In this issue. Our regular readers will know that painters Tubes last issue (#4) was dedicated to Abstract painting and it was met with a fantastic uptake in new readers both in the UK, across Europe and the USA. This time we are taking a long hard look at Landscape painting and how it became the singularly most popular type of paintings and highest selling subject today.

painters TUBES magazines

3 T U B E Spainters Contents Landscape special feature Editors- Page 4 Introduction to the feature and Laurence Casse-Parsley article - Page 5 Landscape article - Pages 6-14 Colin Taylor’s article - Page 26-27 artists featured Russell Howarth Pages...15-17 Martin Yeoman.. Pages...18-19 Harry Roberts...Pages..20-21 Laurence Casse -Parsley...Pages...22-23 Jake Attree...Pages...24-25 Colin Taylor...Pages...26-27 Ian Norris...Pages...28-29 Bruce Lyons... Pages..30-31 David Evans...Pages...32-34 Alison Tyldesley...Page...35 Steve Capper...Page...36 Colin Halliday...Page...37 Arista Alanis...Page...38 David Bez...Page...39 Dean Entwistle...Pages...40-41 Beverley O’Donoghue...Page...42 Arwy Quick...Page...43 Phil Ashley...Page...44 Ron Coleman...Page...45 Chris Cyprus...Page...46 Diane Terry...Page...47 painters Tubes magazine designed & produced by Studio 5 Sweden.registered office: Ekerodsvagen 253, 266 95 Munka Ljungby. +46431441050 email:[email protected] - www.painterstubes.com ptmag- #5- 2017-10-30

4 Editors page Welcome to issue #5 of painters Tubes, and our feature on Landscape painting: “Before Poussin and Today” Our regular readers will know that painters Tubes last issue (#4) was dedicated to Abstract painting and it was met with a fantastic uptake in new readers both in the UK, across Europe and the USA. This time we are taking a long hard look at Landscape painting and how it became the singularly most popular type of paintings and highest selling subject today. The artists who have been selected to participate in this issue will, we are sure, give the reader a good insight of what is happening on the diverse contemporary art landscape painting scene. It is very regrettably that we had to miss- out a large number of artists who wanted to participate in this feature, but due to sheer limitation of the number of pages that we try hard to adhere to, for ease of readability, I’m afraid it was inevitable that many had to be ‘edited-out’. However the number of landscape painters practising today number in the many thousands, and I am confident that we shall be revisiting this specific genre again in 2018 for a second look. To those artists who are featured, I give you my sincere thanks for the time and effort you spent in communicating with me by mail or in person. All the talented creatives featured in this issue are from a different backgrounds and at various levels of development as painters, but I am particular happy to include artists from France and America as well as the UK. I have made my comments on each artist, many of which I do know personally and some I have become acquainted with only within the last few months. I hope you enjoy the feature, and please don’t forget to reserve your printed copy to avoid disappointment, email: [email protected] all the best, Denis Taylor photograph: the Editor with “Stepping Stones” painting ©Denis Taylor 1996 /Arnberg

5 Landscape before Poussin and Today introductionIn Europe the early pioneers of ‘pure landscape’ painting may have believed they were totally uniquein their approach to Art. However, they were unaware that on the other side of the planet, to the East,landscape painting had be practiced and perfected by the Chinese and the Japanese (Yayoi period 300BC – 300 AD) centuries before they were born. It is perhaps not surprising that by the time artists likeDegas was making a name for himself in France, Eastern concentric composition ideas became almosta central point of reference for him and his artist friends. The world had grown much smaller by 1900and the flood of new and exciting examples of art were being made available to the European. It is aninteresting thought to realize that cultural exchange has an effect on us all, an effect that, even today,we experience by personally visiting (and painting) other countries.Below is a brief outline of Chinese landscape painting. It was written by one of the participating Artistsin this feature, Laurence Causse-Parsley. Another participating artist, Colin Taylor, has written his takeon Landscape painting, which reflects the contemporary viewpoint and his experiences of engagingwith nature on a very personal level. Colin’s essay is also illustrated with one of his own paintings.You can view Laurence’s paintings on pages 22 to 23 and Colin Taylor’s article is on pages 26 to 27. Landscape painting was a major art form of ancient Chinese culture......referred to as one of “The Three Perfections“ the other two being calligraphy and poetry. Landscapepaintings, e1i0ththercoennthuaryn,dasncdrofrllosm, wtahlel nhadnegvienlgopsecdroallsn,daelbvuomlveleda, vveesryoor fftaennsw, bitehctahme eacatniveindsiuvpidpuoartl genreduring the of theemperors for artists to to reach a fine aesthete for artists. Which blossomed in the golden age duringthe Sung dynasty (10c- 13 c). Nevertheless despite the different range of styles, or schools, which arosein the Ch’ing dynasty in the early twentieth century, Chinese landscapes painting rested on a centralconcept, very much derived from Daoism: “to reveal the universal aspect of nature, the inner essence ofthings.” This concept has two direct formalistic consequences: The use of empty spaces to expressa feeling of calm and permanence despite the changing appearances of things, and to invite to meditation.The use of ‘the flying perspective’ technic was to allow the painter to describe the essence of nature wellabove what the human eyes can perceive “A poem is an invisible painting, a painting is a poem made visible”For these Chinese masters, painting a landscape could not be done without the painter expressing hisown lyrical feelings, very often associating poetry symbolically or formally. “A poem is an invisible painting,a painting is a poem made visible” is a quote attributed to the Sung painter Guo Xi. Many landscapespaintings are emotionally charged. The ‘Literati’ (sic: well educated readers and writers) movement underthe Yuan dynasty (13c-14c) is an example.Under the first non Chinese dynasty the scholars who were from the previous administration, retired tothe mountains and studied poetry and painting, concentrated on expressing feelings of sorrow, longingand solitude. Many landscapes of their paintings are adorned with poems that amplify their message.At the heat of landscape painting is the tradition of painting with ink and distinct brushstrokes (see forexample the famous mi-dot or the ax-cut stroke, or the ox-tail stroke…among many others). started withoutline contours and washes, developed into a vast range of different brushstrokes allowing the painterto structure and texture the landscapes elements.Hence the very close link between calligraphy and painting. The main form of the Chinese landscape isthe line (the point is nothing but a tiny line), which is why the Chinese painters were very often vey skilledcalligraphers.To conclude this very brief of the art of Chinese landscape painting, I would like to invite you tocontemplate two among the many masterpieces: ‘On a mountain path singing and dancing’ (see frontpage) by Ma Yuan, from the Sung dynasty. Though a highly skilled technic of strokes, dots, washesand the use of empty spaces, the painter depicts a very lyrical and poetic scenes. Despite the detailedhuman figures, spring budding flowers and birds, Ma Yüan’s painting conveys above all the feeling ofthe essential joy, calm and beauty of nature at Spring time. As the scholar gazing, we are invited tocontemplate Nature and to humbly feel in harmony with it. Especially written for painters Tubes magazine by Laurence Causse-Parsley

6 above: Nicolas Poussin. (1594-1665) Paysage avec deux nymphes et un serpent -©wikipedia commonsWhen it comes to visual art today, landscape is, and by a huge margin, the most popular subject with the general public,that is according to the many independent data analysis reports available on the web. Landscape paintings, it seems,are the most sought after by all social levels of people in modern society. They are the most exhibited in galleries worldwide and the subject of them, nature, is one which almost every contemporary painter has, at some time or another,turned their attention to, but it wasn’t always that way.Landscape on its own, as a autonomous work of Art, was once was frowned upon and was not taken seriously by thosewho controlled the output of Artists. It was viewed as a non-educated (non-intellectual) form of art. During the fifteenthcentury and some to extent the sixteenth century, the ‘mode’ of painting that was to be given a high status especially bythe powerful art Academics, was historical referenced painting. Ancient Greek myths, Biblical stories or Viking legendsetc. It was these subjects were seen as the only serious form of art that an artist should select as subject matter.Landscapes were only necessary to create the ‘stage’ or as ‘support’ for the human figures within them, figures thatacted out their part and help to illustrate the story of the chosen subject. These background landscapes were painted ina specific way or with predetermined exacting tonal values that laid themselves back on the painting, always subservientto the human figure.The reasoning behind this ‘rule’ was deliberate and ensured that only the ‘highly educated’ could pick out the subtleplacement of symbolic object references, or have an in-depth knowledge of the story told within the work. Subtlereferences that could be discussed at length by a higher social class of citizen to demonstrate their intellectual prowessand greater learning. Thus meaning the artists who created these works needed a high level of educated instructionthemselves. This ensured (usually) that artists came from mostly affluent families, or those artists who were seen asgifted and then were educated by the establishment, perhaps from an early age. (note: much the same attitude appliedto ‘neo-conceptualism’ towards the early or latter part of the Twentieth Century). How did landscape, as an art form of itself, rise above this myopic system of Art?In Europe by the seventeenth century the Dutch and Flemish school broke the mould somewhat with the work of AelbertCuyp, Jacop Van Rusisdael and, even more influential (for the change in attitude towards landscape painting), were theartists Vermeer and Peter Paul Rubens. Although Rubens was largely regarded as a baroque artist of classical subjects,with the painting “Landscape with Philemon and Baucis” c.1620/1625, for example, the artist ensured that ‘landscape’played far more than simply a supporting role, but was in fact the main focus of the painting itself.

7The obvious differences was in the scale of the human figures in the work, which is totally the opposite of say,Da Vinci, who, despite meticulous attention to his landscape backgrounds, concentrated on the human figure asthe dominant subject. Leonardo, like Michelangelo, could never have been regarded as landscape painters, notthat either of them even wished to be seen as such, or indeed that that description (as artists) had ever crossedtheir minds.Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain were two other influential artists to win-over the art establishments tore-evaluating landscape painting, should be taken seriously, and as a worthy subject to itself. Perhaps this wasbecause the social and political climate across Europe was changing. Aristocratic patrons of the arts reflected thechange in environmental concerns. Landscape gardening, for example, became the ‘must-have’ finishing detailfor a new stately mansions estate. That was if the owner was to be taken seriously by the elites governing thecountry (Royalty). This expensive exercise gave the country’s main power base the feeling of being in ‘harmony’with nature and the outward appearance of a confident stature and that they had a firm belief in the longevity oftheir own prosperity and that of the ‘family-name’. The ‘Landed Gentry’ is a title that describes them very well. Inthis epoch landscape painting was still not yet a universally popular Art form for everyone to enjoy, as it is today,but served not to glorify or celebrate nature, but ennoble the rich, the privileged or the powerful.In the eighteenth century England and France led the way with ‘new’ modes of landscape painting, artists thelikes of Watteau, Fragonard and Boucher were producing lyrical, if not (tacky) romantic outdoor landscape scenespopulated by figures that shown how wonderful life was, albeit based on the minority of the society of that era.It is perhaps Richard Wilson (Welsh Artist - b.1714- d.1782) that should be given the acclaim as the artist whobrought landscape painting into its own. His work opened the door for other artists to explore nature as ‘thesubject’ without any references to any figurative historical or mythological subject matter. Wilson, despite beinga founder member of the Royal Academy (in 1768), died an alcoholic and penniless, but his work lived on. TheWelsh Academy of Art (Encyclopedia of Wales) once described Wilson as... “...most distinguished painter Wales has ever produced and the first to appreciate the aesthetic possibilities of his country”. above: Peter Paul Rubens “Landscape with Philemon and Baucis” (1620/1625) ©Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

8 above painting by Richard Wilson (1714-1782) “Lyn-y-Cau, Caderldris” Wales.Thomas Gainsborough, perhaps better known for his portraiture, often tired of painting people and would resort to scenicpainting. It is said, that he often gathered ‘bits and bobs’ from around his home, i.e. a piece of a branch here, a handful ofmoss there and construct a ‘mini-scene’ in his studio – and then created landscape paintings from those simple flotsamreferences. Another innovator was Alexander Cozens (1717-1786) the father of John Robert Cozens, who created whathe described as ‘automatic landscapes’ – These blots and scribbles on paper provided his source for a new way to createoriginal landscape paintings from the subconscious or by way of physiogenomic projection only.It is worth noting here, that J.M.W Turner was friends with Cozens son (John Robert) and the likelihood of Turner beingaware of the ‘automatic-painting’ idea greatly influenced how he himself would approach a new painting later in life. By1794, Thomas Girtin, a young and brilliant watercolourists from a wealthy family, was exhibiting at the Royal Academywith some outstanding landscapes. He became a friend of J.M.W Turner, who said of him many years after Girtin’sdeath... “If Girtin were to have lived, I should have starved..” J.M.W TurnerGirtin died (of consumption) at the tender age of twenty seven years old. J.M.W. Turner picked up the slack left by Girtin’slead and was to go on to be regarded by Art Historians and Academics alike (in the UK at least) as the greatest Englishpainter that had ever lived. Another huge figure to popularise ‘views,’ as they were known, was Canaletto.His influence was created through the popularity of his paintings with the young and the rich. The paintings were onesbrought back to Northern Europe from the Southern european region (Italy, in the main). Canaletto’s precise ‘canal’paintings were collected avidly by the youthful travelling gentry who were almost duty bound to go on the ‘Grand Tour’as it was known. This long trip ‘abroad’ was intended to expand their knowledge and deepen their European culturalunderstanding – And pick up some pretty pictures and ancient statutes on the way, all at a bargain price of course, tofurther enrich and decorate their families estates. Francesco Guardi, Zuccarelli and Bernardo Bellotto were also popularVenetian ‘scenic’ painters in Northern Europe during this period.The Romantic period of the nineteenth century witnessed the rise of Landscape painting as an accepted genré by the artinstitutions across Europe. In the UK John Constable and J.M.W Turner were the leading figures who had followers bothin France and the United States. Their work demonstrated the majestic power of nature and were masters of imbuingatmospheric and ethereal feelings within their canvas’s. At one point Constable was revered in France much more thanhe was in his own country. Casper David Friedrich (1774- 1840) was another ground breaking artist who had usedlandscape to gain almost religious significance in his paintings. ....continued on page 11.

9right: Alexander Cozens: “automatic landscape below: An example of one of the paintings by the very gifted Thomas Girtinleft: Painting by the Son of Alexander Cozens, John Robert Cozenswho was also a friend of J.M.W.Turner

10 left: “Invery Pier-Loch Fyne- Morning. by J.M.W. Turner below left: “Wanderer above ©-wikipedia commons. the Sea of Fog” by Casper below: One of the many David Friedrich sketchs (plein-air) by John below right: “Pilvi Tornet” by Constable Akseli Gallen Kalllela ©Victoria and Albert Museum London.

11 Askeli Gallen Kallela (1865-1931) was producing astonishing advanced landscape paintings in Finland. In France, new forms of landscape was being researched by the Barbizon school (although it was only a loose grouping of artists, rather than a School as such), the group included Jean Francois Millet, Charles Daubigny and Théodore Rousseau. These painters concentrated on landscape in and around the Fontainebleu forest with exacting observation and classical arrangements of natural compositions. Although the work created was profound, it wasn’t a natural interpretation, nor could their work be termed ‘realist’. That would be left up to a younger generation of artists that were inspired by Constable and Turner and the new technological invention of packing oil into metal containers (1841), which made ‘plein-air’ not only more possible but favourable (in their view) to studio production from sketch work. Over in the United States the Hudson River School of painters (1825-1870) created landscapes of Catskill Mountain, the Hudson river and the open wild spaces of New England. Their main concern was with light and shade, using and being inspired by the views of the untouched and unadulterated natural environment of the New World. The exceptional members of the group included Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, and Thomas Doughty. Their work would go on to stimulate future artists the likes of Frederic Edwin Church, Fitz Henry Lane, Jasper Cropsey, Albert Bierstadt, Martin Johnson Heade and Winslow Homer, just to mention a few of the American renown landscape painters of later years. It seems landscape painting was now a global génre of Art. Unsurprisingly, young artists in Europe jumped on the new trend of painting outdoors. The most known was surely the French impressionists. This band of young anarchistic painters were spurred on by the courageous formal paintings of Manet, who along with his exceptionally gifted friend, follower and fellow artist, Edgar Degas, helped to found a ‘immediate application’ method of painting that was to dominate painting in the twentieth century. The impressionists names roll off most contemporary artists tongues, although today perhaps not with the same reverence that they once did. The founder members included: Claude Monet, Frederic Bazille, Camille Pissarro, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and perhaps Berthe Morisot to some extent. Manet himself, never placed himself in the group, and Degas only dallied on the periphery. The young impressionists wanted to create work with ‘immediacy’ to capture passing light and shade effects as it happened in front of them. Not that they were altogether on their own with this concept, in Italy painters were creating work ‘plein-air’ with more or less the same philosophy, these were known as the Macchiaioli group of artists (Tuscany), notable among them were Giuseppe Abbati and Cristiano Banti, to mention just two of a large group of talented artists. The medium the impressionists chose was traditional (oil on canvas), but the oil they used was now in Tubes and could be opened and sealed again for re-use. Oil in Tubes were easy to carry to and from any specific location. In effect, the impressionist more or less ‘globalised’ the plein-air painting tendency among young artists and with their example of perfecting the ‘impressionistic’ style, from tube to canvas, plein-air became so popular that it is still practised today by a host of painters world wide.“Distant View -Niagra Falls c 1830. by Thomas Cole. ©Wikipedia Commons

12 “he was a father for me. A man to consult and a little like the good Lord.” Cezanne describing Camille PissarroThe core of the impressionists group (Monet and Renoir) began moving in slightly different directions after a briefperiod of great acclaim as a group of painters. Monet continued to paint with immediate observational methodology, buteventually enlarged his vision in his studio to reach almost abstraction in much of his final works (Waterlilies series).Renoir meanwhile pursued classical figurative canvas’s (studio based) until his death in 1919. Bazille had been killed inaction in the Franco Prussian war of 1870-1871.Camille Pissaro became a neo-impressionist, (a style founded by Seurat and Signac) at the age of 54 (studio based).Interestingly it was Cezanne that regarded Pissaro as almost a father figure, come consultant. Pissaro died in 1903 atthe age of 73 years old, only six years older than Cezanne himself. Alfred Sisley was largely overlooked as his ‘look’ ofpaintings was far too similar to that of Monet, although his colour sense was much more subtle in comparison to Monet.Yet, Sisley was prolific and created over 900 paintings. Much of his early work is now lost and it is difficult to ascertain thedepth of influence he had on landscape painters per sé. However, we do know that it was Alfred Sisley that continued toconcentrate on landscape painting more so than any of the founding members of the impressionist group. And it must besaid, he has always (and continues to be) the most underrated and ignored artist from that period. Cezanne was always the odd man out when he met the impressionist members – even though his association within the group was recognised as such, his artistic path lay elsewhere. And fortunately for him, after his fathers death, the legacy (money) he received enabled him to become financially free to enable him to pursue his own way, despite lack of much interest from any commercial gallery. Cezanne, like Van Gogh and Gaugin should not be seen as landscape painters as such, as all three artists were more concerned with expressions or forms of a another kind and not specifically utilising nature as a mode of transmitting ‘the sublime’ to a viewer. Cezanne certainly painted ‘views’ many of exactly the same subject from different angles, but his investigations were to try and establish a new ‘form’ of painting as he himself said; “my objective is to create paintings as the painting you see in a museum”. “View of Bazincourt, Sunset.” 1892 - Camille Pissarro (1830-1903)

13 left: “Self Portrait “ Paul Gauguin (1848-1903)Paul Gaugin however influenced the new generation of painters by way of associating with them before he sought out‘the primitive’ in the South seas. One famous line he wrote on colour which was picked up by the new generation ofpainters was; “How do you see these trees? They are yellow. So, put in yellow; this shadow, rather blue, paint it with pure ultramarine; these red leaves? Put in vermilion”These painters became to known as the ‘Fauves’ (wild beasts) after an art critic labelled their work in that way. Thegroup were loosely based around the colour theories of Gaugin and they included; André Derain, Raoul Duffy, HenriMatisse and Maurice De Vlaminck. Yet another group of painters were also influenced directly by Gauguin. The Nabis[The Prophet] – Paul Sérusier painted a small work which had been directed by Gauguin.This “Talisman” has he viewed it, instigated the name the Nabis and foretold, visually, how painting nature should bein the future. The group included painters, who also admired Cezanne, included Maurice Denis, Pierre Bonnard andEdouard Vuilliard. All found their way to their unique individualistic art form through embarking first on landscape (nature)paintings.Landscape painting had become so ubiquitous as a subject that during the twentieth century virtually every ‘new’development in art included examples of the new ‘style’ using landscape as an ‘easy to relate to’ piece of work . Cubistspainted landscapes, so did the Surrealists. American modernists such as Arthur Dove, John Marin, Marsden Hartley andGeorgia O’Keefe all embraced landscape painting and translated them into abstract compositions based on the reality ofnature. Richard Diebenkorn and Helen Frankenstein among many many others used the landscape motive to take thegenre into another dimension where only a mere suggestion of the natural world remained.However ‘nature’ or landscape, if you will, remained the ‘peg’ on which even those artists hung their ‘hats’ - nonethe less. Perhaps Agnes Martin is a perfect example of a modern painter who despite following a ‘trend’ in her caseminimalism, still gave acknowledgement to nature or natural forms in her paintings titles, even as her simplistichorizontal line paintings would have suggested nothing of the kind.

14 So, what happened to Landscape painting in the latter part of the twentieth century for it to have had become, once again, frowned upon by Art institutions and major high street galleries? Was it that landscape art ceased to ‘liked’ by the buying public? Was it regarded as old hat and tired with nothing left in it, as a subject, to enable new and progressive Art? Did ‘installationism’ or rather ‘intelligent art’ finally push it to the extremities of artist considerations as a worthy subject to paint or work with? It certainly appeared that way, up to recently that is. As we entered the new century ‘Landscape Art’ has very much come back into its own again. Perhaps the global warming discussion has breathed life into artists thinking about the environment? Maybe Galleries have realised that Landscape Art sells, just as well, if not better, than urban paintings of the City have done this last half decade. Maybe the institutions holding huge exhibitions of Constable and Turner, Monet etc, have had something to do with the wish of Governments (in Europe) and not so far back, the USA, to re-engage and encourage positive publics attitudes towards responsible ‘environmental’ thinking? Probably it was a mix of all these things. What is clear is that the number of artists posting ‘landscape-paintings’ on social media and taking up experiments with plein- air painting once again, has exploded in the last year or three.above: ‘On a mountain path singing and dancing’ painted by When painters Tubes decided to run withMa Yuan, from the Sung dynasty. a feature on what landscape painting looks like today, the response from artists wishing to participate was over whelming. It is with some regret that we could not include more artists examples of this genré. What follows is a selected cross section of the work being produced [today].The art shown of the twenty two contemporary painters that follows are by renown and notso known artists, but they all bare witness to the vast array of talented painters who are stillcreating work inspired by nature and producing not just genré paintings as such, butre-creating painting per sé, as a dynamic evolving and powerful Contemporary Art Form.It seems the Chinese reverence for ‘landscape’ has travelled through time and landed in theWest with a bang, once again. The image (above) is a better view of our front page,a landscape painting, which, we at painters Tubes, think is rather beautiful.“Landscape before Poussin and Today.” essay written by Denis Taylor.Artist and Editor for painters Tubes magazine

15Contemporary Painter #1Russell Howarth Russell Howarth talking about his paintings to Tubes Editor in July 2017When I visited Russell Howarth earlier this year, I wasn’t prepared for what I was about tosee. I knew he had just had a one man show (special exhibition at Saddleworth Museumand Art Gallery UK) to celebrate his ninetieth birthday. However, I had never seen his workin real life. After chatting for quite some time about his life-long painting experiences whichincluded his discussions at Saddleworth Art Gallery organised ‘talks’ with all the UK legendartists, L.S.Lowry, Theodore Major and William Ralf Turner.And the story of how he became a painter of landscapes, all of which are purely based inand around his home territory of Oldham and Saddleworth, he finally asked if I would liketo see a few paintings. Which, I have to say, was an understatement.We climbed the narrow stairs of his home where, on the bed, was laid out paintingsof various sizes. They were also at the side of the bed, underneath the bed and incupboards. He then opened a large chest of drawers that were full (drawer after drawer) ofthe most wonderful black and white drawing “those are my just sketches” he said, anothermassive understatement. From that room we walked to the ‘other’ bedroom (one of two)which had built in wardrobes (probably from the 1970’s).He opened each door individually and inside the paintings were laid one on top of anotherfrom the floor of the furniture to the top. And this went on door after door after door. I hadnever seen so many paintings (of a single subject area) in one place and at one time.

16We took quite a number of paintings out from the cupboards and looked at them one by one.The striking part about them was the consistency of colour, light and composition. After a while I began to see whyhe had become so focused on landscape - because, not unlike Paul Cézanne, the subject was actually secondaryand the light effects and paint application was foremost.I then began to think of Maurice Utrillo small paintings of villages in France, except Russell’s paintings were by farsuperior in both execution and strength of feeling. I realised that I had to write about this artist, and in depth to bringthe public’s attention to this painter and his life long work.This small introduction of his work is but a mere foretaste of the incredible work he has created since and before andafter 1954. He had a new sketch on the go for another painting whilst I was in his home, he said, with a wry smile onhis face that... “…this may be my best one yet.”I do hope to write not just an essay on his Art, but a book and any interested sponsor should contact meas soon as possible through Tubes magazine, email: [email protected] to start a discussion on the writing,production and distribution of a book for this amazing Painter of not only landscapes but a totally authenticand original art for the past 70 odd years.

17all paintings shown are ©Russell Howarth

18 Contemporary Painter #2 Martin Yeoman Art found Martin as a boy of 4 (1957). He remembers drawing a teddy bears nose across a distemper painted wall and being profoundly affected by the sensation it gave him and the delicate richness of the line it left. That sensation has become the backbone of Yeoman’s art. Which he believes is responsible for awakening a love for drawing in him, one that continues to fascinate him. Not having the opportunity to go onto art school led to a job in commercial art. Some years later he took an overland trip to India (between 1973 and 1974) when the desire to devote his life to drawing and painting became his one burning ambition. This led onto the chance to study the subject at The Royal Academy Schools in 1975. His tutor, at the time, Peter Greenham, of whom he says, “owes much” to his view of art and the creation of his own artistic ethos. He is considered by many to be one of the finest draughtsmen working today. What I liked about his landscapes was the light and ethereal quality in them. The simplicity of his paint application and surety of his hand. Martin has said he loves ‘looking’ and this above everything is the essential core of his work. Besides landscapes he is renown for his portraiture and has painted members of the British Royal Family (the Queen ‘s Grandchildren), the paintings are now a part of the Royal Collection Windsor. Other commissioned work include a host of people including; Dr Courtney Phillips, Sir Brinsley Ford, Hugh Montiforie former Bishop of Birmingham, Michael Hoare, Sir Alan Hodgkin OM (Royal Collection Windsor), Sir James Whyte Black (National Portrait Gallery, London) and pop star Ed Sheeran. Despite all the ‘high-society’ portraiture fame, Martin is a down to earth man who loves Art with a passion and continues to be amazed by the act of placing paint on canvas. For an insight into him and his art visit You Tube and watch an interview from a few years ago go to: https://youtu.be/r5moRfof5tM

19©Martin Yeoman©Martin Yeoman above: “Westbury chimney, late afternoon” below: Corfe Castle. to view more landscapes go to www.matinyeomanartist.com/land-seascapes

20 Contemporary Painter #3 Harry Robertson “Ogwen Falls” ©HarryRobertsonAt the age of twelve Harry was offered a place in the Manchester High School of Art, a specialist junior art school,and where, it just so happens it was an Art school where I also enrolled as an eleven year old.From this unique school, Harry began his journey on the path as a fine artist. And ‘fine-artist’ is exactly what Harryin every sense of the description of a painter. His paintings can only be described as pure classical, in my view.His draughtsmanship is quite stunning, married with the much under used disciple of ‘looking’ at the subject in greatdetail. He is also a fine-portraiture painter, which is not surprising given his observational powers.From the Manchester High School of Art Harry went to St.Martins College of Art in London, England.At the time it was renowned as the best undergraduate art school in Britain.Harry’s says of his time there: “I’m not sure I learnt a lot at St.Martins. It had and has a terrific reputation, upon whichmany of the Fine Art staff rested very comfortably. I remember at least a couple of staff who said that artists were bornand it, Art, could not be taught. Which begged the question in my mind, ‘then why are you drawing a salary?’Which is typically uncompromising of his view point of Art and Education, Harry is a stickler for detail and a firm believerin quality of both image and the expression of it. I always think of Gustave Courbet (1819-1877),when I see Harry’s work, and perhaps he does have a point about ‘practise makes perfect’ (in painting)something that maybe the art world lost sight of in the hey day of modernism and conceptualism.Eventually Harry became the Head of School in a large Creative Arts Department, in a London College,but left to paint full-time. Harry was elected to the Royal Cambrian Academy on 24th April 2010.He is also a songwriter and enjoys playing and singing, you can find him singing some of his tuneswith a backdrops of his paintings on: https://youtu.be/qqCqYFkqDh4

21above: “Outcrop-Snowdonian Wales” ©HarryRobertson “River Dee at Rhug” ©HarryRobertson

22 Contemporary Painter #4 Laurence Causse-Parsley Laurence is a new artist to me and came to notice from my contact with the Espacio Gallery in London. Despite speaking with her, via emails, I only have my own positive opinion about her work, but to gain an insight into her art she has given me a background of how her ‘paths’ series was initiated, she can explain far better than I... “…a few years back due to family circumstances, I had to go and spend several weeks in Nice, where I was brought up. I had not spent any time there for a long while and rediscovered the city. In February 2012, back to London and my studio, images came back to me from a very remote place in my head. The frequent extended visits to Nice brought back long forgotten memories. For example the hills covered with blossoming mimosas (I remember receiving a big bunch of mimosa for my 19th birthday on February the 2nd) How the rolled down and plunged their red roots in the Mediterranean sea. These memories took the form of big overlapping, colliding coloured patches. The paintings, with their palette of bright yellows and blue prolonged the ‘Paths series’ which started after a trip to Australia, through a botanical coincidence:  it seems that the mimosas on the Mediterranean shores originated from Australia and the two collided in my mind and resulted in the work I created in London.”

23above: “February 2 and mimosa 111. 50cm x 64cm Collage, acrylic and pastels on paper. 2012 ©LCPabove:February 2 and mimosa 11. 80cm x 60cm. above:February 2 and mimosa 111. 80cm x 100cm. Mixed media on canvas 2012 ©LCP Mixed media on canvas. 2012 ©LCP

24 Contemporary Painter #5 Jake Attree above: Jake Attree’s Studio near Halifax in Yorkshire. Jake Attree known for his cityscapes and landscapes and is a painter who values the construction of his painting as much as the subject matter. The focuses of his application is on layering up patches of paint in a ‘square-brush technique’, generally known as ‘impasto’. The idea of impasto is that the texture of paint and the shape of the brush marks, in themselves help to convey feeling, and that becomes a sort of handwriting, one that can directly express the artist’s emotions or response to the subject they are working on at any one given time. By the middle of the twentieth century there was a handful of artists that embraced the ‘impasto’ concept and took it a step further. Frank Auerbach, Jean Dubuffet (who used mud and coal tar to gain extreme impasto) and Leon Kossof are probably the better known of those artists today. Jake’s Landscape paintings border on reality and abstraction with a tactile quality, that when viewing them, you almost want to close your eyes and feel the painting as much as look at them. Here is what he has to say about his work: “For me, drawing is the grammar of visual language; it is the way I explain the world to myself, wordlessly. It is both an obsession and a compulsion that takes me away from myself and brings me into a kind of harmony with that which I am drawing. We have been drawing – or something very like it – since the time of the cave paintings at Lascaux and Altamira. Drawing, like all truly creative activity, is not an entertainment or pastime, but rather something fundamental to our psychic health as a species.” – His work is exhibited in the collections at York Art Gallery, Leeds City Council, Bradford Museums and Galleries, and Hartlepool City Art Gallery and in many private and corporate collections in Great Britain, USA, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany and Sweden. To view more of Jake’s work go to: www.jakeattree.co.uk/  

25above: “ An ExtensiveView Across an An-cient City. Oil on Panel.47 inches x 47 inches©JakeAttree.left: Beacon Hill fromNorth Bridge 82cm x105cm. Oil on panel.©JakeAttree

26 Contemporary Painter #6 Colin Taylor in his Studio. Colin Taylor Cheshire UK Colin Taylor is a highly regarded artist who having painted for over thirty years is sort after by commissioners and serious art collectors alike. Tubes asked Colin if he would write an essay for this feature, to which he responded positively. Below is his ‘essay’ Landscape of Economy, scale and pleasue’ - which is a rare insight into the mind of the painter with regards to Landscape painting. Landscapes of economy, scale & pleasure. By Colin Taylor. Just above Keswick in Englands Lake District you’ll find Latrigg Fell. On its southern flank there is a bench, just an ordinary wooden park bench. It’s a relatively easy walk to get to and because of its proximity to the town and good pathways, it’s a popular one. If you google search on ‘Latrigg bench’ there are plenty of images of the bench itself, and the landscape looking south across Keswick to Derwent Water. ‘the view is full into the rocky jaws of Borrowdale, through which the Derwent is seen pouring his crystal stream. Castle Crag, stands first of all above the forest of embattled rocks, who’s forked heads reared to the sky shine like spears of burnished steel. Langdale Pike advancing to the clouds overlooks them all’. Thomas West, (1778) A Guide to the Lakes of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire’ I’ve been fascinated by ‘landscape’ for a long time. Why it looks the way it does?How it’s evolved, managed, used and sometimes abused and as it relates to my own work, is it possible totransfer personal experience to a single visual image?Over time, I seem to have assembled a few uncertain values that have hung around for a while and which seemto support an ongoing enquiry underpinning my work. As with any form of examination, it is unresolved, open toflaws and not a linear process, by which I mean that a single idea rarely leads to a tidy logical conclusion andoften contradicts as much as explicate’s. The truth is, I don’t expect to find a solution but it is the very ambiguitythat provides momentum. Anyway here goes…The word ‘Landscape’ first appeared in written English in the sixteenth century of Dutch/German origin.Its suffix, ‘scape’ is derived from the German verb, ‘schaffen’, meaning ‘to shape’ and indicates that some kindof decision or selection has taken place over what that landscape should look like or be used for. The bench onLatrigg Fell is where it is for a reason and it rewards the traveller with a perfectly formed pre-framed view of thesurrounding landscape and also a reason to go there.As a product of creative endeavor, a landscape is rendered into a 2D image and when combined with bothphysical and intellectual input pushing paint or graphite around on a surface, it switches from perceived reality tothe representational. It is representative of, but not, the landscape. Whilst most often and traditionally associatedwith the natural environment, it is equally applicable to an urban, built or interior or increasingly, even a virtualone. But, for the purposes of this written observation, lets stick with the idea of landscape painting as we can allreadily accept it, a view of somewhere or of something orientated to convey scale and distance and containedwithin a picture plane.The landscape image is often a channel itself, invested with symbolism and message to be decoded, readand re-used by the viewer. The artist embeds personal expressive experience, (however that is defined) withinthe image which can be read as social or cultural commentary. The philosopher, Richard Wollheim introduceda theory called ‘seeing in’ in which the viewer does not recognise what is depicted merely by looking at it ina painting; but because our empirical knowledge and our perceptions converge we see both the ‘real-life’landscape and the landscape image represented by the painting. Both happen together and only happen withinart. Acknowledgement of this two-fold process differentiates ‘space’ from ‘place’; the former being purely anunvisited, unknown spatial location and the latter somewhere that has gathered value and meaning.By this shift, landscape loses its innocence irreversibly.

27 right: Painting by Colin Taylor. “Derwent Water from Latrigg.For a long time, it seemed enough for me to say that my creative practice was not an optical experience but an emotionalone. I found a rich vein of thought in the work of David Bomberg, who’s approach to painting, was based as much ondirect experience and the tactile, as it was the visible.Bomberg had found his voice, not just through his own work, but through collaboration with a small group of students inLondon just after WW2, (Cliff Holden, Miles Richmond, Leslie Marr, Dorothy Mead and Dennis Creffield amongst them),in a creative laboratory at the Borough Polytechnic. The physical act of painting or drawing would be sustained by anempirical knowledge of space, form and mass that should become embedded within the image itself.At the same time in the same city, Kenneth Clark published his pivotal survey, ‘Landscape into Art’ (1949). His bookreferences the role of the landscape ‘in which the human spirit attempted once more to create a harmony with itsenvironment’. Clark and Bomberg shared common ground in their strong respect for Cezanne and a lack of enthusiasmfor the progress of the genre since the latter’s death. Clark however, embodied the very concept of state patronage ofthe arts and exercised singular control over the London art hierarchy; his opinion counted and he didn’t think much ofBomberg. Despite there being no other theory in town, “Bomberg was marginalised and ignored.”By that time, research into the human vision system had already established that the eye was not all it was cooked up tobe and was at best, a pretty rudimentary organ. It was generally considered likely that a series of ‘unconscious inferences’are required to process incomplete visual data for the brain to co-ordinate a perceptual and mechanical response.Susanne Langer, another philosopher, would soon define the phrase ‘vital import’ to describe a creative combustivereaction, that is particular to artists, at the instant the brain digests visual and other sensory percepts, and then combinesto produce artwork. Works of art do not directly express the artists experienced emotions, but rather the ‘idea’ of emotionand it’s here that I eventually changed tack and came to believe my work was more than an emotional response.This question has dogged me for years is this… ‘when we look at a landscape what do we see...?’ my best guess up tonow, is that we continually draw conclusions from acquired knowledge and past experiences and it is only our personaland individual definition of what we alone see, that makes sense. We can’t ignore the fact that we absorb knowledge andexperience landscape in a range of different and competing contexts; vocational, educational, consumer and tourist. “If you did happen to google ‘Latrigg bench’...(...you might also have used the internet to find out a little about Thomas West, to whom the initial quote is attributed).If so, you’ll know that West wrote what many now consider to be the first ever tourist guide as we now know them to be.He dissected the destination into bite-size chunks of pleasurable experience, proposed itineraries and offered thoughtson what the traveller might see if they were to visit the area. West particularly directed his readers to a series ofviewpoints, he called them ‘stations’, around the region’s main lakes where the traveller can experience the ‘mostadvantageous view’. The bench at Latrigg is positioned at one of those viewpoints and referenced in his guide as‘Derwent Water, Station VII’.Readers of his guide in the late eighteenth century would have formed a perception and an image in their minds aboutthe Lake district before they left home, today its google that provides both written and visual imagery in advance.If Latrigg Fell was unknown to you at the beginning of this written piece, you’ve already had an experience and it hasalready switched from space to place and acquired a new level of meaning along the way.It’s obvious that research and knowledge of the physiological, environmental, economic, philosophical and technologicalterrain surrounding us is unrecognisable since Cezanne first proposed that ‘sensation’ had a direct role to play in creativeoutput. His massive success was that he defined in visual terms, the problem of what it is to stand on a mountain side,whether that be Mont St Victoire or Latrigg Fell and for me Bomberg’s visual and articulated response is more than a vitalmilestone along the way. But fortunately, for all of us who followed, neither found the solution.....it’s still out there.

28 Contemporary Painter #7 Ian Norris Ian was the first artist interviewed by me in issue #1 of painters Tubes. Many readers of Tubes will know Ian’s work and for those who do not, I heartily recommend you discover his paintings on line at http://www.iannorris.co.uk/. Ian works with the ‘impasto’ style (thickly applied paint) however underneath all that ‘impasto’ is a very gifted draughtsman. His landscape work, in particular, gave rise to the contemporary art world sitting up and taking notice of his depth and range. Here are four examples form his landscape painting from a couple of years ago. As a “note to self” comment - In the article on Ian I did mention that maybe it would be a good idea for me to visit Ian’s studio in a year or so, and since that time he has moved into a spacious new studio building where he is increasing the size of canvas. It is my intention is to re-visit him there where I am sure he will have created a whole new spectrum of luscious paintings. To read the ten page interview from issue #1 please go to: “in the studio with Ian Norris” “Cockermouth Castle” ©Ian Norris

29 Reflection 1. Borrowdale ©Ian NorrisDerwent from Isel Hall.©Ian Norris

30 Contemporary Painter #8 Bruce Lyons Having spent some time with Bruce in his studio, it is a real pleasure to show his work in this feature. Bruce thinks out of the box and plays with textures interjecting colour (of just the right tonal values) that creates an image that you are drawn to. Because landscape is at the core of his thoughts, the paintings he creates give you a feeling of space, peace and quietness with an historical, almost ancient quality feel to them. His work reflects his gentle manner and engage you for much longer than you’d expect, it’s another welcomed effect of the work he puts into each canvas. You eyes want to return to look again as the work reveals itself. His art is a slow-burn with a long term enjoyment factor. Here is what he has to say about his art: “The starting points for my work originate in many different places and they all develop along the same set of processes. Although landscape is dominant in my ideas, I have developed an interest in the textures formed by the various methods of decay on materials, man-made and natural. A recurring theme in my work is rust with its multitude of colours and textures. My knowledge of art history, combined with the experience in looking at artworks, is deep and therefore there are many influences prevalent in my work. However, I have always had a keen interest in the work of the Japanese woodblock printers of Ukiyo-e, the Floating World, the painters of the Renaissance, and twentieth century artists too numerous to mention.” I do recommend a visit to his website to view the full range and quality of his work: www.brucelyons.com

31 above #5 ©BruceLyonsabove #3 ©BruceLyons above #6 ©BruceLyons

32 Contemporary Painter #9 David Evans David Evans high-key colours and exuberantly assured oils and watercolours are crisply fresh, radically personal and utterly original. His is an intimate art - an art honed from decades of experimental drawing and colour work in his art studio in Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK. I visited David in his studio where he shown me a portfolio of quite superb black and white series with a whimsical imagery. His draughtsmanship is second to none and one that speaks of considered judgement and above all an authentic vision. This is what David has to say for minsel… “...My artistic driving force is my continued obsession with four motifs - people, bicycles, buildings and landscape. I sometimes interpret these singly or coalesced within one work. The underlining inspiration for a good deal of my work comes from re-working and distorting quite traditional themes from art, literature, poetry and music. I like to jump the margins between illustration and fine art. Sifting recently through my work, observations, ideas and responses, I think it’s fair to say that I see life, art and my surroundings in a somewhat quirky and whimsical visual way.” David has a BA Hons degree in Painting and Printmaking and is a fully qualified art teacher. He was elected member of The National Society of Painters, Printmakers and Sculptors in 1979. He has written and/or illustrated four books. David Evans works are in many private and commercial collections in the UK, Ireland, Europe, Canada and USA. He has also had solo shows has had solo shows at the New Vic Gallery, Stoke on Trent, The Silk Museum, Macclesfield, Wendy J Levy Contemporary Art, Manchester, Stockport Art Gallery, Edinburgh International Art Festival, Pitcairn Gallery, Knutsford, Barbican Contemporary Art, London, Bath Festival of Contemporary Art, Arts Centre Chester and the Arts Centre, Wrexham, just to mention a few. You can contact David through his art agent, Alan Evans by email: [email protected]

33 Davis has painted the four seasons Theselarge paintings are to beexhibited this Autumn in Manchester UK. right: Autum and below is Winter- over the page is Spring and Summer.

34 Spring ©David Evans Summer ©David Evans

Contemporary Painter #10 35 Alison Tydesley Alison approaches her work instinctively and with a great deal of knowledge of art history. Her work is not abstract as such, but holds Nature as an experienced reality. The compositions are broad with sweeping views and a sense of wide open spaces where the human is alone looking on, yet part of. It’s a solitary feeling the viewer experiences, but peaceful and reflective. A place where thinking about ones own life can be brought to clarity. Alison explains her path to being a full time painter; “I studied Fine Art at Exeter College of Art and since then have lived, worked and painted in Sheffield.” After teaching in schools and universities for many years and gaining a Masters Degree and Doctorate in Education. I have two studios – a small one at home and a wonderfully spacious one at Yorkshire Art Space in Sheffield. I  devote my time to painting in my studios and sketching in the landscape.” Alison has exhibited successfully in UK regional galleries including a recent one person show at the Tarpey Gallery, Castle Donington.And a show at the Longitude Gallery, Clitheroe with another artist. Her work can be found at the Affordable Art Fairs in London, Singapore and New York represented by the Linda Blackstone Gallery. Alison’s work will be also be exhibited at the Buy Art Fair in Manchester UK with the Linda Blackstone Gallery 27th-29th October 2017. Her website is at: www.alison-tyldesley.co.uk/ images ©Alison Tydesley paintings: above: “Windswept Golden Moorland” 940mm x 940mm- Canvas. painting left: “Hay Feild” 940mm x 940mm - Canvas

36 Contemporary Painter #11 Steve CapperSteve Capper is no stranger to me,nor is his unique paintings. I firstinterviewed him some time time ago,but I had known of his work for manyyears before. He brings a specialstyle to landscape painting and onethat is totally his own.When you see one of his works itsort of sticks with you and followsyou around to a point where youcome to believe that you see his workeverywhere, but that’s not absolutelycorrect. Steve, despite his longevityand his long association with art (hewas another fellow student of minefrom the Manchester High School ofArt, Manchester) he has only beenpainting a relative short time. He wasan Art Teacher for many years beforetaking early retirement to concentrateon painting. “I couldn’t paint when I was teaching.”He has said to me on one occasion.When he began to paint again forhimself, after such a long layoff “if itwas as if I was 40 years younger.” hesaid. And it is this enthusiasm and‘newness’ of approach to his work thatstimulated him and continues to doso.Lately he has developed his formsand is experimenting with concentriccompositions and unusual viewpoints,something which he has played withon various still life paintings for awhile now. This has now progressedinto his landscapes and I amabsolutely sure his passion and keensense of ‘taking risks’ with his workwill only increase in the coming years.To read a morning and an afternoonwith Steve Capper” the interview clickhere. paintings: Top: “Autumn Frost” bottom: “The Red Trees”. all paintings and images ©SteveCapper.

37 Contemporary Painter #12 Colin HallidayI had the pleasure of Colin’s company at a recent exhibition opening in the UK.We talked about all those things that effect anartists ethos. Colin works both with studio paintingsand ‘plein-air’. Preference for one or other isirrelevant to him as he believes each hold adifferent quality. Something I agree with. His choiceof subject has always been landscapes and hetakes to the open air when the feeling it is right todo, irrespective of weather or time of year. Spring,Summer, Autumn or Winter, you will find Colinoutside engaged with his canvas transmitting thesensations he is feeling. Constable is an obviousinfluence from the early days of when he firstcommitted himself to painting, some 30 odd yearsago. “I will just keep going, keep trying, not be influenced by the market or trends or be scared to try new things or to go backwards. I have come too far to stop now...” Obviously, the natural landscape dominates the art above:t “Storm” oil on canvas. 20cm x 24cmof Colin. There are no people or buildings. Although below: “after Storm” oil on canvas. 41cm x41cmspecific real places are usually depicted, theseare increasingly intimate places, rather than grand images©Colin Hallidayvistas.The landscapes are more likely to be familiarin some way to the viewer of the finished work,perhaps evoking the sense or memory of a similarplace they know and thereby giving the painting itselfa timeless quality. His work is purely a celebration ofNature and the raw emotive pleasure it can bring tothe people who love landscape paintings. When we met up recently and talked aboutpainting in general, it became obvious to me thatColin is a natural artist and a painters painter, aterm which many readers may not appreciate howimportant that is. Colin has a pragmatic philosophywhich is best demonstrated with his attitude to themodern contemporary art scene and the marketingthat surrounds it, “I never enter competitions, itreally doesn’t matter what other people think I paint,I paint for me first and foremost.” He has said beforetoday. This stems from the experiences of his youth,where he found himself working in a supermarketand believed that because of his working classbackground he would always “work for peanuts.”Art and in particular, painting, became his personal‘get-out’ clause, since that time, he has remainedfaithful to his true love - painting, and his work iscertainly worth far more than ‘peanuts’ in more waysthen one.http://www.colinhallidayart.co.uk/

38 Contemporary Painter #13 Arista Alanis The large studio work of Arista are abstractions of the natural world and her own relationship towards the nature. Gestural in application, she makes her marks from the sensations of intimate memory. The smaller works she creates are instinctive with rapid brush strokes that become fixed in time and space. They bring to mind the methodology of Pollock’s approach where, like Pollock, the graceful and calm movements of the strokes are sometimes mistaken for being wild and rapid. Here what she has to say about her landscape work: “ My paintings derive from landscape. Places and experiences take on significant meaning. Vermont’s landscape in all its seasons, the tides on the coast of Maine, or the travels I make to new places. The artwork is not about specific places as such, but about significant moments that ignite a feeling of being alive in the space. The formal structures of nature directly experienced, or recalled, give my work a solid foundation from which I improvise and create an abstract. My personal experiences in, and of nature are realized in the medium of the paint. And the intensity of emotion is physically imbued through the movement of the application of the paint on the canvas.” Originally from Texas. Arista is artist-trained and received an MFA from Louisiana State University, and a BFA from Texas Woman’s University. Currently Arista is the Community Arts Program Coordinator at the Vermont Studio Centre is the USA. You can view more of her paintings at: www.aristaalanis.com paintings, above: “happy go lucky” right: Switchbacks images©Arista Alanis

39 Contemporary Painter #14 David Bez David’s work draws inspiration from the urban, industrial and pastoral landscapes in and around his home. David utilises a Faux Vitrial process, hand embellishing with silicates and resins. This process adds a depth and richness to the paintings, giving a unique and exclusive finish to his work. More recently he has been creating work leaning towards the natural landscape, but interjected with an almost mythical feel to them. Magic and fairy tale backdrop’s which you feel that they are real places that are created from observation. Pergaps this ‘imagination’ stems from the fact that David was encouraged to paint from an early age by his Mother and still retaind the work he painted from the age of four, which shows a natural ability to use line and colour. Today, David is now a full time working artist, illustrator and glass designer who finds working and experimenting in these contrasting areas both challenging and exciting. “I find operating in these different spheres enable me to reappraise my work and to mix and match from all. I find this approach keeps my work fresh and dynamic.” His work is in a number of Manchester high street galleries and can also be found on his website of Facebook : www.facebook.com/ davidbezartist/paintings. above: “Cerulian” 18 inchesx 21 inches.right: “Ravens” 18 inches x 12 inchesimages©David Bex

40 Contemporary Painter #15 Dean Entwistle Dean Entwistle, another artist Tubes have spoken extensively with. His full interview “talking the real deal with Dean Entwistle” was featured in issue #3. Dean has painted landscapes using the subject matter an integral part of his art-practise. His chosen medium is tempera - An old painting medium first used for mural painting before the invention of oil pigments. Dean feels tempera gives him the ability to ‘construct’ his colour with layer upon layer of ‘glazes’. He feels this deepens the reality and the emotional content, and his intense relationship, to the natural world. He is first and foremost a draughtsman of quality and this is evident in all of his work. Recently he has ‘up-stepped’ the way he paints his work from single production methods to creating four or five canvas’s on a rotating basis. Besides the obvious benefits , from an Art Gallery point of view, I am very sure this increased output will serve Dean and help him to explore unknown possibilities and new unique paths of creation, which will be something to really marvel at. To read Deans full six page feature go to: issue #3 On the opposite page the painting at the top is Dean’s latest work with an earlier piece below. From these paintings one can see that he is retaining his classical exacting approach. To read Deans full six page feature go to: issue #3 images©Dean Entwistle

41

42 Contemporary Painter #16 Beverley O’DonoghueBev is a relative newcomer to painting, her day job, working with children on the autistic spectrum and specialeducational needs, is obviously an inspiration for her Art. The sheer ‘artistic-purity’ of children when they draw or painthas always been admired by artists throughout history. Her paintings carry that purity along with them. She lives in thePeak District, which has always been a place that has draw artists because of the beauty of the nature. I found herwork both charming and delicate with a sensitivity that is reflective of her own personality.Bev has been admiring painters the likes of , Alfred Sisley, Edward Seago and the Scottish contemporary painter KenBusche, for a number of years and this shows in her work. I’m quite sure that her art will develop quickly and hope tovisit her in the future where I shall be delighted to find her own voice is singing out loud and clear.Born 1964 in North Manchester, Bev is a member of Society of Marple Artists, the Mellor Art Society Stockport Art Guild& the group of Manchester Urban Sketchers. She has exhibited at: The SMA from 2013 to 2017, Stockport Art Gallery 2016, Artism Gallery Stockport , 2016 Woodend Mill 2016, 2015Hayfield, 2015 Mellor 2017. Beverley, I think you will agree, has great pos- sibities as an excellent landscape painter and her work is already of a high standard. I look forward to viewing more of her work in the future. images©Beverley O’Donoghue

43 Contemporary Painter #17 Arwyn QuickI discovered Arwyn abstract workby way of a fortunate accidentwhen I was looking at his traditionallandscape painting. And to mysurprise and pleasure I stumbled uponhis abstract art.To me it was obvious that Arwyn hasa passion for colour and the naturalforms that the spaciousness evoked inhim by the remote Derbyshire Peaksin the UK.The power of his first impressionsof the landscape totally relate to thecolour he choses in his palette. Heallows colour and his vision to rise tothe surface and create the raw forcebehind the landscape.Born in 1947 Arwyn lives and worksin Chesterfield, North Derbyshire.He was educated at  ChesterfieldGrammar School, then at NewlandPark College of Education inBuckinghamshire. He began showingwork at the British Watercolour Societyand The Great Sheffield Art Show andhas numerous local exhibitions.He has also exhibited at theManhattan Gallery, Nottingham, theStyle Lab at Harleys Interiors and ElkDesigns in Chesterfield and I’m suremany other galleries and art collectorsin and outside of the UK will be keento investigate his paintings with anopen mind towards his unique viewof nature and the original abstractionhe brings to landscape painting ingeneral.To view more of Arwyn’s work go to:www.arwynquick.com/ images ©Arwyn Quick

44 Contemporary Painter #18 Phil AshleyPhil is another relatively new comer to Art having started painting (full time) only a few years ago. In a very short timehe has developed his own ‘take’ on photographic reality. For me it is bordering on surreal landscape. His brush workis fine and painstakingly carried out with meticulous detail.His background is art and design and in particular landscape design. This is where his fascination for water andwater reflections, a subject which has been dominating his output these last few years. I am always interested tosee his new work where I believe he will try out new subject matter and progress with art into other unexpecteddimensions. Maybe even becoming the UK’s answer to Dali.Here is what he has to say about himself. ”I am fascinated by all nature. My latest collection of paintings focuson the relationship of wildlife in the urban landscape. Even in the centre of a massively build up area (citycentres) an oasis of tranquillity can be found amongst the waterways where wildlife can live in harmonywith people. I love the reflections created in canals, ponds, puddles etc. of manmade structures andbuildings. I try to capture the amazing psychedelic, almost hypnotic patterns, created on a sunny day”.Phil paints and works as resident artist at the Cheshire Art Gallery in Bramhall Cheshire UK.go to: https://www.cheshireartgallery.co.uk/ to find more of Phil’s work. paintings, top: “The House on the Rocks at Trearddur Bay” And to the right: “Snow at Two trees” images ©Phil Ashley

45Contemporary Painter #19 Ron ColemanI know little of Ron Coleman’s work, other than the examples of his art seen the social media merry go round.What I have seen presents itself as lively and original. He tells me that the driving force behind his work iscolour and form. Ron seeks to imbue balance achieved through colour harmony that results from his handlingof colour relationships, texture and the brushwork.He has been painting for many years. and has had some success exhibiting in local galleries and in regionaladjudicated Open exhibitions. The subject matter he employs may have had it’s origin in a rememberedlandscape, journey, or destination, but he uses colour, form, and texture to create his own visions. The resultingsemi-abstract work may have had it’s origin in a remembered landscape or a specific journey. He says thatone of his aims is to create work that appeals to the visual senses, balancing form and to perhaps hold theviewers gaze to and allow them to engage more with the painted surface rather than simply an image.Many artists and movements have influenced his work, ranging from the St. Ives abstract artists to the ScottishColourists. He takes inspiration from the American expressionists and contemporary British artists. In recentyears he has been taking a deep interest and was instrumental in bringing an Open Art Exhibition to StockportArt Gallery (UK), and was a founder member of ‘Skarts’ the organisers of the annual Open ContemporaryArt Exhibition (North West UK) He is a member of Incite Art Collective which engages with organising smallexhibitions for groups of like minded artists of all genre’s.images ©Ron Coleman

46 Contemporary Painter #20 Chris CyprusChris Cyprus is a painter Tubes have featured in issue #2. His work is widely known in the North west of England.His preferred style is his sort of ‘naıve’ in looks with a high key tonal value. But, Chris is a fine draughtsman and usesthis well known style to relate the landscapes that he is surrounded by his own way. His sky’s are always ethereal andthe ground is green. It’s a positive view of the world he presents where happiness is abundant. A reaction to perhaps anegative unbalanced and unfair view to the ‘real’ world he feels exists in modern society. In that way Chris is a romantic,which is in keeping with a tradition that goes back to J.M.W Turner and perhaps even more so, Constable.To read the full five page review of Chris’s work go to issue # 2 To the left: “Golden Valley” To the right: “Sundown” images © Chris Cyprus

47Contemporary Painter #21 Diane TerryDiane Terry is a painter, but she was at first a ceramist. Her change of medium from clayto paint came out of necessity, due to the lack of space as a studio, few years ago. At firstshe simply painted (acrylic) but soon discovered this really wasn’t where she wanted tobe as an artist. Texture and surface was ingrained in Diane and before long she beganusing ‘plaster of paris’ as a base to ‘build’ her work mechanically and then paint overthe surface with acrylics. Her subject line was landscapes, and she took full advantageof her surrounding (the Pennine range of hills in the UK) to sketch and design her workwithout restrictions otherwise. Recently she explained her practise at thew Saul HayGallery where a number of artists who were exhibiting there along side Diane took art ina discussion at ‘Material Matters’ which was the title of the exhibition (exhibited 22 July toSeptember 17th). The video is yet to be released as publicly available, but will be shownon Vimeo when it has been edited. Worth making a note of perhaps. You can view moreof Diane’s work at: http://www.diterry.comimage © Diane Terry

48 Contemporary Painter #22 Richard Clare photograph ©paintersTubes I visited Richards studio only a few days ago, and at that time advised him I wouldn’t be able to include him in this feature. I was as disapointed as he was. Richard paints lansdcapes, plein-air and in his studio. He paints both in the UK and in Italy where he soaks up the light of the mediterranean. We talked about art creation and abstraction. It was no surprise , once having seen his work, that Richard works with the subliminal mind. He old me that although most people find him mild mannered, when he is fron of his canvas starting anew, then he can explode into someone nobody would recognise. They vibrant colours in his works shout, if not scream, to be noticed and his deep seated muse, I suspect, takes the form of that historical portly gentleman, we all love, namely Joseph Willian Mallard Turner. Our two and half hours together passed quickly, which for me is a good sign that I was truly enjoying his work and finding out how and what made Richard Clare tick, as an artist I mean. I think I did that and look forward to discussing more about and seeing more of his art during 2018. By the way, did I mention that Richard is colour blind? (an intersting discussion about ‘seeing’ awaits) iart © Richard Clare.

49 reserve your printed copy of painters Tubes magazine email [email protected] Printed copies of painters Tubes magazine sell out quick, to avoid disappointment please reserve your copy today. email: [email protected] and type ‘reserve’ as the subject £8.00 + £2 p&p UK only.photograph: Richard Fitton in his studio by ©Denis Taylor. October 2017

50