Turning feelings into art

– September 14, 2023 | Text Beatriz Maio | Photos Charlotte Cockayne/Open Media Group

Born in the UK, Jérome Gay came to live in the Algarve as a child with his English mother and Spanish father, where he grew up, made friends, and acquired a taste for the country. From an early age, he had a connection with the arts as his family had several paintings at home which, together with his good grades at school in this area, made him realise that his professional path was inevitably through the arts.

At the age of 18, he decided to study at the Winchester School of Art – University of Southampton, in Winchester, England, where he specialised in Sculpture because the cultural offer in the Algarve region was weak. After two years, he moved to Salamanca, Spain, where he studied Fine Arts for a year and a half. Whilst the first course was more focused on contemporary art, the second allowed him to learn more classical drawing techniques.

When Jérome returned to Portugal, he took a Ceramics course which he considers to be “a middle ground between painting and sculpture” and which brought him new opportunities. From there, he started working with tiles and opened a studio where everyone could see his work. The orders started coming in, more for ceramic pieces, like plates, but also tile panels for kitchens and outdoor living spaces, including swimming pools. “I was painting in blocks of colour on large panels in a very contemporary way that had not yet been seen in the Algarve,” he recalled.

His professional success has not only brought him many job offers but has also allowed him to take his work to another level: to dedicate himself to move toward spontaneous ideas, “works that are not so commercial”, he explained. His most recent endeavours are Joker, The Queen, and Juggler, three unplanned alter ego characters, and he already has buyers for two of them. “Now I can allow myself to explore without worrying about the commercial side,” he clarified adding: “That’s where the best begins.”

His works are social statements, with a bit of a quirky side and twisted vision, that expose the observations he makes, a reflection of his thoughts, inspired by what he feels daily.

“Art is a fight with yourself, a moment when you confront yourself and try to put your ego aside,” according to Jérome, who admires French artists like Henri Matisse, Jack Mathieu, and the American Jean-Michel Basquiat.

He defines himself as an “unpredictable” artist who, in his own words, is able to create both abstract and concrete works, more conventional or spontaneous.

“One idea provokes four and four provoke another 16, so I try to let the message emerge,” he reflected mentioning that “unforeseen events are marvellous”.

In addition to the intention of “bringing out the truth” in his unique artworks, he aims to show “the real side” of life through paintings on recycled material with acrylic paint, spray, brushstrokes, and a combination of techniques that produce rich textures. “I want to create images that people can identify with and that can transform what we have in our minds into something physical,” he said, emphasising that he wants to “expose what we all think”.

His ideology is based on the message of The Little Prince’s book: “If it is beautiful, it is truly useful.” In his viewpoint, aesthetic language proves that “beauty has immense utility” and serves to seek what artists think is visual balance.

With everything going positively and feeling that his art is appreciated by all ages, Jérome opened Déjà Vu, in Ferragudo, an art shop dedicated to designing crafts, antiques, vintage pieces, and products made in Portugal.

Although it started out as an art gallery, with the intention of exhibiting his and other artist’s works, it ended up being a space where decorative items and textiles are sold, giving way to the ideas of different people who have become his friends. “There are artists who have been exhibiting here for more than 10 years and, at the same time, there are also new ones coming regularly with singular projects,” he said.

Going forward, the plan is to “rip it up and start again, a new and completely different start”, Jérome revealed, highlighting that now there will be a “free road” ahead, in which he will be free and have time to do whatever he feels like. “Being an artist requires an evolution of ideas that creates fluidity in the work, and, for that, constant dedication is necessary.”

Jérome is looking forward to it and recognises that he has the “right age and maturity” to choose how he wants to spend his time to dedicate himself to his essence. “I was painting to please my clients, now I will stop painting for others and do it for me, exploring new projects,” he stated.

Follow Déjà Vu on Instagram and Facebook.

Read more Algarve News:

[inpost_galleria thumb_width=”175″ thumb_height=”175″ post_id=”1610″ thumb_margin_left=”3″ thumb_margin_bottom=”2″ thumb_border_radius=”2″ thumb_shadow=”0 1px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)” id=”” random=”0″ group=”0″ border=”” show_in_popup=”0″ album_cover=”” album_cover_width=”200″ album_cover_height=”200″ popup_width=”800″ popup_max_height=”600″ popup_title=”Gallery” type=”yoxview” sc_id=”sc1467804210132″]FROM VOLCANIC PEAKS TO THE END OF THE WORLD


The Algarve is a wonderful melting pot of nationalities and very often a new-found home for free spirits from all over the globe. This motto can easily be extended to both the latest super premium vodka to be launched on the market, VOLCANIC, and its front man in Portugal, Arni Elliot.
Inside magazine met up with Ferragudo resident and Icelander Arni, to discover the connection between the two.
“In 2010 my partners were brainstorming for a name. They wanted it to be something powerful, something very ‘Icelandic’, and had been toying with the idea of using something to do with volcanoes, but weren’t completely convinced. It was then that Eyjafjallökull famously began to erupt and became a huge, worldwide event, reaching and affecting millions of people overseas, despite being a relatively small eruption. With the eruption, the deal was sealed. It reflected just what we wanted to do: we are small but want to go far! It seemed only right to honour our country and the enormous power of its nature by naming the brand Volcanic,” Arni explains.
“The company was distilling and producing spirits and coolers for the Icelandic market when, in 2013, I joined them and we began experimenting with new, high-quality materials, a new image and a foot in the southern European market, where I’ve been living for some time,” Arni adds.
This vodka is truly an international product. The grains come from the Champagne region, in France. The spirit is distilled in Iceland, and packaged in a designer bottle, from France again, before being sealed with a high-quality wooden bottle top, from Italy. “We wanted to use cork stoppers to add a little bit of Portugal into the blend, but during the testing process, we found that cork and pure vodka were not compatible as the cork can taint the colour and taste, which obviously wouldn’t work out. It’s a shame, but the Italian wooden option is incredibly stylish and was the sensible choice,” Arni continues, adding, “The branding has been a lot of fun, thanks to the creative input of fantastic Scottish artist, Beau McClellan.” Beau is famous for his spectacular light installations. With his passion for lighting design, Arni tells us how, “the glass that we chose was a perfect background for Beau to work with, as it absorbs light, and obviously vodka is a clear spirit, so the bottle quickly adapts to its surroundings, which has a really dramatic effect on the shelf”.
VOLCANIC is to vodka what Remy Martin XO is to cognac and Icelandic water is considered to be amongst the best and purest in the world. Compare the qualities associated with Scotch whisky, which are due to the water and you’ll soon get the picture.
Arni has been busy discussing events with luxury resorts all along the Algarve. The response has been amazingly warm and positive with some of the big players already on board and local distributers Wine Emotions, from Parchal, signed up to take care of things. We can see a very bright future for this icy cool, cosmopolitan newcomer, emerging onto the premium market with the ultra smooth, VOLCANIC VODKA following three years of development. The vodka is now ready to launch, with the first bottles already being sampled and considered for bar lists in some of the top resorts along the coast.
40% proof, with a warm, smooth finish, this vodka is best served super chilled and neat. Volcanic Vodka is distilled seven times and filtered through rock and lava in the distillery in Reykjavik, Iceland by a young, independent team, with its driving force in Ferragudo. We wish them every success.

www.volcanic.is

TEXT MIA WALLACE
PHOTOS CHLOE OPHELIA

[inpost_galleria thumb_width=”175″ thumb_height=”175″ post_id=”1077″ thumb_margin_left=”3″ thumb_margin_bottom=”2″ thumb_border_radius=”2″ thumb_shadow=”0 1px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)” id=”” random=”0″ group=”0″ border=”” show_in_popup=”0″ album_cover=”” album_cover_width=”200″ album_cover_height=”200″ popup_width=”800″ popup_max_height=”600″ popup_title=”Gallery” type=”yoxview” sc_id=”sc1441289306523″]

Metro Bikes adds a twist to bespoke bicycles

Moving down from the hills of Monchique to Portimão at the age of 12, Sérgio “Monchique” Gonçalves began to notice that he was spending most of his pocket money on bicycle repairs. He realised that it would be prudent to learn how to fix his own equipment and save his money to upgrade his bike. His dedication paid off and he soon started to fix his friends’ bikes, which stood him in great stead in the future.

It was soon evident that he was dedicated to his BMX and loved spending hours perfecting stunts on his bike, as many young boys did, but he felt a real affinity with his bicycle and refused to give up. The bumps and scratches from the many falls only gave fuel to his determination and made him follow his dream.

People began to realise that he was very serious about his hobby and, with support from his friends and family, he went on to become a world champion in BMX flatland categories (flatland is a freestyle BMX riding style performed on smooth flat surfaces and is sometimes described as a form of artistic cycling with a blend of breakdancing). With BMX titles including world champion (Flatland Master) in 2000 in Cologne, Germany, and three times national champion (also in the Flatland Master category), it was clear to see that this young man from Monchique had a great talent and a real understanding of his chosen sport. But with his university days coming to an end, it was time to leave these glorious times behind and join the rat race. After 10 years conforming to the 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday working week, he realised life wasn’t filling him with joy, so he took the bold move to leave his steady job, listen to his heart and create his own company. And so, Metro Bikes was born of a combined passion for bicycles and his homeland of Portugal.

Predominately an online store which sells custom bikes and accessories, it has the added bonus of having a showroom located in the garage of Sérgio’s home in the picturesque village of Ferragudo, allowing clients to arrange an appointment to see some of the fantastic options available first-hand and discuss their specific requirements in person.

Building a large variety of bespoke projects that vary massively in price and, of course, appearance, Sérgio loves the diversity of his chosen profession – the core elements of the business are BMX and retro design, renovation and accessory sales – and complete customer satisfaction is his main objective. With a huge amount of options including cork coatings, various hub brake systems, leather seats, hand-painted finishes, coloured spokes, trims, handles and chains in every colour of the spectrum to choose from, having your very own bike made is actually quite accessible. Prices start from €300 for the vintage styles, but of course, depending on the clients’ requirements and imagination, costs can climb up into the thousands.

“The use of hub brakes is becoming very fashionable,” notes Ségio. “They have two main advantages: one being aesthetic, in that there is no need for brake handles on the bikes frame, making it more slimline, and the other being cost. Brakes and gears are the most expensive core element in cycling and the things that tend to go wrong most often, which will incur additional maintenance.”

A recent collaboration between Portimão-based Alambre Exclusive Furniture and Metro Bikes also allowed a few clients to have a really unique finish using the wonderful, natural, local resource that is cork. One Dutch client requested the whole frame of his custom bike be covered in cork, and Sérgio had the handles of one of his showroom bikes wrapped in it. He often displays the model with the cork-wrapped handles in one of the stores of Repto, a Portuguese clothing brand, in Portimão or Vilamoura. This synergy between urban fashion and Portuguese tradition seems to work very well and is becoming more and more popular with the online market boosting its reach.

Other recent projects have included a 1950s bicycle that was passed down the generations and made its way into the workshop. “The current owner wanted the cycle restored to its former glory with a few subtle, modern twists,” notes the former BMX world champion, and hopes that this example of the sleek 1950s style will be handed down through future generations for a long time to come.

Keeping the retro theme going, Sérgio is currently restoring an American 1980s Honda CB650 from scratch in his spare time, which will take pride of place in his two-wheeled collection.

Always happy to jump on his bike to show off his skills, the Ferragudo resident loves to reminisce about his old BMX days and takes every opportunity to help organise events and pass on his skills to upcoming enthusiasts.

www.metro-bikes.com