RBSA Open Exhibition 2020

I was very pleased to hear this week that my painting, ‘Union’, has been selected for the forthcoming Open Exhibition at the RBSA Gallery. This piece depicts RAF Tilstock, an abandoned airbase near Whitechurch. I feel this piece works on various levels, the most obvious of which is a reference to the past, when World War 2 was happening. But it is also about dereliction in the broader sense and looks at how nature reclaims the space as the human made structures slowly fall apart. It is also a study of being in the present moment, in harmony with the landscape.

I am beginning to put together a number of pieces that look at the remains of war and am working in different mediums.

Union

I have just completed a new painting entitled ‘Union’ which is based on the remains of RAF Tilstock. I discovered the site last year on my way to Wales and was very much fascinated by what I discovered. It combines my interest of history, dereliction and woodland and explores the relationship between nature and people. The area was deserted and still and I was able to take a number of photographs during my visit. I may produce further works based on the theme.

An image of the painting can be found in the Abandoned Spaces section of this website. It will feature in the Fragments exhibition in September.

The Woodlands

Today I completed my latest commission, “The Woodlands’. This is the largest painting I have done for a while and i’ve enjoyed working on a different scale. My tree paintings are usually set in the Autumn or Winter and so the summer setting was also something a bit unusual for me. The client was very happy and felt that I had captured the spirit of the place. An image of the painting can be found in the Commissions section of this website. Do get in touch if you would be interested in requesting a commission.

I recently provided workshops at Painsley Catholic College in Cheadle for year 11. I taught the pupils how to work with acrylic paint to create urban landscapes. Everyone worked hard and produced some great work. The school was a pleasure to work with and I hope to visit again in the near future. I am happy to take requests from other schools who would like to me to visit.

I am about to start on some new work for an exhibition I have planned for next year. More information on that soon.

XA II

I have just completed another painting in the new woodland series which is titled 'XA 2'.  This is the companion piece to the previous piece although it exists in it's own right.  This work looks at the relationship between people and nature and how we leave traces of ourselves behind.  Often in nature it is easy to forget that changes are happening but the markings on the tree give evidence of a recent event.

I feel like my new woodland series is amongst my strongest work and look forward to producing a few more.  I'm also working on an ink drawing on the theme.