This autumn, we present a solo exhibition by contemporary landscape painter and Royal West of England Academician Gareth Edwards. Gareth is a graduate of Goldsmiths College, a one-time lecturer in Art History, Visual Culture and Contextual Studies, an elected RWA Academician, a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists and a resident of St Ives’ prestigious Porthmeor Studios in West Cornwall.

Born in London and resident in Cornwall since 2000, he is noted as a painter of contemporary landscapes. The overarching theme of what the artist refers to as ‘natural capital’ and ‘emotional weather’ has been the focus of Gareth’s work for more than a decade, and his career has been defined by exhibitions which attempt to define the beauty and grace of nature, and humanity's relationship with it.

Created with his 60th birthday year celebrations in mind, this new collection can be viewed as what the artist calls “a metaphor, for a life lived, a life entangled with nature, beauty, art and atmosphere”.  20th century abstract artist Cy Twombly’s Four Seasons, 1993-94, have long been a major influence on Gareth’s work, as have the Duino Elegies by Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke, and composer Max Richter’s reworking of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. This, Gareth’s own Four Seasons collection, brings together painting, nature, time and beauty into a powerful series of four large pieces of work, and eight smaller works, accompanied by a sound installation by artist Paul Lewin that will lend an additional layer of atmosphere to the audience’s experience of the exhibition.

Key influences on this and other collections by the artist also include Gernot Bohne’s work on the Aesthetics of Atmospheres and Ambiances, recent texts by landscape and nature writer Rob McFarlane, and the poetry of Amy Clampit, Alice Oswald, Michael Longley and Paul Muldoon. 

Gareth Edwards exhibits regularly in London, Paris, Toronto, New York, Australia and the Far East.

This group exhibition is comprised of selected contemporary works that engage with ideas of the human and the emotive, and includes leading artists and makers from the UK and Europe.

British sculptor Tim Rawlins works in bronze, iron and steel using the traditional lost wax technique. He explores ideas of identity and perception of self through the creation of contemplative, semi figurative forms that reflect his interest in ritual objects and art relics. Swedish maker Gunilla Maria Åkesson works primarily in clay. Her practice is process led, driven by the inherent potential of her materials and her own physical and emotional intuition as part of a lengthy, almost meditative approach to making. German contemporary artist Hanna ten Doornkaat lives and works in the UK. She creates artworks that explore the memory of movement and our subjective response to visual experiences, by way of a complex, repetitive process of mark making and erasure.  Devon artist Penny Little’s vessels and sculptures are created from porcelain and filled with real gold or platinum lustre. Every piece is formed in the palm of the artist’s hand, so that each piece carries the makers touch within it. Artist Shelly Tregoning was born in Mauritius and now lives and works in West Cornwall. Her paintings and monoprints considers issues of personal identity, emotional connection and unconscious self-expression. She has been selected for the Discerning Eye, the National Open Art Competition, RWA exhibitions and the Threadneedle Prize Exhibition.  Artist Juliette Bigley makes abstract sheet-metal sculptures based on geometric forms, that seek to understand how the world fits together, and in particular how our internal experiences interact with the physical world. She is a recipient of the coveted Collect Open Exhibition prize.  Dorset based artist Caroline Sharp’s works are created using a variety of natural materials including charcoal, clay, chalk, willow, poplar, birch, hazel, dogwood stems and leaves. They focus on ideas of sustainability, memory of place and the ever increasing need to care for our precious natural environments.  Artist David Hardy is based in West Wales, creating artworks from the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains and taking inspiration from the surrounding landscape, responding to a place or an experience. Through the absence of narrative elements, the monochromatic works invite the viewer to a meditative contemplation and have an emotional depth to them that provokes a feeling of grounding and connection.