friend we knew simply as "Art". He brought a lot of joy and smiles to peoples lives and didn't ask for much in return. That's just what he got of course - a mere 0.0004% or £159,000 of the total Council budget. This funded ten popular projects.
Expect to see more of this Philistine behaviour across the country as the criminal gang who call themselves "The Coalition" get their knives into the things that matter the most to us.
Somerset Film recorded the occasion and the local TV broadcast the event on the regional news programmes.
Photo Tim Martin
For a short film of the event made by Somerset Film please clink on this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnLETo3o-CE

Fine Artistes' Band of Angels

2010-10-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

As seen here in Shanghai outside the UK Pavilion, Fine Artistes can now offer a band of celestial attendants to welcome your guests to any of your celebrations in 2011.
We can provide up to eight such heavenly bodies who will grace your soiree and provide an angelic atmosphere to complement your ephemeral excesses.

Fine Artistes - As seen in China....

2010-08-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Through August 2010 Fine Artistes were guest performers at the World Expo, Shanghai, presenting a whole new repertoire of work plus pieces pioneered by Ric Jerrom and Haf Morgan of The Quest of Bath.
We were booked to perform around the extraordinary British Pavilion, seen behind Sir Bernard Britannia here.
Have a look at the youtube slideshow on this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUMhFLcb38Q

The Old Boys have had a bit of luck...

2010-08-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

These two old chaps have had a big win on the Lottery. By pure chance they have bumped into a lady who says she is a long-lost niece. Young people these days, they're so kind.
For more photos click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5uFLhcIln4

Danger! Fine Artistes at Work..

2010-08-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

Blim Burns, The Art Tart and Rupert Le Beurre all gathered for the the great Waterford Watercolour Challenge - made famous by TV's Hannah Gordon.
Each artist created a special one-off canvas in honour of their visit - Blim Burn's "Ireland, seen from the Back of A Prison Van", The Art Tart's "Self-Portrait in Boots No7 and Spray Paint", and Rupert's ground-breaking "Forty Shades of Green", based on the new Irish Dulux colour card.
For more photos click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHqmmksfk-Q

Making an Exhibition of Ourselves

2010-08-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

This is a Living Art Gallery featuring Henry VIII, The Laughing Cavalier and The Mona Lisa. They all had rather a lot to say for themselves and the audience were not shy in joining in. Henry is obviously sizing this young lady up for wife number seven...
click this link for more photos of this piece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1sk2GaE1II

The Two Brians Open Modern Art Show

2010-08-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the Two Brians at the opening of SOMA Gallery's new show Everyone is An Audience performing their homage to Gilbert and George with one of their older admirers looking on. The Brians are well-known in Chelsea for their avant-garde "poseur" work.
For more photos of their visit to Waterford please click this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okRxvrHw1hY

July in Henley and Waterford

2010-08-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

We presented our pieces in Henley Festival and Waterford Spraoi to great responses.
Here are Leo and the Two Moaners in Waterford outside one of the very many bars...
click here for more photos of this jolly piece http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AwZLig11Sc
and for something completely similar click on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjsXh4WKm54

Brucetus the (3rd Century) Builder, Yes He Can!

2010-06-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Brian of The Two Brians and Rupert and Arabella fame can often now be seen in the guise of Brucetus, a Romano-British stonemason in the Roman Baths in the city of Bath, or Aquae Sulis as the Romans named it.
Andrew Chu of the Welwyn Garden City Photographic Club kindly sent this photo.
The period characters are provided by the Natural Theatre Company of Bath.

Fine Artistes Performing at World Expo 2010

2010-01-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

Fine Artistes have been invited to perform at the UK Pavilion during the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.
70 million guests are expected.The Pavilion (above)is an astonishing structure that will house The Seed Cathedral - a collection of examples of plant seeds that was pioneered by Kew Gardens' Millennium Seed Bank.
The Pavilion is made up of 60,000 light-catching rods that will direct light into the building and will illuminate one seed each. We will be creating a whole host of new pieces specially designed to appeal to the waiting crowds outside the UK Pavilion.
Fine Artistes Calendar 2010 to date...
March 13th & 14th Big Day Out, St Patrick's Festival, Dublin
April 12th-17th Directing New Avanti Display street piece Mystic Monty which will be premiered in Whitehaven in May and then in June in Paradise Gardens, Victoria Park in London.
June 27th London to Oxford Bike Ride
July 4th Manchester to Blackpool Bike Ride
July 7th-11th Henley Festival
July 18th London to Southend Bike Ride
July 25th London to Cambridge Bike Ride
July 30th-August 1st Spraoi Waterford, Ireland
August 9th-September 5th The World Expo 2010, Shanghai, China
October 4th - 31st The World Expo 2010, Shanghai, China
For the Expo we have created a whole repertoire of new pieces designed especially for Chinese visitors who will not speak English. 70 million guests are expected over the 6 months - that's 40,000 an hour potentially going through the UK pavilion!

Street Studio at Big Draw in Bristol

2009-11-15T05:12:00.000-08:00

We presented two outings of the Studio in the Street for Bristol's Big Draw.
The first at the Mall and the second in Cribbs Causeway. In association with Bristol Drawing School, scores of people joined in with our painting and drawing celebration and had a great time in the bargain.
To see more click on
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31162316@N04/sets/72157622783824092/

Studio in the Street at Cribbs Causeway

2009-10-14T09:11:00.001-07:00

We will be presenting our Studio in the Street Drawing Class in Cribbs Causeway Shopping Centre on Friday, October 30th.
Come along and join in...
To see some finished Studio canvases please click http://www.flickr.com/photos/fineartistes/sets/72157622376843800/show/
and to look at our photo gallery - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fineartistes/sets/72157622168609572/show/

Street Studio at Bristol's Big Draw

2009-10-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

Once again The Bristol Drawing School invited Fine Artistes to run our Studio in the Street in the Mall shopping centre in Bristol as a part of the The Big Draw National Drawing month. This is a celebration of the joy of drawing and every person in the country is invited to put pen, pencil, felt-tip and every other means of making a mark to paper and canvas.Scores of people of all ages joined in and the finished canvas celebrating Bristol is pictured here.

Our Studio is a Big Hit At Arts Fresco

2009-09-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hundreds of people of all ages enjoyed the Studio in the Streetin mid-September at the wildly successful Arts Fresco Festival in Market Harborough. The town was closed to traffic and an astonishing 15,000 came along - that's 5,000 more than in 2008, proving once again that the appetite for streer arts is growing all the time. Fine Artistes are happy to be a part of that trend.
To see more pictures of the Studio in lots of places click
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fineartistes/sets/72157622366630274/show/
And to see some previous finished Studio canvases please click
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fineartistes/sets/72157622376843800/show/

The Two Brians Are Very Close to Royalty

2009-09-07T05:10:00.000-07:00

Brian and Brian were spotted in a Regal Garden in sight of the glorious Windsor Castle as they graced the Finish Line of The BHF London to Windsor Bike Ride 2009.
The Brians welcomed thousands of riders to the Royal Park but did ask them to leave as quickly as possible as the Queen would be walking the corgis later on and the sight of so much bare flesh could possibly offend.
And while you're here take a look at our Photo Gallery -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fineartistes/sets/72157622168609572/show/

Soviet Guards Seen at BHF Charity Bike Ride

2009-09-06T11:10:00.001-07:00

The Start of this year's BHF London to Windsor Bike Ride was supervised by two ex-Soviet Border Guards now employed in an advisory capacity by New Labour's Immigration Agency.
They actually turned out to be just two more eccentric character creations from the performers of Fine Artistes and GB Characters, available for weddings, barmitzvahs and illegal immigration parties..

Fine Artistes Autumn Almanac - Read On

2009-08-25T04:02:00.000-07:00

Fine Artistes popular "Studio in the Street" will appear at Arts Fresco 2009 in Market Harborough on Sunday, September 13th.
See www.artsfresco.com for more information.

The Studio will also be presented in the Bristol Mall (formerly The Galleries) outside The Early Learning Centre on Saturday, October 3rd as part of The Big Draw 2009, organised again in Bristol by Graham Woodruff of the wonderful Bristol Drawing School.
See http://www.bigdrawbristol.org.uk/events_detail.asp?id=6

Have a look at last years Studio in The Street during the Big Draw in Bristol http://www.flickr.com/photos/31162316@N04/show/

And while you're at it take a look at some of our work since 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fineartistes/sets/72157622168609572/show/

The Two Brians Take Pride of Place in Stoke

2009-08-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Despite having been celibate for many years, our two Art Critics Brian and Brian discovered that they were instant Gay Icons when they visited the Stoke Gay Pride Festival.The dilettantes were delighted to be welcomed by so many friendly faces.
Brian and Brian quite enjoyed their day in Stoke on Trent but said that they would have rather been invited to the Chelsea Flower Show, as that is where they prefer to be seen.They were also unhappy about the quality of the smoled salmon vol-au-vents which was so poor that it almost ruined their visit, although the wine, generously paid for by local Council Tax payers, was passable, just.
In this photograph The Two Brians are snapped next to a seven-foot tall Pantomime Dame, just one of many exotically costumed attendees." We had lots of good comments about both sets....enjoy the rest of the summer " Hilary Hughes Arts & Regeneration team leader.

The Moaner Lisa says she's been Framed!

2009-08-07T05:37:00.000-07:00

The Moaner Lisa caused quite a stir on the streets at "The Stockton International Riverside Festival 2009" when she complained that she had been trapped in a gold frame by an old bearded Italian man who was too mean to even buy her an ice cream....
Just then another Mona Lisa turned up claiming to be the original - Leonardo was in a state of utter confusioni...
To see 24 Monas at The Mouth of the Tyne Festival 2009 click: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fineartistes/sets/72157621380113991/show/

Fine Artistes Take The Icons Out for a Walk

2009-08-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Stockton Riverside Festival enjoyed the talents of Fine Artistes who premiered several new pieces on the streets of their fair town.

Talking Pictures (above) became an instant outdoor art gallery in which the paintings literally spoke to (and about)the spectators
whilstThe Moaner Lisa appeared as two argumentative paintings alongside a confused Leonardo.

The Two Brians caused a great deal of offence to the locals but managed to survive the event without serious injury thanks to their personal security guards, provided courtesy of Stockton Borough Council.
They will probably not be asked to come again.

Rupert and Arabella Triumph at Larmer Tree

2009-07-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Despite adverse weather conditions and lashings of mud, Rupert and Arabella managed to produce a wonderful bespoke canvas at the Larmer Tree Festival 2009. Arabella sketched everyone who she considered to be interesting enough, while Rupert enthralled the adoring crowd with his wonderful anecdotes about life in the intoxicating atmosphere of the International Art World. The canvas was left with the lucky organisers to keep as a permanent memento of the visit of these two giants of the British artistic community.See more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/fineartistes/sets/72157622176166668/show/
"We really appreciate you working in such difficult conditions so cheerfully.It was a lovely surprise to find the canvas on my desk when I came in, so thanks so much, we're going to put it up in the Info Tent." Julia Safe, Larmer Tree Festival

The Art Tart Paints the Nation

2009-07-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

The Lovely and Glamorous Art Tart spent the day in Tynemouth sketching the local population in her record-breaking attempt to paint every person in Great Britain. So far she is only up to thirty eight people, but says that she is confident that one day her life's work will be accomplished.
Here she is seen with the Two Brians who are admiring her obvious talents at "The Mouth of the Tyne Festival 2009". Watch out for The Art Tart on the streets of your town, stand and pose for her and add your bit to her masterwork. Visit her at www.thearttart.com

Blim Burns - The new Rolf Harris?

2009-07-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Art World is going crazy for the latest painting sensation to come out of Scotland. Blim Burns, or Prisoner number 78345 as he is more often known was discovered by Rupert Le Beurre of Fine Artistes fame whilst giving one of his Art Therapy and Massage workshops in Barlinnie Prison. Rupert immediately spotted Blim's enormous potential and now regularly handles the artist. Blim has managed to channel his aggression and hatred of society into a more creative outlet. His work now commands hundreds of pounds on the art market - money that he is using to pay off many of his outstanding fines and child maintenance orders.
Blim is pictured here with his finished canvas entitled Sky One - a tribute to both the actual sky that he has been so long denied in his cell as well as the television channel that he spends most of his time watching in prison.
Visit Blim's own blogspot at http://blimburns.blogspot.com/

Fine Artistes take the North East by Storm!

2009-07-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Fine Artistes have just spent two days on the streets of Tynemouth at The Mouth of the Tyne Festival 2009.

Day One saw our Studio in the Street attract scores of young and old who took part in drawing and painting activities in the glorious sunshine. Their efforts produced lots of still life drawings and a large canvas celebrating the event. This is now in the hands of the Council who will display it locally. We were also delighted to have working alongside us the well-known Glaswegian prison artist Blim Burns. He created a canvas depicting the harbour and skyscape in his inimitable style. Blim was on day release from Barlinnie Prison so we were lucky to secure his talents for the day.

On Day Two locals were entertained by a visit by The Two Brians who had flown up from London for the day to review the Festival and also by The Art Tart who spent the afternoon sketching on her canvas as part of her ongoing project to draw every person in the UK.

The Two Brians visit the Provinces!

2009-07-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

The Two Brians graciously agreed to attend the Art Gallery Marquee at St Helens Festival in early July. Local artists were thrilled to have their work evaluated by two top London critics. Brian and Brian also awarded prizes to festivalgoers for various categories such as best picnic installation, most artistic beer belly and best post-modernist T-shirt. Early on the Sunday morning both Brians jogged up a nearby hill to encounter "Dream", the wonderful sculpture by Jaume Plensa that stands high above the treeline outside the town. They were accompanied by their two gorgeous little shih tzus, Tristan and Isolde.

To see Dream click http://www.dreamsthelens.com/

Where we are this summer 2009....

2009-06-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

"The Two Brians" are appearing at St Helens Festival on July 4th and 5th and the full team goes to to The Mouth of the Tyne Festival on 11th and 12th July. Rupert and Arabella then appear at the Larmer Tree Festival on July 17th and you can also see us later in the month at the Stockton International Riverside Festival 2009 where we will present "The Stockton School of Art" on the streets and in the Arc Theatre from 30th July to August 1st.

Here we plan to give spoof lectures, invite eccentric artists and opinionated critics, and present bizarre art exhibitions throuighout the four days of this fantastic Festival, which is perhaps the very best in the UK.

Be sure to click on Follower (1) to access Rose Popay's blog for loads more art fun....

2009-06-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

Fine Artistes are 2 years old...

2009-06-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

Fine Artistes were formed by Brian Popay and his daughter, Rose in April 2007 to produce performance work based on the visual arts. Still going strong, despite no Arts Council support, we like to work in all settings from outdoor festivals through to small intimate indoor gatherings providing humourous, intriguing and engaging pieces.

We have just added The Moaner Lisa to our repertoire - this is involves a an actual painting that talks to the audience and her creator, Leonardo as they walk about chatting to the audience.