RELATIVE VISION by Keith Logan

RELATIVE VISION The paintings of Rex Preston and Mark Preston

Contemporary Art 3 October â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 November 2015

RELATIVE VISION The paintings of Rex Preston and Mark Preston Saturday 3 October – Sunday 1 November Welcome to gallerytop, a contemporary art gallery with an outstanding reputation for contemporary British art based in Rowsley, in the Derbyshire Peak District, the destination for contemporary art in the East Midlands. gallerytop curates regular exhibitions throughout the year together with a permanent range of paintings, limited edition prints, sculpture, ceramics, glass and jewellery by some of the finest artists working in the UK today We are delighted to be curating the first exhibition of the work of father and son Rex and Mark Preston. While they have previously exhibited together in group shows, this is the first ever two man show dedicated to their paintings, comparing and contrasting their methods and approaches to painting gallerytop offers the Arts Council Own Art scheme, which encourages the purchase and collection of contemporary art through an interestfree loan scheme of up to £2500 To see all the paintings with details of prices and sizes, please visit

www.gallerytop.co.uk

Front cover left: ‘Autumn Colours, Monsal Dale’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 60cm x 60cm Front cover right ‘Hawthorn and Buttercups, Ashleyhay’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 75cm x 75cm

Rex Preston is a highly successful artist who has achieved a national reputation as a landscape painter. He travels the country on painting expeditions and has produced sumptuously iconic paintings of Cornwall, the Lake District, Scotland and particularly of the Derbyshire Peak District. His work is collected internationally and is in significant demand. His son, Mark, started painting after finishing art college and followed his father to a career in art. A highly skilled painter in the plein air tradition, Mark has carved out his own visual language through dedicated work on site. He uses acrylic, which are better suited to rapid application and quick drying, allowing his extraordinary paintings to be completed almost entirely on location. Rex Preston and Mark Preston exhibited their first paintings at gallerytop early in 2015 in our Winter Exhibition. The two person show was discussed and a date in October was agreed and the paintings in this exhibition were all painted during the past 12 months. The exhibition is unique because it’s the first time Rex and Mark have shown in a dedicated exhibition at gallerytop, but what is particularly surprising is that it is the first time they have specifically exhibited together in a two person show.

REX PRESTON Rex Preston was born in Yardley, Birmingham in 1948 and trained at Newcastle under Lyme School of Art and then Derby College of Art. Rex gets his inspiration from the landscape and continuous observation of nature has shaped all of his painting. Each year he goes on many painting trips around the country, either finding new areas to paint or revisiting favourite areas like Cornwall or the Lake District or more recently Norfolk. He has always had a fascination with the wild, unspoilt moorland areas of the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales. He never accepts commissions, which leaves him free to paint whatever he wants with enthusiasm. “I spend as much time as possible out in the countryside whatever the weather searching for subjects. When the weather allows, I paint out on location and just walk until something takes my eye. I quite often don’t know what I am looking for, but it usually involves colour, light and reflections. Sketching is also very useful to quickly record fleeting light effects and atmospheres. Often in showery weather it would be impossible to paint, but a sketch can record the changing skies and light effects. The most incredible effect might only last for a few minutes, but with my pencil and sketchbook, I can capture enough to be able to paint it later. Back in my studio, my sketch will remind me of what really inspired me and, together with my memory and imagination, will give me all I need to complete the painting.” Most of Rex’s larger paintings are done from sketches, as they are too big to paint on location, but he surrounds himself in his studio with his plein-air paintings for colour reference. Although Rex has painted in watercolour and acrylic, he always returns to oil painting as his preferred medium

…it was wonderful…by the river and being able to experience nature’s changing moods…

‘Morning Mist, Wolfscote Dale’ by Rex Preston Oil on Canvas, 75cm x 75cm