All About Me

CV

Sigvaldi Fridarsonur

Born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England 1945.

Lived, raised and educated in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).

Attained 9 'O' levels.

Indentured apprenticeship with British Aerospace.

Sunday Times Design Car Safety Contest winner.

25 years as art director/writer/creative director in various top ad agencies: JWT/McCann's/Bates/D'Arcy MacMannus in London, Johannesburg and Lisbon.

Photographer, writer, poet, painter, sculptor

BSc Mechanical and Production Engineering, Bedfordshire University.

BA Fine Art, Sheffield Hallam Institute of Arts.

EXHIBITIONS, PUBLICATION AND AWARDS

​ 1984 Visions Gallery, London

1985 Aspects Gallery, London Collet Dickson Pearce Gallery, London 1996 Member of Association of Photographers, London 1987 Richmond Gallery, Windsor 1989 Mayfair Gallery, London 1994 and 1995 Galeria 12a, Lisbon 1996 Expoarte96, Lisbon 1998 Galeria Potthoff, Lisbon 2001 Own website at www.mels-images.biz St Julian’s, Carcavelos, Portugal 2002 Represented by Britart/ Eyestorm, London and New York 2004 Docklands Development East, London Galeria S.Rita, Sintra, Portugal 2005 Paintography Blogsite at www.paintography.blogspot.com 2005 CAD05, Cidadela de Cascais, Portugal. Photography Workshops, StJulian‘s, Portugal 2006 Saatchi-Gallery on-line at www.saatchi-gallery.com 2007 Black and white images Blogspot at www.melsbwportfolio.blogspot.com Eyestorm Gallery, Exeter: “Retro” limited edition, boxed portfolio of 21 A3+, black and white images, signed and numbered. Also on exhibit “Train,” “Traffic,” “Station”and “Azenhas do Mar.” Sherborne Gallery, Sherborne: Open ’07 ‘Margins’ Exhibition - “Mud” installation of 42 images. Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Honiton: Evolver Magazine Competition finalist – “Pool” 2008 Special Editions at http://mels-special-editions.blogspot.com Off The Wall Gallery, Alte, Portugal Black Swan Arts, Frome 2009 Launched Insideoutside Photography. WOW, Wincanton Colour Gallery, Wincanton Portuguese Museum of Photography (CPF), Porto – launch and copy of book in library. 2010 Launched Takes Can Talk 2011 Launched Decorative Arts Exhibition for 34 artists: Curator and exhibitor of decorated furniture, installation and wallpaper. Exhibited as photographer at Web of Life Exhibition with ‘Studies of PenSelwood.’ Exhibited as painter, illustrator and sculptor in Open Studios/ Frome Festival 2012 Launched Hug The Planet websites for children at facebook and Flickr Frome Festival: Diva’s - Exhibition of PenSelwood and Portugal Through My Eyes portfolios.Co-launched limited edition boxed set of PenSelwood with poet Fletcher Brown.New blogsite www.peaceinthespiritofplace.blogspot.co.uk 1st trip to Iceland to create new portfolio and book. 2013 2nd, 3rd and 4th trips to Iceland PROFESSIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

1972 -1976 Corporate and product photography Ford, Mazda, Leyland, Fiat (South Africa) 1986 Product photography – Soft and Gentle, Cape Town. 1992 Brochure for Caravela (TAP–Portugal Airlines) 1995-2002 Artists-Group (Portugal), various inc Mercedes and BMW PUBLICATION AND PRINT

1984 Blitz, London 1985 Creative Review, London x double page spread 1994 and 1996 O Capital, Lisbon x double page spread 1996 DNA magazine, Lisbon, x2 double page spread 1999 Atlantis magazine 2007 The Western Muse Magazine x2 Art in Devon 2008 Black and White Photography Magazine Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation website Evolver Magazine Own Limited Editions Prints catalogue Algarve-website-directory.com Mels-special-editions.blogspot.com Algarveresident.com 2009 Publication of book “Portugal Through My Eyes” on Blurb.com Western Gazette 2010 Portuguese Museum of Photography (CPF) website Quercus website and newsletter (10,000 recipients). 2011 Book Arts September Newsletter (UK) SAI Magazine, Portugal/ France SIC TV Primetime Newsflash (Portugal)

WEBSITE PRESENCE:

Somethingaboutmel.blogspot.com;

paintography.blogspot.com; facebook.com;

fotocommunity.com;

saatchi-gallery.co.uk

odysseyphotography.net; ionline.pt;

blurb.com; genni.com; fcn.romanviii.co.uk;

melsbwportfolio.blogspot.com; tvi.rtp.pt (5x primetime newsflash);

aroucanet.com;

mygroupx.com;

portugalvirtual.pt; eaiou.visao.pt;

quemousavence.blogspot.com; sic.sapo.pt;

escolaprof.wordpress.com;

eaiou.carfilia.com; farmacia.netfarm.pt;

veternaria-actual.pt; indiscutivel.com;

aeda.pt;194.210.67.113 moodle;

aeiou.exameinformatica.pt;

local.detakes.com; sherbornehouse.org.uk;

fromecreativenetwork.co.uk;

portugalzone.com; aeiou.expresso.pt;

destakes.com; globeofblogs.com;

noticias.planetaportugal.com; destak.pt;

regiaooeste.com/pt;

fotoimagem.blogspot.com;

diariodosacores.pt;

costadacaparica.com.pt; cpf.pt; sic.sapo.pt;

aeiou.caras.pt;

http://www.unitedphotopress.com;

somersetarts.com; tweetmeme.com;

newstin.com; aluzclara.blogspot.com;

thinkartmakeart.com; shots.net;

Portugalmania (Germany): http://www.portugalmania.de/2009/10/zerbrechliche-schonheit-zwei-ausergewohnliche-fotoserien-zeigen-ein-portugal-zwischen-den-zeiten/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifotog/galleries/72157622337567111

Bing.com; Yahoo.com; Google.com

Listed on 12 pages of Google.

PROMOTION

2007 Limited Edition Prints of “Cliffs”: News release on Quercus website, melsbwportfolio blogsite, Blurb website, Facebook , Twitter and LinkdIn ‘Lists’

Book review and Limited Edition print press release and ¼ page ad in December issue Muse Magazine

2009 Book review March issue Black and White Photography Magazine

Portfolio listed in Professional Photographers Magazine on-line library

Opened new business TakesCanTalk.

Mel Sewell Photography on Facebook

Listed on www.fromecreativenetwork.com

2012 Ad in Black and White Photography magazine

Blurb website has now achieved 4,400 book hits (entire book, not per page).

New blogsite at www.peaceinthespiritofplace.blogspot.com

Launched Hug The Planet websites for children at facebook and Flickr.

2013 Ad in Black and White Photography magazine promoting photography workshops in the UK, Portugal,Iceland and Morocco.

2014 Publication of ICE LAND WATER, Icelandscapes/íslandslag, Big Bad Lands, António the cat casts a magic spell and TIN (TIN produced in association with Icelandic architect Hjorleifur Stefansson.)

Exhibition at the Icelandic Embassy, London.

2015 Publication of editions of 'promo-mag' Ed: Issue 1 Iceland, Issue 2 Sicily, Issue 3 Ireland

Exhibition at Brick Lane Gallery, London.

Publication of Haiku poetry ' Faraway Blossoms.'

2016 Publication of Ed: Issue 4 South Dakota, Issue 5 La Plage, Calais

Publication of book 'La Plage.'

Launch of 'Art for Peace' competition to provide funds for refugees in Calais.

Publication of calendar 'Landscapes by Mel Sewell Sigvaldi.'

'Inspired by Iceland' exhibition at Silk Mill Gallery, Frome, Somerset.

Published in World Wide Arts 'Current Masters 2' yearbook

Exhibition of photography, art, Haiku poetry, publishing and installation at Silk Mill Gallery, Frome

2018-20 Exhibited at Bloc Projects Gallery and Sidney and Matilda Gallery, Sheffield

2021 Exhibited at SandP Gallery, South Ken, London

LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS

PORTUGAL THROUGH MY EYES:

Portuguese Museum of Photography, Porto, Portugal,

Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, Portugal,

Bodleian Library Oxford University, National Library of Scotland, Cambridge University Library, National Library of Wales, Trinity College Dublin,

Museum of Photography – Iceland

ICE LAND WATER:

Bodleian Library Oxford University, National Library of Scotland, Cambridge University Library, National Library of Wales, Trinity College Dublin,

Museum of Photography - Iceland, Embassy of Iceland, London.

Icelandscapes/Íslandslag:

Embassy of Iceland, London.

ED 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and EDZ:

Bodleian Library Oxford University, National Library of Scotland, Cambridge University Library, National Library of Wales, Trinity College Dublin.

La Plage:

Bodleian Library Oxford University, National Library of Scotland, Cambridge University Library, National Library of Wales, Trinity College Dublin.

TIN:

Bodleian Library Oxford University, National Library of Scotland, Cambridge University Library, National Library of Wales, Trinity College Dublin. AWARDS AND COLLECTORS

1997 Sierra Club, honourable mention 1998 Volto ao Mundo magazine, Portugal: Honourable mention x 2, Best black and white landscape, Best finalist. There are over 180 collectors of my work, worldwide. (List available on request)