Good Times Roll: A Review

Let the good times roll. Sculpture by Kevin Harrison. Photo by Jake Lewis.

Last Friday I headed to the opening of Good Times Roll at High Roller Society. The gallery played host to a group show comprising of 39 artists, all with differing styles, using different mediums, and with varied influences and backgrounds. In fact it was rather refreshing and a highly interesting creative mix of people presenting their ultimate passion.

Photo by Jake Lewis.

Photo by Jake Lewis.

As usual I thoroughly enjoyed the work of Rowdy, Nylon, Mobstr and Mr Penfold. Alex Daw’s collages were perfectly intricate, Remi Rough keeps producing work I would rather like to own, and Cain Caser’s pair of canvases were great. I would definitely like to see more of what Tom Booth has to offer and as usual Martin Lea Brown showed his serious talent.

Rowdy – West Side Croc. Photo by High Roller Society.
Mr Penfold – Double Up. Photo by High Roller Society.
Numskull – Masked Revenger. Photo by High Roller Society.

I personally really liked Numskull’s piece on wood. Hand cut horizontal panels created depth and texture whilst his choice of colour is always spot on. There is something aesthetically pleasing about Darkcloud’s style, and Ellannah Sadkin’s abstract surrealist cartooning, Zephers Dream, was fantastic.

Ellannah Sadkin – Zephers Dream. Photo by High Roller Society.
Kevin Harrison – A Cigarette and a Window. Photo by Jake Lewis.

I may have talked about a fair few names so far but there are a further three artists that I believe deserve a mention. First up is Kevin Harrison, a sculptor with years of experience, who works with wood and metal to produce figurative pieces wrapped up in the torment of urban life. Not a street artist as such, but one who has exhibited extensively in public, Kevin’s two sculptures, bold and brilliant, really are the eye catching pieces in the show.

Mick Dean – Chapman Motor. Photo by Jake Lewis.

Secondly is an artist called Mick Dean. His piece, Chapman Motor, a garage in Hackney Wick painted with oil on canvas is fantastic. Photo realism as it’s finest, highly current due to its location in the middle of Olympic regeneration identity removal, and the stand out piece in my opinion. And finally, and perhaps the success of the show is John Atherton. I lost count of the number of people discussing his mixed media work, Old Indians Never Die, and despite this being his first piece exhibited since his move from street to fine artist, I think he can be rather happy with the outcome.

John Atherton – Old Indians Never Die (Right). With Vinnie Nylon and Cassius Fouler. Photo by Jake Lewis.

Following the opening, Saturday and Sunday saw the gallery become a t-shirt printing workshop hosted by Copyem12. Unfortunately I could not make either day but luckily NoLionsInEngland was on hand to snap some photos of what went down. Those Gold Peg tee’s look quality, and I am sure a good time was had by all.

If you have no already popped into the show then make sure you do, and if you can, head to Alex Booker’s letterpress printing workshop at the gallery on 29th July.

Photos by Jake Lewis and High Roller Society