Mrs Magnitude's Emporium

Introducing the  Artist, Kay Leseeleur Ara

I got back yesterday from two wonderful days in Jersey viewing @kay_leseelleur exhibition at @arthousejersey

This is Kay's first ever solo exhibition - she's 82 so it's been a long time coming - and she has not only taken the island by storm, she's put Jersey on the international art map. With numerous visitors from the UK and Ireland and even a few from the USA, it's no exaggeration to say her work has attracted international interest.

This is not wholly surprising. Kay is a true original. A one off. The show hints at autobiography but is expressed in the visual language of myth, satire, and cartoons, as such it is both universal in expression and yet intensely intimate in atmosphere. It draws you in: the more time you spend there, the more you want to stay and sink deeper into the paintings, their texture and narrative.

It's the kind of show that stays with you for a long time, changing the way you think about things and perceive them. This is a rare experience in any art show, let alone a contemporary art show.

Kay's paintings and drawings are both moving and laugh out loud funny, at once absurd and fierce. She draws inspiration from Picasso, Matisse and the cartoonist and humourist James Thurber. She moves fluently between grotesques, cartoon imagery, and semi naturalistic imagery - often in the same painting. It is not uncommon to find young contemporary painters adopting this approach in the UK but it can be a bit fay or whimsical. There no danger of this in Leseeleur's work - her's is underpinned by a rigorous understanding of colour, composition, depth of field and a disciplined drawing skill that points to her solid early years training in art school at Corsham and her daily studio practice now.

While Kay cheerfully alludes to more illustrious influences she also states unequivocally that Instagram is now one of her main influences. The has three IG pages: @kay_leseelleur  @kays_telly_doodles and @mrs_magnitude