Wendy Bliss

Experience

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  Practising Artist in London Studio

  Jan 1970 - now

  Artist, Painter & Maker

  My background is working for designers in high end Fashion Houses (Bill Gibb, Zandra Rhodes); I use photography, textiles & drawing to develop my ideas for oil paintings; I am currently working on abstracted group portraits.

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  Artist

  Jan 1970 - now

  Artist working with Oil, Ink and Textiles

  Abstract Portraits

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  Lucie Clayton School of Modelling

  Jan 1978 - Jan 1979

  Teacher of Deportment & Fashion Sense

  Teacher of deportment and fashion sense to aspiring models and debs, working for Jean Broke-Smith and Mr Kark.

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  Hershelle Ltd

  Jan 1979 - Jan 1981

  Showroom Model & Manageress

  Working as part of design team with John Bernstein, to create successful ranges of evening gowns. Privileged to have worked here with the late, great Bill Gibb, and Victor Herbert.

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  Zandra Rhodes Ltd

  Sept 1982 - May 1985

  Wholesale Sales & Showroom Manageress

  Showroom manageress, selling Zandra Rhodes Ready-to-Wear collections to prestige designer shops & high fashion departments in West End stores & Boutique Shops around the UK c/o Ronnie Sterling & Anne Knight, Senior Fashion Buyer for Fortnum & Mason.

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  Ideas In Action

  Jan 1990 - Jan 2001

  Field Manager Market Research

  Market Research Consultancy based in SW London, putting ideas into action. Strong High Street retailer client base. Liaising between clients and field managers, quality control, logistics management.

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  Cherubic Productions Ltd

  Jan 1994 - Jan 1996

  Sales & Marketing Manager

  Co-Producing & Marketing 'Liaisons', quality board game into prestige London Stores: Liberty, Hamleys, Selfridges, Virgin Games, etc. Reviewed by The Independent, Time Out & The Observer: 'Liaisons rewards wit and invention. Cleverly conceived and artfully designed, it is both entertaining and imaginative'. Launched the same year as Sonic went viral.

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  Central St Martins

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2001

  Diploma in Art & Design

  Art & Design Diploma based in Fashion, Sculpture and Photography.

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  Freelance Curator of Site-specific Art

  Mar 2000 - Oct 2012

  Director, curator

  I develop opportunities for site-specific art exhibitions, personally curating / exhibiting alongside other invited artists in London Borough of Merton. My background in fashion and design informs my practice, I work with drawing, painting, photography and textiles.Sept 2015 - Solo exhibition at Andrew Scott Roberston, Wimbledon Village, London SW19Nov 2014 - OpenPlanDesigns, Arthur Rd, SW19 May 2014 - Rivers & Relics: Curated Exhibition of site-specific art at Merton Priory, celebrating 900 years. Sept 2013 - Solo exhibition: oil paintings, abstract landscapes, Lingfield Rd Gallery, SW19. Sept/Oct 2012 - Directed 'Illumination', 9 artists, Merton Priory. Sponsored by Marcus Beale Architects.Nov 2012 - Curator/exhibitor: 'Colour' exhibition at RHN.Sept 2012 - 'News from Nowhere', Merton Priory, (curated 12 artists) subject: William Morris.Sept 2012 - Exhibitions of paintings at Parkwood Rd, & Leopold Rd, SW19.Oct 2011 - 'Post Script' Merton Priory, curating 10 artists, work in response to Medieval site.July 2010 - 'Energy Made Visible', Drawings, 70a Leopold Road. 2010 - 'Outside In' Exhibition, RHN, Putney 2007 - 'Twelve' - Curated & exhibited with 12 graduates of ual Wimbledon, for Macmillan.2006 - 'Portrait of the artist' : photographic installation in monumental light box. 2006 - 'Walk Through the Corridors of Time' - organised, curated, exhibited exhibition (8 students) for St George's Trust, SW17.2005 - 'Siren Song', Landmark Trust, Teddington, paintings/textiles.2004 - RCA Exhibition for CHASE2001-3 - Fund-raising for RHN: biennial Art-on-the-Hill.1998-2000 - series of art sales organised/curated by Wendy Bliss T/A Art Attack, Wimbledon Tennis Fortnights, gallery at Dog & Fox, Wimbledon. Show less

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  Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability

  Jan 2001 - Oct 2012

  Curator of Art

  2006 - 2012: Collating and presenting original work produced by patients in this hospital, both for their personal space & enjoyment, and also for public spaces within the building. 2001-3: Fund-raising committee member: organised, exhibited & sold work in biannual Art-on-the-Hill Exhibitions and Art Auctions. RHN is an impressive and incredible place, a virtual village, passed by and overlooked by thousands daily on the A3 into central London. RHN is supported by Frieze Art Fair. Show less

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  Wimbledon School of Art

  Jan 2001 - Jan 2006

  Hons Graduate in Art & Design

  BA Hons: Practice & Theory of Art & Design; Sculpture, Drawing and Photography. Dissertation on the Self in Portraiture. Short-listed for Celeste Award for Sculpture, 2006.

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  Solo London Exhibitions

  Jan 2002 - now

  Artist working with Paint & Textiles
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  Voodoo Research Ltd

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2013

  Wendy Bliss

  Vibrant research agency: 'Voodoo is, quite simply, one of the very finest research agencies' (Sarah Alexander, Waitrose). 'Lots of Agencies say they are different. Voodoo really are. They came in, armed with their Magic Beans, and helped the organisation see how they really are, as well as showing us what could be.' (Neil Jones, MTV).

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  Artist Featured by Saatchi Art in a Collection

  Jan 2005 - now

  Freelance Artist
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  University of the Arts London

  Jun 2006 - now

  Fine Artist

  Fine Artist working from studios in London & SW France

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  Merton Arts Trail

  May 2010 - Oct 2015

  Award Winner for services to the Arts in Merton, 2010-14

  Curator for four group site-specific art installations at Merton Priory Chapter House, 2010-2014 (sponsored by Marcus Beale Architects) and Co-founder of the Merton Arts Trail (MAT), 2011.

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  Chapter House, Merton Priory

  Sept 2011 - Oct 2014

  'Illuminations' : Curator of four Site-specific Art Exhibitions at Chapter House, Merton Priory

  A textiles installation in two halves:The Living: Brightly designed shrouds for this dark and spooky space to illustrate it once housed a living, thriving community, many of whom were buried in cloth shrouds. The Dead: Rows of miniature shrouds were half-buried in the sand here: dust to dust. 'Illuminations'. To illustrate the Medieval origins of this historic place alongside the William Morris' textile print works.Exhibition sponsored by Marcus Beale Architects, and supported by the Museum of London. Show less

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  Solo Exhibition

  Aug 2013 - Sept 2013

  Lines & Landscapes

  Exhibition of oil paintings, drawings & prints on fabric, Lingfield Road Gallery, Wimbledon Village, 21-29 September. Theme: wife, mother, landscapes

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  Rivers & Relics Exhibition

  Jan 2014 - May 2014

  Curator, artist.

  Rivers & Relics: A celebration of 900 years of the laying the first stones of the church, later associated Merton Priory.Installation in two halves (Hand-printed textiles and soft sculpture installation):- The 'River' depicted Plato's River Acheron and the journey of souls to and from the Acherusian lake. 'Glass eels' (silk-screen printed gossamer) represented the timeless cycle of life & death. - The 'Relics' represented the 900 years since the inception of Merton Priory. In 1200 AD, a person reaching the age of 21 could expect to live, on average, to 64 - so taking 64 as an average age, remarkably there are just 13 life-spans, end-to-end, in this 900 year span. Small parcels of cotton velvet containing (personally significant) objects, were tied and labelled in the style of Medieval relics, each one representing an imaginary life-span covering the 900 years from 1113 - 2013. They were then presented in two golden wooden 'reliquaries' under glass, as was common in the Middle Ages. Show less

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  Group Exhibition

  Jun 2014 - Jul 2014

  'Home Front' exhibition at Lambeth Garden Gallery

  Textile installations of work made to commemorate the start of WW1.

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  Board of Directors' Offices, Lidl, London

  Aug 2014 - Sept 2014

  Solo Art Exhibition

  13 - 28 September 2014: Exhibition of recent paintings in Lidl BoD Offices.

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  Solo Art Exhibition

  Sept 2014 - Oct 2014

  Solo Exhibition

  27 September - 5 October 2014 - Solo Exhibition of recent drawings & paintings taking plant portrait photographs by Karl Blossfeldt as my starting point. Also working from old masters, Velasquez and Sebastiano del Piombo, to create new compositions.

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  Https://www.artportfolioprep.co.uk

  Jan 2015 - Feb 2021

  Art Consultant

  Coaching young artists / helping collate their work and present in the best way possible when applying for scholarships and art school Foundation Courses. To date, 100% success rate.

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  Solo Exhibition

  Sept 2015 - Oct 2015

  Solo Art Exhibition

  Privileged to be invited to display art exhibition in the beautiful offices at Andrew Scott Robertson to celebrate their 40th anniversary in Wimbledon.

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  Artist, Painter, Maker

  Jan 2016 - now

  Artist

  Paper Patterns in Movement

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  Saatchi Art

  Dec 2016 - Dec 2016

  'Release'​ Painting Sold

  saatchiart.com/wendybliss Painting entitled, "Release', sold to art collector in Denver, Colorado.

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  The Covid Chronicle, a giant art installation using textiles, stitch & paint

  Feb 2021 - now

  Founder

  A 'Bayeux Tapestry' for the pandemic. Making history in textiles & stitch. Looking for venues to exhibit 2022. Open Call for submissions till 31/12/21.