History & Context
2017
John Sweeney and Peter Peterson (Senior Lecturer at Epsom Art College) maintain regular contact, discussing art and playing chess.
2018
John takes the initiative, plans and organises a joint exhibition with Peter at The Poly Theatre, Falmouth. Richard Crowe from Gallery 69, Falmouth, helps to curate the exhibition. The Mayor of Falmouth makes a very welcome and memorable appearance, all thanks to Penny James who invites him.
2019
John hires the Salthouse Gallery, St. Ives and organises another joint exhibition with Peter. Reception and stewarding are kindly and very efficiently managed by Penny.
2021
John and Peter exhibit at the York Street Gallery, Ramsgate (the first for them in that town).
In the same year, John hires the Salthouse Gallery and invites other artists (most of whom are Peter’s former students from Epsom College) to join a new art group. John names this group: “The Figurative and Representational Artists’ Group (FRAG). The eight members exhibit their work for the first time together.
First members of FRAG
Peter Peterson, Helen McCarvill, Gillian Furlong, Tom Rickman, Suzy Tadayonpour-Wyatt, Susan M D Carr (invited to join by John when he comes across her PhD on Portraiture), Terry Humphries, John Sweeney – eight in total.
2022
John hires the Crypt Gallery, St. Ives and invites other artists to join FRAG.
FRAG, now expanded in memberships holds its second exhibition.
Peter Davies, Art critic, writes the foreword to the exhibition, and a review for the ‘Times and Eco’ newspaper.
“This loosely-aligned yet watertight group of impressionist and figurative painters exude a very English relish for depicting mother nature and landscape with a heightened empathy for ‘genius loci’, or spirit of place – that historical as well as geographic identification with place – that seems endemic to the essence of art from these shores.” Peter Davies
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EXPANDED MEMBERSHIP OF FRAG.
Peter Peterson, Geraldine Atkins, Helen McCarvill, Suzy Tadayonpour-Wyatt, Susan M D Carr, Terry Humphries, Andrew Barrowman, Michael Tregunna, Ray Atkins, Mike Samson, Nicholas Wyatt, Jenny Shaw-Browne, Sally Dennis, John Sweeney (Executive Director, Secretary & Treasurer, at this time) – fourteen in total.
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September 2022 – Mike Samson agrees to oversee the construction of a website for FRAG and be the website Manager.
October – Nick Wyatt agrees to be the Secretary of FRAG.
December – Nick Wyatt successfully registers the 2022 ‘Figurative and Representational Artist Group’ Crypt Gallery Exhibition with ARTFACTS.
2023
April 4th marks the launch of the website of ‘The Figurative and Representational Artist Group’ FRAG.
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CURRENT MEMBERS
John Sweeney (Executive Director & Treasurer)
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