Lawrence Coulson | A Darker Light

L AWRENCE COULSON

L AWRENCE COULSON

This collection was born from a period of reflection; an unconscious traversing of the elements accumulated over the last thirty years that I have spent honing my skill as an artist. These elements, namely light, space and atmosphere, are seemingly now my calling card; traits for which my work has become known. Whilst revisiting the cornerstones of my self-taught journey of learning, I have also injected more warmth and power to the colour palette used, to breathe new life into classic techniques and compositions for A Darker Light.

The inestimable quest to evolve and refine technique through experimentation, and on occasion an alchemy of accident and good luck, is the overarching goal of any artist. Sometimes a new idea works, sometimes it doesn't, but it then might lead to a stage or process that does. For me, any practice that enables me to capture a beautiful subject and do justice to the bounteous natural landscapes we are fortunate enough to have all around us in Great Britain is a route worth travelling.

I have taken great joy and inspiration from attending art fairs this year. The wealth of styles and techniques opened my mind and prompted a period of experimentation with a variety of surfaces, different mediums and new techniques. I awoke each morning with a head full of ideas and inspiration, enthused and eager to push my previously established boundaries and put my new ideas to the test. I have been particularly delighted with the effect I have developed using pastels, ground to a fine dust which I add to panels to create silhouettes of buildings, before then building up colour with impressionistic style and light.

Being a self-confessed Gary Numan fan, I am happy to admit that the title A Darker Light came from a live EP of his that I noticed in

my collection while I was waiting for my new paintings to dry on the racks in the studio. Given my focus on light within these pieces, it immediately resonated with me and I felt it would represent the work well. The natural light that appears as dawn breaks or dusk falls is my favourite light to capture. At these times everything is in a state of flux, shadows travel and perspective shifts, and there is a finite period of time in which to commit the scene to memory. I begin with a simple pencil line to denote the horizon, before I map out the rest of the composition in my head and begin applying colour in oil across the panel, after which I blend it all with fingers and then again with a fine brush. I repeat this process until I achieve the desired effect, and the work in front of me does justice to the landscape I see vividly in my mind’s eye.

I still take immense enjoyment from gathering my own reference shots, and I have been known to hare off with my camera at a moment’s notice if I spot a particularly striking sunset from my studio window. I often visit my cottage on the north Norfolk coast for a change of scenery and, as part of my continued experimentation, I would like to create industrial, gritty pieces; I have in mind the towering gantry cranes at the Felixstowe Docks. After dark, the little lights on the cranes come on and reflect back from the water below, and I can envisage already how I would like to paint them. Casting my gaze further afield, the only other country that appeals to my aesthetic in terms of having scenery I would love to visit and paint is rural France. It has a sense of space and remoteness that greatly attracts me, and the light quality is beautiful. Although my heart still beats for the incomparable landscapes of Britain and resolutely belongs here, in our fair and pleasant land‌ LAWRENCE COULSON, 2017

Stormy Breeze

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 20.5CM X 20.5CM

SPARKLE BAY

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 91.5CM X 91.5CM

Moonlight Drifter

(LEF T)

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 30.5CM

Midnight Sails

(RIGHT)

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 35.5CM X 25.5CM

Battersea Sundown ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 30.5CM

SUMMER GLORY

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 20.5CM X 20.5CM

ARRIVAL

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 91CM X 91CM

A Moment Lasts Forever ll ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 101.5CM

Technique Throughout his prestigious career to date, we see Coulson diversify in subject matter whilst retaining the technique and flair that has earned him critical acclaim and an ever growing audience of collectors. We can be assured that this progression is consciously geared towards an absolute avoidance of his own personal comfort zone, and a conviction to continue evolving, improving and challenging perceptions of him as an artist. Here we see a looser technique, a more fluid approach, which comes with Coulson’s acquired skill and confidence with his subject matter.

Coulson first applies the paint with a big brush, before using his fingertips to blend and push colour into the canvas. This physical interaction with his work has only been part of his method in recent years, incorporated only once he felt he could be sure of the lightness of his touch and the delicacy of his finish.

A keen photographer, Coulson will take reference shots to support his work back in the studio once a vista has sown the seed of an idea in his head, but this is as far a concession as he will make to modern technique. In his words, he likes to work ‘off the grid’ and enjoys the relative isolation that comes from a studio where there is no mobile phone reception, much less WiFi and other technological intrusions.

Autumn In The Air ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 25.5CM X 35.5CM

INTO THE EVENING

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 20.5CM X 20.5CM

Unforgettable ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 40.5CM X 40.5CM

Passing Thunder ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 20.5CM X 20.5CM

INTO THE SHADOWS

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 30.5CM

Into The Night ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 41CM X 51CM

Dark Skies ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 10CM X 40.5CM

“I LOVE THE FEELING OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD FROM THE WATER, ONE SEES THINGS VERY DIFFERENTLY.” LAWRENCE COULSON

A DREAM COME TRUE

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 41CM X 41CM

Making Memories ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 91.5CM

A Forgotten Place ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 101.5CM

Just You And Me ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 41CM X 51CM

HOME

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 30.5CM

Sunrise Silence ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 30.5CM

Still Is The Night ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30CM X 102CM

Tender Is The Night ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 40CM X 76CM

MOONLIGHT GUIDE

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 20CM X 20CM

Moonlight Escape ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 76CM

"MY ARTISTIC INFLUENCES REMAIN THE ROMANTIC LANDSCAPE PAINTERS OF THE 19TH CENTURY SUCH AS TURNER, BIERSTADT AND FREDERIC EDWIN CHURCH, AS WELL AS THE FRENCH IMPRESSIONISTS. LOOKING AT THESE ARTISTS AGAIN MORE CLOSELY HAS REAWAKENED MY LOVE OF COLOUR." LAWRENCE COULSON

SILENCE

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 91.5CM X 91.5CM

Where Our Hearts Lie ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 92CM X 92CM

Autumn Sunburst ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 10CM X 40.5CM

EVENING AMBER

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 31CM X 31CM

THIS IS OUR TIME

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 20.5CM X 20.5CM

Close Of The Day ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 21CM X 51CM

Sunset Surfers ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 101.5CM

AUTUMN FIRE

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 30.5CM

A Witness To Evening ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 10CM X 40.5CM

Through The Fog Midsummer Common ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30CM X 76CM

“THE NATURAL LIGHT THAT APPEARS AS DAWN BREAKS OR DUSK FALLS IS MY FAVOURITE LIGHT TO CAPTURE.” LAWRENCE COULSON

Sea Mist

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 101.5CM

A New Morning ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 31CM X 31CM

HEADING OUT

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THE PATH TO SUMMER

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The Colours Of Spring ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 20.5CM X 20.5CM

MY WORK FOCUSES INCREASINGLY ON CONTRAST, JUXTAPOSING LIGHT AGAINST DARKER TONES, UPLIFTING AND MORE REFLECTIVE MOODS, AND MOMENTS OF HOPE AND OPTIMISM SHINING THROUGH A THREATENING ATMOSPHERE. I FEEL THAT A DARKER LIGHT CAPTURES THIS PERFECTLY. LAWRENCE COULSON

NIGHTFALL

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 61CM X 61CM

A Dream Of Forever ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 102CM

To The End Of Time ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 101.5CM

The Sound Of Birdsong ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 61CM X 61CM

HERE COMES THE RAIN

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 40.5CM X 40.5CM

RETURNING

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 41CM X 41CM

Shoreline Symphony ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 41CM X 41CM

The Colour of Love ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 40CM X 122CM

SKY FIRE

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 30.5CM X 30.5CM

Time On Our Side ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 46CM X 61CM

Remember Those Days ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 46CM X 61CM

To Warm The World ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 91.5CM X 91.5CM

AUTUMN GATHERING

ORIGINAL OIL | IMAGE SIZE 76CM X 76CM

Lawrence Coulson b. Cambridge, 1962

Inspired by his local landscape, Lawrence Coulson's evocative paintings illustrate the power of nature. Living on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens, Lawrence has an abundance of landscapes from which to draw inspiration.

Everywhere he looks is dominated by endless horizons, punctuated only by telegraph poles and church spires.

Dramatic sunsets are reflected in the wetlands, while heavy storms rumble in the sky above.

Having been surrounded by the art business for as long as Lawrence can remember, he grew up with oil paintings propped up to dry in various places around the house which he took for granted. His father, Gerald Coulson - one of the most important landscape and aviation painters of the twentieth century - worked in a spare bedroom and for a while as a young child he thought all dads did the same.

Despite his love for art, he did not excel at the subject while at school, and his first career saw him step into the world of retail. At the age of 21, his father encouraged him to try oil painting, teaching him which colours to use and the importance of tonal values, and encouraging Lawrence to copy Victorian landscape paintings from old Sotheby’s auction catalogues. After successfully selling these first paintings locally, Lawrence was convinced that he wanted, and needed, to paint professionally. His

reputation, and demand for his work, began to grow and in 1996 he was given the opportunity of exhibition space, which attracted the attention of Washington Green Fine Art Group Ltd and led to Lawrence being offered a publishing contract.

He has since grown in stature to become one of Britain’s leading contemporary landscape painters. Many of his originals have been produced as signed limited editions – the majority of which have sold out on release since becoming a professional artist in 1997.

“LAWRENCE COULSON GENEROUSLY GIVES US WHAT WE LIKE AND NEED, THOSE FEELINGS OF SOLITUDE AND ESCAPE IN WIDE OPEN SPACES UNDER HEAVENS SO HIGH THEY MIGHT REACH TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE.” David Lee, Editor of The Jackdaw, 2013 This endorsement by writer and art critic David Lee, following a critique of Lawrence’s work in 2013, cemented his standing in the art world. Lawrence still refers to it as “one of the most important moments in my thirty years as a painter, and one of the most thrilling. He has captured the essence of my work completely and goes on to compare my work to the great masters such as Turner and Constable that have long had such an influence on me.”

The images contained within this literature are an artistic representation of the collection. To best experience our art, we recommend you contact your local gallery to arrange a viewing. Š Washington Green 2017.

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