GAVIN WATSON HOME ALONE
1. PUGMALION
oil on poplar panel 7 × 9.5 ins | 17.8 × 24.1 cm (detail)
GAVIN WATSON HOME ALONE
Jonathan Cooper 20 Park Walk London SW10 0AQ t: +44 (0)20 7351 0410 mail@jonathancooper.co.uk jonathancooper.co.uk
2. LUCKY JIM
oil on canvas 30 × 32 ins | 76.2 × 81.3 cm
GAVIN WATSON Dogs bring joy to our lives, offer companionship and protection, and make a house a home. There can be few greater pleasures in life than returning home to the exuberant greeting of an affectionate pooch. While cats are sometimes accused of aloofness and inscrutability, a dog’s delight is always plain to see in the furious wagging of a tail. Yet for all this easy openness, one mystery remains: just what do our dogs do all day, alone at home? This is the question that the fertile imagination of Gavin Watson has explored over the past two years. Viewing the world from a dog’s eye view, Watson leads us through a diverse spectrum of emotions, from boredom to expectancy, melancholy and contentment. His light-filled paintings playfully reference a deep and diverse range of sources, from literature and art history to popular culture, and are populated by a loveable and idiosyncratic cast of characters. Imbued with the artist’s signature warmth and humour, these works are the product of deep meditation and meticulous craftsmanship, yet always wear their learning lightly. Above all, they make one thing clear: when we are with our canine companions, we are never alone.
3. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
oil on canvas 20 × 40 ins | 50.8 × 101.6 cm
4. DUCHESS oil on poplar panel 9.5 × 7 ins | 24.1 × 17.8 cm
5. DUKE oil on poplar panel 9.5 × 7 ins | 24.1 × 17.8 cm
6. CREATURE COMFORTS (left : detail)
oil on canvas 30 × 32 ins
|
76.2 × 81.3 cm
7. BONNIE oil on poplar panel 7 × 9.5 ins | 17.8 × 24.1 cm
8. CLYDE oil on poplar panel 7 × 9.5 ins | 17.8 × 24.1 cm
9. BOB oil on poplar panel 7 × 9.5 ins | 17.8 × 24.1 cm
10. DOLLY oil on poplar panel 7 × 9.5 ins | 17.8 × 24.1 cm
11. A DANISH NOIR
oil on canvas 20 × 40 ins
|
50.8 × 101.6 cm
12. THE JOY OF REX (left : detail)
oil on canvas 20 × 26 ins
|
50.8 × 66 cm
13. THE SECRET GARDEN oil on canvas 26.5 × 18 ins | 67.3 × 45.7 cm (left : detail)
14. A TRICK OF THE TAIL
oil on canvas 20 × 40 ins
|
50.8 × 101.6 cm
15. POM, TIDDELY - POM
oil on linen 14 × 40 ins
|
35.6 × 101.6 cm
above
16. KIND OF BLUE
oil on canvas 18 × 26.5 ins
|
45.7 × 67.3 cm
right
17. SNOWY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
oil on canvas 26.5 × 18 ins
|
67.3 × 45.7 cm
18. THE POSTMAN ONLY RINGS
oil on canvas 12 × 14 ins
|
30.5 × 35.6 cm
19. VENUS INFERRED (left : detail)
oil on canvas 20 × 26 ins
|
50.8 × 66 cm
20. THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEN
oil on canvas 12 × 14 ins
|
30.5 × 35.6 cm
21. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (left : detail)
oil on canvas 20 × 26 ins
|
50.8 × 66 cm
22. ROOM 101
oil on canvas 20 × 40 ins
|
50.8 × 101.6 cm
23. WHERE BEAGLES DARE
oil on canvas 18 × 20 ins
|
45.7 × 50.8 cm
GAVIN WATSON 1962
Born in Sunderland, UK
1987
Solo Exhibition at Durham Almshouse
1988
Exhibited at Sunderland Museum & Art Gallery, (group exhibition)
1989
Exhibited at Northern Centre for Contemporary Art, (group exhibition)
1991/1993/1995/1997/1999/2001
Exhibited in the BP Portrait Award, NPG, London
1992
Artist Residency, Verdaccio Studio, Siena, Italy
1992
Awarded Northern Arts Travel Award
1992
Exhibited at Middlesborough Municipal Art Gallery, (group exhibition)
1992
Grey’s Art Gallery, Hartlepool
2002
Solo Exhibition at Cricket Hill Gallery, NY, USA
2009
Award for Artists, Arts Council, UK
2009
Artists residency at Lerman Trust, Pennsylvania, USA
2013
Awarded Arts Council funded travel in India
2013
Making it Special, Artist Residency Panel Discussion, NY, USA
2014
New Contemporaries at Jonathan Cooper, London
2015
Exhibited at London Art Fair
2015
Solo Exhibition Flock & Stock, Jonathan Cooper, London
2016
Exhibited in New Year, New Art Jonathan Cooper, London, (group exhibition)
Commissions undertaken
24. GRUMPUS
oil on canvas 18 × 20 ins
|
45.7 × 50.8 cm
Jonathan Cooper