Now a Member of the Society for the Art of Imagination

Since the beginning of last month (March), I was accepted into the Society for the Art of Imagination.
 The Society is one of the largest Fantastic, Visionary and Surreal artist groups in the world, with over 400 artist members in 23 countries.


Flight of the Bride-Brigid Marlin

Origin and History of The Society for Art of Imagination
In 1961 a group of artists from England, dissatisfied with the way the art world was going, began to work together, calling themselves the Inscape Group. They were Diana Hesketh (1931--), Peter Holland, .Brigid Marlin (1936--) Jack Ray and Steve Snell (1946-). They worked together to experiment with different ideas and techniques. Their progress may be summarized as follows:

Brigid Marlin

1966 One member of the Inscape group, Brigid Marlin, went to study with Ernst Fuchs in Vienna. She was able to learn the Mische Technique, which was recieved with enthusiasm by other members who began to work with, and teach the technique in England, Europe and America.

Ernst Fuchs

1968 Members of the Inscape group were invited by Ernst Fuchs to come to Wartholz Castle, to his Summer Seminar, where artists from all over the world came to exchange ideas, and work together experimenting with old and newly evolved techniques. The Summer Seminar continued for seven years under the direction of Wolfgang Manner, and brought about great art and great friendships.

1972 As artists from different countries worked to promote each other and the cause of fine art, World-wide Exchange Exhibitions were set up in different countries and the Inscape Group became known as Inscape International.



 

   Adam and Eve-Ernst Fuchs     

1973- 1992 Inscape International. went on to exhibit in Paris, Ireland, Holland, Sweden, Tokyo, the United States and Canada. Lectures and classes were given on the Mische technique in Europe, the United States and Canada,

1993 Professor Ernst Fuchs summoned some of the Inscape artists to meet at Grafenegg Castle near Vienna to discuss the way forward towards promoting the Art of Imagination. He asked each artist to work towards this end. He had by now founded The Ernst Fuchs Museum in the villa built by Otto Wagner, and was planning an International Museum for Fantastic Art at the Saxe-Coburg Palais in Vienna.

1994 Maurizio Albarelli launched a major Exhibition "Du Fantastique au Visionnaire", the largest of its kind ever to be staged, at the Zitelle Cultural Centre, Venice, which included the work of many members of Inscape International.

1996 Rosemary Bassi organized the first of several shows of Fantastic paintings and sculpture inclluding Inscape International Members at her Galerie Rolandseck near Bonn, Germany

1997 Inscape International decided to expand their Membership and work to help to promotion of Imaginative Art around the World. To facilitate this it changed its name to The Society for Art of Imagination. Ernst Fuchs agreed to be Honorary President.

1998 The Society for Art of Imagination launched a World Premiere- the very first Open Exhibition for Art of Imagination. It took place at the Mall Galleries, London. Virginia Rogers, a patron of vision, pledged to the Society $10,000.00 every year to distribute as prize money.

H R Giger

1999 The Erlangen Museum near Nurnberg, Germany, arranged a huge exhibition "Phantastik am Ende der Zeit" planned by Dr. Christine Ivanovic. The show was arranged in historical order , starting with the early woodcuts and engravings of Schongauer 1481, and Altdorfer c 1511, then on to the paintings of Bosch and Breughel, followed by Ensor and Munch, Max Ernst, Dali , and Paul Wunderlich. The Vienna School of Fantastic Realism was well represented, and the Exhibition displayed the work of many Members of The Society for Art of Imagination .The Exhibition formed part of a Symposium on Fantastic Art and attracted more than 10,000 visitors.

Martina Hoffman

1999 & 2000 The Open Exhibition for Art of Imagination at the Mall Galleries continued. This Exhibition had now become a very popular annual event, giving artists of Imagination a public forum, and a chance to win valuable prizes. Many artists have been discovered through showing there, and have been taken up by visiting art dealers. The money awards helped artists who were finding it hard to survive.

A Magazine called Inscape was launched by the Society, to appear twice annually.

Lectures and classes were set up to spread the knowledge of good techniques in painting and sculpture. 

De Es Schwerthberger

 2001 H R Giger agreed to be an Honorary Patron, and invited Vonn Stropp, 1st Prize-Winner of the Art of Imagination Exhibition 2000 , and other members of the Society to visit his home in Switzerland, and travel with him to the H R Giger Museum at Gruyeres. An Exhibition of Members' work at his Museum was discussed.

Damien Micheals

2001 Damian Michaels from Australia, a Member of the Society for Art of Imagination and Editor of the 

Michel de Saint Ouen

acclaimed magazine "Art Visionary", launched the opening of his International Collection of Fantastic and Visionary Art at the Orange Museum, Australia, which was opened by the Director of the Society or Art of Imagination. The Exhibition was recieved with great enthusiasm and praise for its excellent quality. A special workshop on the Mische Technique was also organised in Melbourne.

(excerpt from The Society for Art of Imagination) website 

Philip Rubinov Jacobson

 




In June this summer, I will be attending a month long workshop in Vienna, Austria with Prof. Philip Rubinov Jacobson 


Philip Rubinov Jacobson

to learn the secret Mische Technique of painting with layers of egg-tempera and resin/oil glazes, shown here below in the first stages by the brilliant master painter, Madeline von Foerster



Mische Techique demonstrated by Madelaine von Foerster

 

I will talk more about the Mische Technique and the up coming workshop in my next post soon. Please check out and like my Facebook page for updates on my current work Artist Tihanyi

one of my current paintings in progress - Stephanie Tihanyi