SANDSFOOT SUNRISE: JUNE 2020. Collaged handmade cotton rag paperspapers, Sandsfoot clays, grit and peat. Made at the waters' edge with the newly risen sun behind illuminating the silhouette of the castle. I remain in shadow. Unusually, there is a large yacht quite close to the shore at Castle Cove. To the left is the beginning of the road to Portland. diptych. £690 unframed Contact if interested
'Hands have an infinity of pleasure in them'. Nan Shepherd, The Living Mountain.
We are turning once again into a darkening phase of the year. I think of it as essential- a welcome 'going to ground'. House martins are still- at the beginning of October, tacking through the current storms, yet a chill hangs in the air as I go out to sniff the new day.
What holds constant under the fledging and shedding over the course of the year is the ground that darkly and invisibly feeds, receives and digests the industry of each day.
Every time I get down to paint (I work directly on the ground), a constellation of elemental contributors join in. I forage for ingredients in sand, shingle and mud- yet without the focus of crows or finesse of oystercatchers. Land is providing my nourishment too..I mix what I call my potions with both local material and manufactured pigment and there in much pleasure in the shaping of them.
I have selected a few very new works to share with you.
Yes, hands have an infinity of pleasure in them.
CROWS FORAGING AT LOW TIDE. 2020. True gesso, watercolour and beach materials on handmade cotton rag paper. 16x22cm image size. 31x38cm framed £530 Contact if interested.
Low light on the water...mounds of weed and bird silhouettes.
Suddenly something I thought was weed starts moving.
True gesso involves building layer upon layer as if working on an icon painting...in fact I'm appropriating methods developed in ancient Egypt to my practice. The work becomes like a new life form somehow. The gesso remains alive. I built this over several visits to the shore over lockdown.
FROST MELTING WITH DAWN. EYPE. 19 January 2020. Acrylic with frost and site materials on handmade cotton rag paper. 97x79cm framed. Contact if interested. £3500
I've just framed this piece made early in the year. I set out before dawn to Eype. The temperature was below freezing. A stream trickling from within Fault Corner chilled the paper and the water on the surface of the paper froze. Paint sat on the surface and froze immediately. One liquid layer after another immobilised on top of whatever was under it. For me, it was most unusual to see paints whose handling qualities I'm familiar with behaving uncharacteristically. The sun rose just to the right of Watton Cliff and West Bay and my attention was required to steer the steadily melting image. A lot of water was released. The paint quality is unusual if you look closely. This is exactly the reason why I remain a water based painter.
THE COMMON GROUNDat THE CRAFTS STUDY CENTRE, UNIVERSITY FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS, FALKNER ROAD, FARNHAM, SURREY, GU9 7DS IS OPEN AGAIN until 31st October
VIDEOS: the link to see IN CONVERSATIONwith Professor Simon Olding
visiting the show:- admission is free but booking a slot to maintain social distancing is required:booking
The publication can be purchased at the exhibition for £10 or via mywebsite
All the paintings at Farnham can be seen via this linkhere
CHARMOUTH CLAY
In the conversation with Simon Olding I mention two easily missed little exhibits in the glass cabinet: a cow pat and sea-rolled clay both from Charmouth. Both contain the same grey stuff: lower jurassic blue lias.
Below you can see this splendid sun-baked cow pat, 3 small new Charmouth paintings and the sea rolled clay form. All have the same grey clay in their fabric.
Stuff sticks to us as we navigate the terrain of our life.
My foundational terrain is fenland. One of my early memories is walking with my father across plough with wellington boots grown enormous with accumulating clod. It is the weight I remember.
CHARMOUTH, GOLDEN CAP. This is such a mobile environment...it feels appropriate to return pieces over a number of years. On some occasions I change orientation- overlay an atmosphere...here are three I consider complete.
top left: STORM DANCE. first visit of this piece 2011...completed 2020. 20x15cm unframed. £480. Contact if interested.
top right: GOLD DUST 16x22cm a sprinkle of gold of the exposed greensand on Golden Cap. £480. Contact if interested.
bottom left: DAY MOON 20x15cm £480. Contact if interested.
AUTUMN SOLSTICE SUNRISE. A first glimpse of the smouldering solstice sun. Spectrum red emerging from a cobalt cloud bank.Sand insinuates itself into the paint in the foreground... it is evenly fine ground sand. Gouache, watercolour and sand from Castle Cove beach. Behind the breakwater you can see silhouettes of cruise liners in weymouth Bay. 30x30cm. unframed. £680 Contact if interested.
THE DAY I MET LILY AND JOSH. Durdle Door, Lulworth, Dorset. 2019. 136x49cm. £2100. Contact me if interested. Site materials and gouache on handmade paper. This piece is included in THE COMMON GROUND EXHIBITION. See all works in the show here.
It's an unusual title for me: I had walked down to Durdle Door beach- foraged for my palette all the way down the steep descent...the rock arch is to my left. There is an outstanding local palette herr... including that beautiful soft green along the top of the painting...and ochres as well as a multitude of chalk subtleties. Lily and Josh were on a weekend away and their curiosity got the better of them. Unusually for me, I was able to work and meet them at the same time. I feel the painting in some mysterious way, has something of their gentleness in it.
WHERE TO SEE WORK AT THE MOMENT
WEYMOUTH STUDIO arrange a visit to my airy studio- perfect for maintaining social distancing.
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KEVIS HOUSE GALLERYhave a new selection ...including new wide horizontal works: view email 01798 215 007
Kevis House, Lombard Street, Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 0AG
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SLADERS YARD in West Bay, Dorset have a new stock in the gallery and can be viewed on line viewemail
My mailing address is:
Unit 1, Basepoint, Jubilee Close, Weymouth, Dorset DT47BS THANK YOU TO ALL MY SUBSCRIBERS Circumstances and emails change...so you may like to change how you receive these emails or indeed not receive them at all. Options are below.
