Still life begins at 40

Are you a female born in 1968?
If the answer is yes – then a west Hull artist would like to hear from you.
Breda Wright (pictured) wants to photograph 40 women who turn 40 for an exhibition that will also be made into a book.
If you fit the bill, you can contact her between now and the end of December to make arrangements for photographs to be taken on, or as near as possible, to your birthday.
Breda said: “I will be 40 next year and so it has got me thinking, not only about what it means to me, but also to the other women I photograph.
“It’s likely that the women will have had very different experiences in life. But they share the same year of birth which is a connection I find very interesting.”
Breda will visit her subjects and take the pictures with a digital camera. She’ll also ask them to write a short piece about their lives for the project.
She added: “I’d also like to hear from women of different racial origins. I’m interested in the fact that Hull is becoming a multi-cultural city and I want to reflect that in the work.
“The project is also in response to the ageing process and how many women are overwhelmingly concerned with appearances and as a consequence will go to any lengths to prolong youthful looks.
“The photographs will not require much make up, in fact I want each woman to be free from cosmetics, to be seen as nature intended on the day we were born.”
It’s hoped the book can be produced to be ready for an exhibition in 2009.

Reunited at last

A masterpiece, which features an extra pair of feet in the corner, has now joined its significant other at Ferens Art Gallery.
Painted by British artist Richard Carline (1896 -1980), it shows his friend and fellow artist Stanley Spencer, and is a detail of one of his larger paintings.
The bigger painting of the pair titled ‘Gathering on the Terrace at 47 Downshire Hill, Hampstead’ was already on display at the gallery. It shows a group of artists, including Stanley, who used to meet at Carline’s house and talk about art.
But now the smaller painting, which Carline painted as a practise piece before starting on the larger work, has been brought to Hull with aid of £11,000 of Government funding (from the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund) and £6,750 from a charity called The Art Fund.
Interestingly, the extra feet were painted alongside the figure of Stanley Spencer because Carline didn’t leave enough room for them on his first attempt.