Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

February Update

I have had a busy month both in and out of the studio. Liuda and I returned to the UK 4 weeks ago and are looking for a new place to call home.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

Roy's Art Fair, Autumn 2023

It’s now been a couple of days since I packed away my stand at Roy’s Art Fair and I’m still reeling from the experience.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

King's Cross Pop-Up Exhibition

In case you missed it, here are a few snaps from my recent pop-up exhibition at King’s Cross Canopy Market. It’s a special place for me because over the past 5 years it’s here I’ve shared, sold and developed my art and learnt to make a business from it. It was here that I first managed to make the dream of earning a living from my Art a reality.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

New Works on Paper

I’m excited to share some new pieces I’ve been working on over the last few weeks. I’ve been experimenting, sketching and painting a lot recently and I’m trying to push my work in new directions.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

Thoughts on Painting

I recently returned to Ukraine from a series of events in London. The conversations and interactions with people at these events and exhibitions sparked a few thoughts on my artwork.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

March Update: Trust The Process

The perfectionist in me never wants to share anything until it's finished, but when is an artwork ever finished? There's always the next brushstroke, the next idea.

So it's been a productive few weeks, solving problems and sorting through ideas. I'm presenting here the first few works from a new series.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

Max Ernst: Collage

The surrealist artist, Max Ernst described collage as ‘The systematic exploitation of […] two or more foreign realities on a seemingly incongruous level – and the spark of poetry that leaps across the gap as these two realities are brought together.’

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

What does progress feel like? The good, the bad and the ugly.

There are so many people talking about growth, progress, and self-development these days but what does progress feel like? If you’re like me it can be tough to remember how things felt yesterday, let alone last week or last month and most changes don’t happen overnight – it’s a process that takes weeks or months.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

Self-editing and choosing a creative path

As an artist, you are an explorer, one who ventures into the unexplored regions of the cultural, psychic, and spiritual landscapes, bringing back stories and artefacts which describe your experiences there. Whilst on your expedition you may see on the horizon and mountain of an idea that you want to conquer. You can see its shape, but not the route to the top.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

February Update Creating Structure

November and December were crazy busy with commissions and events. So, when I returned to my studio in Ukraine earlier this month, it felt like I was starting over. Painting felt unfamiliar and a little daunting. 

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

My struggle with visualisation. How I approach new work.

I discovered Aphantasia recently, and before I understood anything about it, I immediately diagnosed myself with it. Aphantasia is the inability to create mental imagery. This unfounded concern helped me realise how I can best work on new ideas.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

King's Cross Summer Pop-Up Exhibition

I had a fantastic time last weekend at my pop-up exhibition at King’s Cross Canopy Market. This market was the first place I sold my art and the community there really helped me learn about the business of Art, what customers will want and enjoy, and also helped shape what I wanted to create. So, it was incredible to be back in this space, where I was a regular trader before, amongst friendly faces in a familiar space.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

Ukraine Fundraising Update

I wanted to share a quick update on our fundraising efforts in Ukraine. A big thank you to all of you who donated and shared my artwork. We've raised over £5000 for local aid in Ukraine.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

100 Days of War

The war has continued for over 100 days, and despite some military successes for Ukraine, the scale of destruction and suffering is immense.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

Trip to Sicily

The last 10 weeks have been draining as Liuda and I moved from Ukraine to Poland and then back to the UK. I never thought a country I lived in would be invaded, however this changed 2 months ago. Now I have had some distance from this, I am seeing what it’s taught me and how it’s reaffirmed my role as an artist.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

From Ukraine to Poland

Firstly I want to say a massive thank you to everyone for their support with our fundraising efforts so far and update on our situation.

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Mike Thebridge Mike Thebridge

Art For Ukraine

I’ve been living in Ukraine over the past year and the events of the last seven days have shaken me and my wife. Luckily the city we live in, Ivano-Frankivsk is in the West of Ukraine and is not an area that has suffered any fighting yet.

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