Welcome to the Albany Gallery - Croeso i Oriel Albany
CURRENT EXHIBITION
MARY JOLLEY, DAVID KNIGHT, PAUL SIMS, JON THOMPSON
PRIVATE VIEW - Friday 12th February, 5-8pm
The exhibition will continue untul Saturday 6th March. Click on "Exhibition" to view the images. All works are now for sale.
The forces of nature collide in the latest show at the Albany Gallery, where four artists respond to everything from sunny days in the south of France to walks along the storm-swept coasts of Wales and Cornwall.
Mary Jolley divides her time between Cardiff and the South of France, and her work draws on her experiences of living in those areas. Working in oil on canvas and applying the paint with a palette knife, she creates luscious, abstract paintings that echo the scenery of those places. Jolley has gained an enthusiastic following not just within Wales but also as far afield as America. Her style is instantly recognisable - partly because of her distinctive palette but also because of her clear, bold strokes with the palette knife.
David Knight is another Cardiff-based painter. His work is largely figurative and his palette has a subtle, blue-grey tone. A straight-speaking painter both visually and verbally, his approach to his work is simple and honest. "I paint anything I find beautiful - figures, landscapes, still life." Knight was tutored by leading Welsh artist Harry Holland, who he credits with having helped him cultivate his drawing skills. "I'm inspired by painters such as Velasquez and Rembrandt, and I'm especially interested in light."
Jon Thompson is a self-taught painter of great virtuosity. When Thompson started painting he was based in Cornwall, and its scenery instilled in him a love of Britain's coastline which is still evident in his work today. Now based in Shropshire, he paints the Marches and frequently travels into Wales to paint outdoors. "More often than not I prefer to work from direct exposure to the land that excites and inspires me, particularly if the weather is bad," he says. "Spume and froth, scudding cloud, driven snow, leaf stripped from tree - these are the days I love."
Paul Sims is based in St Ives, Cornwall. He began painting in 2004 after leaving a London-based job as a visual effects supervisor. His paintings of the sea are now keenly collected by buyers across the UK. "I paint using anything I can get my hands on - there are hundreds of layers to each painting; that's how I get a sense of transparency." Like Thompson, he prefers nature at her most dramatic. "I like painting in the winter. In the summer the sea's a lot flatter and there's a danger of producing something a bit twee. I try to create something a bit more atmospheric."