Alan Thompson
WELCOME TO MY NINTH EXHIBITION at Beckstones
Art Gallery. All these pictures have been painted within 30 miles of my home. This is such a special area and it has kept my painting interests stimulated for the past 40 years. Anyone who loves landscape, nature, the Lake District will share the knowledge of how special it is. Here skies explode with weather, drama or at times become the Mediterranean blue of a dunnock’s egg, and, when the sun breaks through it illuminates the hillsides with a clarity, making distance appear near enough to touch or the reflections in the lakes as clear as reality! Spring bluebells and ransoms carpet the woodland floor, trees and hedgerows break into heady spring blossom and later turn the wonderful subtle then fiery exuberant colours of Autumn. When there are heavy frosts or it snows, everything is transformed into a wonderland, and even the rain can produce silver morning mists or dark skies heightening the drama of the high craggy mountains. What a precious area this is and how lucky I am to wander the hills and valleys in pursuit of subjects to paint.
I hope I am again able to reflect my excitement and wonder and celebrate the preciousness of this northern English landscape in my paintings.
Thanks for looking and thanks again to Niki and Karen at Beckstones for their organisational skills.
It is remarkable to think that Beckstones’ partnership with Alan Thompson goes back to the eighties and, as our longest standing artist, Alan has been a constant presence at Beckstones. Alan’s beautiful paintings have always had pride of place opposite our desk in the gallery, always at eye level, and we have had the pleasure of seeing them every day for almost 40 years.
Now, as we launch Alan’s ninth solo exhibition, it is hard to believe that even after all these years, though his style has softened slightly over the years, his paintings continue to surprise and delight us and we are thrilled to be able to reveal this latest collection.
So what is it that makes one painting stand out from another? What is the magic ingredient artists strive for but rarely achieve? With Alan his indisputable magic is his unbelievable ability to suffuse a painting with the most natural light whatever the season or weather. Even on the dullest of days his paintings have the most subtle luminosity to them, lighting up a wall in the most natural way and encapsulating this beautiful part of the world quite perfectly.
A wonderful draughtsman even as a boy, over the years Alan has truly perfected his craft. His oil paintings with their detail and unerring sense of colour illustrate just how much Alan cherishes the natural world around him, noticing and highlighting details we might otherwise miss, the warm glow of sunlight on a leaf, wildflowers on a riverbank or a glimpse of spring blossom heralding the end of another long winter.
Born in 1953 near Penrith, Alan studied at Carlisle College of Art before gaining a first-class honours degree at Leicester. A post graduate scholarship to the famed Slade School of Art, University College London followed where he studied under Uglow, Freud and Coldstream, leading to a very successful professional career.
Father of three and now grandfather of 5, Alan continues to live with his wife Kathryn on the edge of the Lake District in the beautiful Eden Valley. As Alan’s main gallery, we consider ourselves very fortunate indeed to be able to share these beautiful paintings with you.
1. Cows by Hoff Beck near Appleby 40 x 32 cm
2. Quiet morning, River Lyvennet near Kings Meaburn 28 x 44 cm
4. Early morning swim on the Eden 17 x 26 cm
3. Late summer, River Brathay near Elterwater 34 x 39 cm
4. Cloudburst, Elterwater from Loughrigg Fell 32 x 42 cm
5. Wildflower meadow 16 x 23 cm
6. Stonethwaite in Borrowdale 18 x 26 cm
7. Grasmere from Loughrigg Terrace 27 x 60 cm
8. Changing seasons, Goldrill Beck, Patterdale 33 x 52 cm
9. Curlew and Cross Fell, Pennines 33 x 28 cm
10. Grasmere reflections 18 x 25 cm
11. Light snow, Cotehow Farm, Martindale, Ullswater
27 x 38 cm
12. Evening light, hawthorn blossom
23 x 34 cm
13. Reflections, Buttermere looking towards Fleetwith Pike
14. October, Oaks farm, Loughrigg, Langdales
28 x 50 cm
15. Looking across Ullswater from Barton Fell 24 x 30 cm
16. Evening glow towards Cross Fell, Pennines 17 x 24 cm
18. Distant haze, Seatoller, Borrowdale 27 x 42 cm
22. Sunlight and snow, Grisedale Valley above Patterdale
41 x 53 cm
20. Goldfinches and cherry blossom 33 x 38 cm
21. Waterlilies by a pond edge 20 x 26 cm
23. Waterlilies and wildflowers, Loughrigg Tarn and the Langdales 52 x 42 cm
24. Ullswater from Patterdale Common towards Glencoyne Wood 29 x 40 cm
25. Winter, Ullswater fells from Kirkland, Eden Valley 20 x 27 cm
26. Winter snow, Rydal Water 20 x 25 cm
27. Two trees, Bank Hall wood near Kirkland 19 x 29 cm
28. Waterfall, Sourmilk Gill near Easedale Tarn 22 x 28 cm
29. Buttermere from Rannerdale 26 x 36 cm
30. Deepdale Beck and Hart Crag, Patterdale 31 x 24 cm
31. Lakeside reeds, Loughrigg Tarn 23 x 30 cm
32. Scotch pine by Langstrath Beck, Borrowdale 24 x 20 cm
33. Cold morning, Head of Ullswater from the Brown Hills 30 x 36 cm
34. Dusk, mute swans, River Eden near Temple Sowerby 17 x 34 cm
35. Bank of bluebells, Podgill Hole woods near Kirkby Stephen 37 x 44 cm
36. September sunshine, Bridge End Farm, Little Langdale 18 x 23 cm
38. Dramatic skies, River Eden near Langwathby 28 x 40 cm
37. Looking towards the Langdales from the Easedale fells 23 x 23 cm
39. Autumn walk, Stonethwaite Beck, Borrowdale 35 x 29 cm
40. Reflections, Rannerdale from Crummock Water 26 x 50 cm
41. Late spring walk to Pooley Bridge near Dunmallard, Ullswater 29 x 45 cm
42. Misty sunrise, River Eamont, Eden Valley 27 x 18 cm
43. Hazy sunlight towards the Head of Borrowdale Valley 23 x 30 cm
44. Low sun, snowy field near Skirwith Beck 14 x 19 cm
45. Evening light from Aira Green, Ullswater 21 x 24 cm
