Statement
Essence of Places
I do not paint landscapes, but make images of
places, that attempt to capture what for me is at least in part the
essence or "soul" of a place. Certain places are profoundly moving and like
life itself, possess a sense of innate mystery. It is that mysteriousness that causes me to
want to make a painting. There seems to be a problem with humans, in
that we find it near nigh impossible to accept experience at the
level of mystery. In order to become less fearful and more secure
we appear to have a need to attempt to demystify and take refuse in
such things as science and religion. We deny mystery and delude ourselves into
believing that we are in control, in order to manage the experience
of living. It could be claimed that the act of "representing" nature
in two dimensions is a part of this process. It is undeniable that life is essentially a
mystery and cannot adequately be explained, by any means so far at
our disposal.
For over 45 years I have sought to explore the
mysteriousness of living, through painting.
A landscape is a location comprised of space,
land, organic matter, light and colour, affected by the weather and
the seasons and processed via our prevailing mood or state of mind
and all those manifold and subjective things that make us
individuals. Some places however, are much more than the sum
of their parts, just like life itself. They appear to retain a
"memory" of events that occurred there and our experience of them is
in turn influenced by our knowledge of these past events. There is something indefinable about certain
places that engender powerful emotions and responses, which for me
are not best expressed in words.
I do not paint the place I saw, but the place I
experienced. I am not concerned with making a figurative
representation of a place, or with creating spatial illusions. The result is an image on a flat surface,
recollecting an experience, but equally and more importantly
creating a new and unique place, that is different to the one that
inspired it.
So far as I can see, it is the magic of mystery
that creates great art and art without that magic is lifeless.
Curriculum Vitae
Concepts / themes /
ideas
For over 45 years I have sought to
explore the mysteriousness of living through painting.
So far as I can see, it is the magic of mystery that
creates great art and art without that magic is
lifeless.
Career path
Studied painting full time
1959-1963. Worked on abstract constructions with Michael
Baldwin, later of 'Art and Language' 1962-1963. Awarded
Margaret Gardiner Prize on recommendation of Sir Terry
Frost RA in 1966. Worked in education 1963-1990. Large
one man exhibition sponsored by Humberside County
Council, 1991. Frequent exhibitor in Laing Art
Competition both regionally and nationally.
Selected exhibitions
Bear Lane Gallery, Oxford
Royal West of England Academy
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists
Mall Galleries
Bond Gallery, Birmingham
Bristol Cathedral
Chichester Open Exhibition
Bridlington Library
Flamborough Library
Town Hall Gallery, Oxford
Green College, Oxford
Spiceball Arts Centre, Banbury
Cotswold Area Centre, Moreton
Little Gallery, Oxford
Said Business School, Oxford
Oxfordshire County Museum, Woodstock
Where I Fell in Love Gallery, Shipston-on-Stour
Brian Sinfield Gallery, Burford
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