Crane Kalman Gallery are delighted to present an exhibition of new works by Nicholas Jones.

Nicholas Jones was born in Bristol where he later studied Fine Art, graduating in 1987. Crane Kalman Gallery has mounted 5 solo exhibitions of his work since 2000, and there have also been shows in Bath and California.

Though abstract in style, Nick's paintings quite unmistakable depict landscape. In each work he takes evident delight in experimenting with line, colour, texture and form and through them seeks to evoke and distil something of the delicate and transient beauty found in the natural world. He is primarily influenced by the landscapes and light of his native British Isles but continues to draw on sources ranging from Japanese wood block prints to the great English landscapists themselves.

One of the great pleasures of his life is the daily short, slow walks he takes down the lanes and through the fields and woods that surround his Somerset home. "It is astonishing what wonders can be seen if one takes the time to look. I try to keep my eyes open to the gifts waiting to be received: reflections in the pond in the old orchard, birds flitting down the hedgerows, the first star appearing above the hill, the cycle of the seasons and the ever changing light. What I do in the studio is a response to what I have seen on these walks, although it is supplemented by memories of journeys further afield, and dreams of places of which I have only read, or seen in photographs or film. My desire as an artist is simply to celebrate this endless beauty through the creation of paintings which are, in some small way, beautiful in themselves."

He works on a large number of paintings concurrently, starting new canvases on consecutive studio days until between 10 and 30 are under way. Then he returns to the first canvas and works his way through them all again in turn. This process continues over a period of months, or even a year, and enables him to work with increased courage, momentum and efficiency. The images evolve through a process of exploration, elimination and refinement. When he begins a canvas he generally has little idea what the final picture will look like. "I would hope that each canvas might progress from something hazy and indistinct towards something that is crisp, graceful and seemingly effortless. So beginning with areas of painted sky and washes of colour I set off with not much of a plan other than to be open and experimental."

He routinely use's a whole range of unconventional tools in an attempt to create fresh marks and textures that leave little evidence of brush-work or his own hand: plastic sheeting, newspaper, stenciling, syringes, draught excluders, carpet and kitchen brooms. He does numerous practice runs on small squares of canvas in order to maximize the chances of achieving the desired effect. Then he selects and works round the parts that seem to be most evocative in order to draw them out, open up space, and create a balanced and coherent whole. Sometimes ‘controlled accidents’ or more drastic measures are needed as a catalyst for forcing an uncooperative painting to take a new turn. The majority of paintings he begins never work out. "It can be frustrating, but I am amply rewarded by that exhilarating moment when something unexpected happens and a painting suddenly springs to life."

For Nick painting is a strange dance between, on the one hand, being in control and making the decisions, and on the other, simply being responsive to the paint and tuning into the painting itself (which sometimes seems to choose its own course). "I would hope that my presence and hand are hardly felt by the viewer, if at all."

Crane Kalman Gallery
178 Brompton Road
London SW3 1HQ United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)20 75847566
info@cranekalman.com
www.cranekalman.com

Opening hours
Monday - Friday from 10am to 6pm
Saturday from 10am to 4pm

Related images

  1. Nicholas Jones, In the Flow of Time, 2011-13, Oil on canvas on board, 10 ¼ x 13 inches / 26.3 x 33 cm
  2. Nicholas Jones, Looking to Water to see Sky, 2012, Watercolour, Oil, Gouache and Pastel on Paper, 11 ¾ x 15 ¾ inches / 30 x 40 cm
  3. Nicholas Jones, Silver Mists, 2013, Oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches / 50.7 x 61 cm
  4. Nicholas Jones, The Seen and the Unseen, 2013, Oil on canvas, 52 x 42 inches / 132 x 106.7 cm
  5. Nicholas Jones, Out of the Dimming Sky, 2011 – 12, Oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches / 51 x 61 cm
  6. Nicholas Jones, A World of Water and Light, 2013, Oil on canvas, 54 ¼ x 66 1/8 inches / 137.7 x 168 cm