RELATIVE VISION

RELATIVE VISION The paintings of Rex Preston and Mark Preston

Contemporary Art 3 October – 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.

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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

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…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

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘October, Lake Buttermere’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 40cm x 40cm

‘Poppies and Barley, Thornham Coast, Norfolk’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 40cm x 35cm

…the vital thing I learned was that the more time I spent painting, the more time I wanted to spend painting….

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Moorland View, Hathersage’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 30cm x 30cm

‘Early Spring, Monks Dale’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 30cm x 30cm

…I have always enjoyed going on trips with other artists…Wilfred Ball, Robin Gibbard, Andrew Macara…and my son Mark…

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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…in the morning, the mist engulfing the whole scene creates a completely different world …

‘Autumn Mist, Chee Dale’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 50cm x 50cm

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Spring Woodland’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 75cm x 60cm

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Beeley Moor’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 80cm x30cm

‘Autumn Sunshine, Cromford Canal’

by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 80cm x 30cm

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘September Gorse, Edale’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 60cm x 30cm

‘Spring Sunshine, Bramley Wood’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 60cm x 30cm

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Last Light, Stanage Edge’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 40cm x 40cm

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

‘Soft Light on the Sea, Cornwall’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 40cm x 40cm

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‘Pathway through the Rhododendrons and Bluebells’ by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 25cm x 25cm (above)

‘Sunlight through the Clouds, Loughrigg Tarn, Lake District’

by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 40cm x 30cm (left)

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Autumn Leaves, Wolfscote Dale’by Rex Preston Oil on canvas, 90cm x 90cm

REX PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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MARK PRESTON Born in Derby in 1976, Mark showed an early interest in art and nature and after gaining a distinction in art and design, he went on to study illustration at Anglia University, Cambridge. However it was painting trips with his father Rex, to the Peak District, Cornwall and Scotland that really inspired him to become a landscape painter.

Mark paints in acrylics and works mainly in situ with relatively little time spent in the studio.

“For me, experiencing the landscape and elements directly is essential to attempt to capture them in paint. I just need to be there to respond to the situation and the spirit of the landscape” This direct approach of working from nature, allows him time to observe and experience the subtle changes in colour, light and atmosphere, enabling him to build up an understanding and awareness of the places he paints.

One mainstay of Mark’s thinking comes from John Constable’s declaration that “Nature is the fountain’s head, the source from whence all originality must spring”.

Derbyshire, the Lake District and Penwith in Cornwall are the main areas he paints and its the way the changing seasons and weather affect these places that fascinates him. Mark has been having one man shows from Derbyshire to Cornwall since the age of 21 and has had exceptional success in recent years.

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‘August Meadow, Bonsall’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 60cm x 30cm

‘Autumn Sun, Gunhills’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 35cm x 30cm

MARK PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Calm Reflections, River Dove’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on paper, 43cm x 40cm

‘Crashing Sea, Priest’s Cove’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on paper, 45cm x 38cm

‘His combination of a compositional eye, careful application of paint and considered brushstrokes can elevate a literal landscape into one of emotion, expression and empathy’ Ashley Franklin Derbyshire Life

MARK PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Summer Sundown, Bonsall Moor’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 20cm x 20cm

Spring Evening, Ashleyhay’

by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 30cm x 25cm

‘Snow Shadows, Brailsford’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 30cm x 25cm

MARK PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Dappled Light, Bramley Wood’

by Mark Preston, 60cm x 45cm

‘Poppies and Mayweed, Ednaston’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 60cm x 60cm

‘His work possesses an air of authenticity and is steeped in reality. It is clear to see he is a plein-air artist’ Frank Ruhrmund Art critic, The Cornishman

MARK PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Scabious, Bonsall Moor’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 40cm x 35cm

MARK PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

‘Sunlit Pathway, Bramley Wood’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 35cm x 30cm 19

‘Autumn, River Derwent, Cromford’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on paper, 50cm x 50cm ‘Summer Evening, Ednaston’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 40cm x 35cm ‘Hazy Morning, Bonsall Moor’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 40cm x 20cm

MARK PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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MARK PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

‘May Blossom, Alport Height’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 90cm x 60cm

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‘Sunlit Gorse and Bluebells, Ashleyhay’ Acrylic on canvas 45cm x 35cm ‘Sunlit Heather, Higger Tor’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on paper, 25cm x 25cm ‘September Heather, Beeley Moor’ by Mark Preston Acylic on canvas, 35cm x 25cm

MARK PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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‘Thrift, Priest’s Cove, Cornwall’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 50cm x 40cm

‘Autumn, River Derwent, Cromford’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on paper, 50cm x 50cm

‘Sunshine and Showers, towards Land’s End’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 25cm x 20cm

MARK PRESTON AT WWW.GALLERYTOP.CO.UK

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We are pleased to be able to offer our customers the Arts Council Own Art scheme Own Art is a national initiative that makes buying contemporary art and craft affordable by letting you spread the cost of your purchase over 10 months with an interest free loan of up to £2500 The loan can go towards the payment of a piece of art that costs more than £2,500 provided that you are able to cover the balance in cash or with a credit/debit card.

Making an Own Art application is straightforward and takes about 10 minutes in the gallery. We can also arrange for you to make an Own Art application if you cannot get to the gallery in person.

For more information about the gallery, exhibitions and artists news, sign up to our mailing list at www.gallerytop.co.uk.

If you would like more information about any of the paintings in this catalogue, please call us on 01629 735580 or e-mail us at info@gallerytop.co.uk Gill Wilson and Keith Logan Directors 2015

‘Evening Poppies, Ednaston’ by Mark Preston Acrylic on canvas, 20cm x 20cm gallerytop Chatsworth Road, Rowsley, Derbyshire, DE4 5DD, 01629 735590 infor@gallerytop.co.uk www.gallerytop.co.uk

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