Philip Miner

Bright, light and playfully inventive in a way that looks easy but patently isn’t; Philip Miner’s paintings exude warmth in every way possible.

They seem to be the joint product of good-nature and good weather. Strong colours are employed impeccably, balanced in a way that ensures they resound. Lightness does not mean lightweight however and Miner’s compositions are not simply superficially stylish. A kind of problem solving is clear within them, a ready intelligence, and it is this which makes them so convincing.

Damien Flood

At first glance the most striking thing about Damien Flood’s recent paintings (and the theme that connects them,) is a feeling of other-worldliness. Much of the imagery has something of the sci-fi about it; bleak unpopulated environments (land, space and sky); unclear and often ominous. They are depictions of curious places that don’t throw up conclusive answers.

On one level Flood is exercising one of painting’s great facilities; he is creating alternate worlds, painting the mythic and mystical. While this is undoubtedly part of the reason his paintings are so compelling anyone who has read any of my previous musings on painting will know that this is not chiefly where my interests lie.

Of primary interest to me is the economy of Flood’s methods in relation to the end result. What he manages to achieve with his approach. The use of paint is skilful and succinct and the success of the work is a result of this. Unfussy brushstrokes are not simply servants of the subject, they are of equal (if not greater) importance to the scene they represent.  Painting itself is being explored.

The indeterminate settings are a contributing layer, but it is the fashion with which they are rendered and the physical end result which resonates principally.

David Webb

Genuinely idiosyncratic.

The economy of David Webb’s paintings makes their unquestionable richness all the more impressive. Again and again a limited number of elements add up to more than the sum of their parts. The inventiveness of these pictures should not be underestimated; they are individual and elusive and as a result reward scrutiny.

Inga Dalrymple

This is visual goodness; positivity in paint.

Bold and tactile, Inga Dalrymple’s works manage lusciousness while maintaining clarity and direction. While often definably representational in nature (houses, vases, mugs and jugs are common motifs) it is clear that the reality of paint is of primary importance here. Extraneous narrative does not divert and it is not needed.

James Ferris

 

 

There is something very satisfying about James Ferris' paintings.

A straightforward process (which makes obvious reference to process itself) records the artist's actions in the clearest way and results in pictures that are both visually opulent and scruffy in equal measure.

Andrew Graves

Wilfully challenging and exploratory; Andrew Graves’ paintings don’t take the easy option.

Marks quest and compete; for the most part avoiding motif, and come together to give intriguing paintings that (one would imagine) even the artist himself could not fully predict.

While the outcome may not be planned it is clear that Graves does not rely on chance. There is evidently method; steps are undoubtedly deliberate, it’s just that the path they are progressing along isn’t well-trodden or overly familiar.

In avoiding obvious motif it may appear that Graves is purposefully making his own job harder but the risk pays off; the most difficult things often reward most handsomely. Graves’ paintings are not benign, they are active, and interesting because of it.

(standard) INTERVIEW

(fundamental) PAINTING is expanding.....

(standard) INTERVIEW is a straightforward, one-size-fits-all interview which aims to provide an insight into the work of contemporary painters about whom there is little already written.

as always... suggestions greatly appreciated.

Ian Homerston

There is no luck involved here.

Ian Homerston does something that is much more difficult than it looks. He makes spare paintings that are at once serious, engaging and absurd.

Part of the reason these paintings are so good is the efficiency and style of their methods. They manage to do a lot with seemingly very little. Each painting has a hook, an intriguing point or issue about Painting itself; and these hooks are genuinely compelling. They draw you in and point you towards something both primary and deep-seated. They present the qualities of the medium without attempting to over-explain. Moreover, they do so with a purposeful lack of clichéd artiness or design, something that gives them an irreverence that is particularly pleasing.  

Hugh Delap

Formal elements interacting in an illusory world.

Hugh Delap’s canvasses often have the feeling of stage sets. They are places of possibility; freed from overt subject while at the same time retaining a breadth of opportunity.

Bold, vibrant forms occupy spaces of considerable depth, existing like players in a fun but indefinite game. The structures he builds up appear weighty without ever being entirely static. Walls and piles are common motifs, perhaps an allusion to materiality and mass, themes that would certainly be appropriate. His works are playful but they are not flippant and it is clear that his decision making is both considered and purposeful. When experienced in the flesh they have significant physical appeal. Their surfaces are a guide to his process; mapping each picture’s production and inviting the viewer to consider the course of his enquiry.  

Trevor Sutton