Tony Blomme
Tony Blomme is a
traveller.
He takes off to explore the world, in search of places where he
wants to capture urbanisme in water-colour and oil. He paints
cities where time seems to have no meaning, frequently stripped of
human presence or where movement has been reduced to stagnation.
They offer a setting in which the hectics of everyday seems to go
past the monumental buildings and with that the influence of people
on its surroundings is minimised. With that the cities offer a view
on past, present and future.In the paintings of Blomme, oldtimers
act as icons of a long-past time, as carcasses left behind and
forgotten. But under the rust the grandeur of forgotten times still
is present. Tony Blomme (1956) lives and work in Belgium
(Eeklo).
Biography
"I began my career as a draughtsman. Over the years my draughts
have evolved into works of art. In 1992 I introduced the element
'colour' into my work again by experimenting with watercolours. A
comprehensive scale of techniques gave me access to a new world. I
have always been fascinated by the technique of creating a work of
art with 'simple' tools such as pencils, paint and brushes. It took
several years to achieve a certain craftsmanship in
watercolours.
I guess the year was 1997 when I realised the techniques of
watercolours did no longer satisfy my quest for new challenges. I
decided to return to the old technique of oil painting, which I had
abandoned since my years at the academy. I discovered how to
combine my experience as a draughtsman with the techniques of
watercolours to develop another language in a medium I had left for
many years. Working with oil gave me the opportunity to create
paintings on a larger scale. It is very inspiring to follow the
evolution from the first draught until the final painting.
(...)I have been living and working in Eeklo, a rural town in
Flanders, Belgium. Several journeys around the world have
determined my view on our society of the past decade. I am affected
by the poetry of everyday life all over the world. In a way my
paintings can be seen as reports of present-day society.
The 'Lost in time'-series is a tribute to post-war car design.
The depicted cars are abandoned in nature after years of common
use. At this point they offer an interesting subject, demanding the
spectator to reconstruct an (often) personal history. It took years
to discover the wrecks that were of a certain interest to develop
this series.
'Americana - uncommon places' mounts the reflection of a way of
life, far from today's society in the fast lane. Far from popular
attractions I seek native places to experience the quiet atmosphere
that seems to rule small cities. I tend to illustrate this unusual
aspect of today's madding world."
Tony Blomme - Zandstraat,7 - 9900 Eeklo
e-mail: tony_blomme@hotmail.com
tel: 09/378.12.42 - gsm : 0494.66.78.99
Website: www.tonyblomme.be
