Update: Joe is currently preparing new works for another exhibition at The Ivy in February 2016…
Tuesday 24th February 2015 was a big night and no mistake. Joe staged his first private view as painter at The Ivy Club’s Loft – a chance for members, guests and visitors to see 22 canvasses, fresh from his workshop.
Writing in the exhibition notes Joe spoke about how an already busy pianist became an even-busier painter:
“Painting the composers came from seeing many a dull black and white photo of them, or for the earlier ones, an over-serious portrait that had no bearing on their kaleidoscopic musical output. I set about painting them as I heard them and began work on Debussy, Beethoven, Mozart (for Classic FM), Elgar, Bach, Khachaturian.
When I paint jazz musician friends it feels very similar to playing music with them. It was a short step from jazz musicians to ballet dancers. There are visual parallels between men holding double basses and men holding dancers legs. My goal is to try to paint the music and the dance rather than just the musician or the dancer. That’s my holy grail. That is why I paint.”
Needless to say the show quickly became a party. In addition to over 150 guests, Jessie Buckley dropped by to sing a few numbers, joining Joe and a seemingly endless parade of London’s jazz greatest saxophonists, double bassists, pianists, and even a marimba player. What followed was a jazz jam watched over by paintings of so many other musicians – Claude Debussy, Miles Davis, Aram Khachaturian, Ibrahim Ferrer and Ludwig van Beethoven, to name but a few.
The exhibition continues until 28th February in The Loft, at the Ivy Club.
To buy a painting or commission one, contact: joe@joethompson.london.
Dimensions
Full list of painting dimensions: