Large scale art mixing acrylic, oils and objects such as old paintbrush handles and beach pebbles will be on show alongside intricate millinery at a new exhibition in Margate.
Heart and Head combines the works of Mark Jeffreys – aka Scruffdog – and Sarah Jane Millinery.
Mark is an Australian abstract artist who has been living in the UK for the last 35 years and is now based in Herne Bay.
Jayne Elizabeth Millinery is based in Oxfordshire and creates hats, head pieces and fascinators which are often worn by those at events such as Royal Ascot, The Kentucky Derby, The Melbourne Cup, red carpet events, catwalk shows and photo shoots.
Retired national journalist Mark said: “I have always dabbled in art but have taken it seriously since Covid when I stepped it up.
“My stuff is a little bit different, I use different mediums, old paintbrush handles, pebbles etc, for my landscapes.
“I sell Aboriginal art – I like the colours- and my landscapes are very big, around 4ft by 7ft, so on the massive side.
“I didn’t want to just go in a gallery, I wanted to collaborate with fashion, bringing art and fashion together.”
Mark says the title of the exhibition has become quite apt as he suffered a heart attack last month.
He said: “I had a heart attack on Valentine’s Day. It came completely out the blue, a main artery was blocked and I was rushed to hospital.
“I had a stent and was in hospital for a couple of days. I’m not 100% yet but I’m alright. The show had already been named but it seems pretty apt now.”
Mark says he also hopes to highlight heart health, although he did nor recognise symptoms before his heart attack.
He said: “I had some pain in my back and a bit of dizziness when I was painting, in hindsight those were probably hints to it. I could have died so I’m pretty fortunate that it was not my time.”
Mark will be auctioning one of his pieces to benefit heart charities.
Heart and Head is being held at the Joseph Wales Studio, Dane Hill, Margate from March 12-14, open Thursday 11am until 7pm-ish and Friday and Saturday 11am until 10pm.
i think these people have too much time on thier hands