Alan Cotton where land and water meet
2019
www.messums.com The Studio, Lord’s Wood, Marlow, Bucks SL7 2QS tel: +44 (0)1628 486565 email: thestudio@messums.com
There are certain places where the special contours of a landscape trigger Alan Cotton’s creative imagination.
1. Co. Kerry – Winter Trees in Pale Evening Light oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
2. Co. Kerry – Last Light over Dingle Bay oil on canvas 51 x 51 cms 20 1⁄8 x 20 1⁄8 ins
Where Land and Water Meet Jenny Pery – curator and art historian
There are certain places where the special contours of a landscape trigger Alan Cotton’s creative imagination. The West Coast of Ireland is one such place. It forms the main focus of this exhibition, filling Messum’s gallery with the potent blues and violets and rich grey-greens characteristic of the countryside that skirts the Atlantic ocean. Here the weather is the main protagonist, and the skies, heavy with rain-bearing clouds or streaked with pearly light, dominate many of Alan Cotton’s paintings.
3. Connemara – Golden Light Over the Twelve Pins oil on canvas 61 x 76 cms 24 x 30 ins
4. Co. Donegal – Cruit Island in Late Evening oil on canvas 91 x 91 cms 357⁄8 x 357⁄8 ins
5. Co. Kerry – Squally Clouds
over the Skelligs
oil on canvas 25 x 31 cms 97⁄8 x 121⁄4 ins
6. Co. Kerry – Skellig from
the Ring of Kerry
oil on canvas 31 x 31 cms 121⁄4 x 121⁄4 ins
7. Co. Kerry – Crashing Waves at Slea Head oil on canvas 102 x 92 cms 401⁄8 x 361⁄4 ins
Irish Paintings Alan can no longer remember the number of times he has been to Ireland. He has explored the territory of Kerry, Connemara and Donegal with a passionate intensity, steeping himself in its history and internalising the shapes and colours of winding lanes, rocky walls and coastal cliffs. For him in Ireland it is always a matter of chasing the fleeting light. As he maintains, ‘I have never seen a place that changes more quickly than the West coast of Ireland. I love being there. It’s marvellous looking out towards the Atlantic Ocean, looking into some of the little sheltered bays, and tracing the curving lines of the estuaries’.
8. Co. Kerry – Churning Seas over Slea Head Rocks oil on canvas 41 x 51 cms 161⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
9. Co. Kerry – Evening Clouds over Skellig Rock oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins
10. Co. Kerry – Sunstreaked Landscape after Storm oil on canvas 51 x 61 cms 201⁄8 x 24 ins
11. Connemara – Evening Clouds over Estuary oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins
Alan finds the changeable weather in Ireland exciting and stimulating, forcing him to see the picture in an instant and to work fast and instinctively. He makes numerous drawings in his sketchbooks, rapidly noting down the salient points of the land and the cloud formations, using simple portable tools, usually pen and ink or pen and wash. These drawings, made on the spot, carry all the information that he needs for painting. They also retain the mood of the place, so that years later he can recall the whole experience of being in that particular landscape.
13. Co. Kerry, Blue Evening, Landscape on the Dingle oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
14. Co. Kerry – Evening Skies over Dingle Bay oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
12. Co. Donegal – Golden Landscape beneath Stormy Skies oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
15. Co. Kerry – Fuchsias in Harvest Landscape oil on canvas 51 x 61 cms 201⁄8 x 24 ins
16. Donegal – Meandering Streams along the Estuary oil on canvas 91 x 91 cms 357⁄8 x 357⁄8 ins
17. Co. Kerry – Cottages and
Hayricks along the Estuary
oil on canvas 51 x 51 cms 201⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
His drawings become the seed corn for whole series of paintings made in the studio. Although Alan may refer to them for specific information, the paintings he develops in his studio rely largely on memory and imagination. His studio becomes a timeless zone in which to revisit places he has seen, the challenge being to recapture the thrill of the moment. As he says, ‘I’m always obsessed with the place where I am working. Last year I worked right the way up from the Dingle, through Connemara and all the way up the West Coast, so the main thrust of this exhibition is from the experiences I had there.
18. Donegal – Golden Landscape
beneath Threatening Clouds
oil on canvas 51 x 51 cms 201⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
19. Co. Kerry – Peat Stacks along the Bay oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins
20. Co. Kerry – Cows on a
Wet Road after Milking
oil on canvas 41 x 51 cms 161⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
21. Co. Kerry – Cattle
Grazing by the Loch
oil on canvas 41 x 51 cms 161⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
22. Co. Donegal – Rocky Outcrops in the Bay at Port oil on canvas 51 x 51 cms 201⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
23. Co. Kerry – Turquoise Sea
below Storm Clouds
oil on canvas 25 x 31 cms 97⁄8 x 121⁄4 ins
I develop the paintings in the studio, trying to recapture the ideas and the memories I have of it. I discover colours by mixing the paint on the palette, trying to re-invent the subtle hues and to create little sequences of colours that resonate with each other. I always work in the same light so that I can judge the range of tones, often working with very close tones that shift almost imperceptibly through the colour changes. I work from dark to light in the traditional way, with the lightest touches going in last. The way each mark is laid on the canvas is an important part of the process. Although it is often difficult to achieve, I am always aiming for that synthesis of idea and mark.’
24. Co. Kerry – Moorland Cottage
Towards Dusk
oil on canvas 25 x 31 cms 97⁄8 x 121⁄4 ins
25. Co. Kerry – Clearing Storm over the Dingle oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins
26. Connemara – Wheatfields and Cottages oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
27. Co. Kerry – Tricia in a
Summer Landscape
oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
28. Co. Kerry – Approaching Rain Clouds over Loch au Duin oil on canvas 51 x 61 cms 201⁄8 x 24 ins
Devon
Alan’s painted marks are instantly recognisable.
29. Devon – Evening Rock
Pools at Hartland
oil on canvas 51 x 51 cms 20 x 201⁄8 ins
30. Devon – Silver Rock
Pools at Hartland
oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 241⁄8 x 241⁄8 ins
31. Devon – Evening Sky at Hartland oil on canvas 92 x 71 cms 36 x 28 ins
Alan’s painted marks are instantly recognisable. Applied with painting knives, either in vigorous sweeps or more delicate touches, they synthesise the characteristic qualities of rocks, clouds, waves, and water, balancing hard against soft, rough against smooth. The heavy impasto of juicy paint creates its own dynamic, the knife-edge marks standing out from the canvas and casting tiny shadows. Sometimes the paint is scraped away, revealing the bright underpaint when a particular passage needs it. Fixing the initial composition is the most cerebral part of the creative process. Many of the paintings are made on a square canvas, compositionally more exacting but when resolved extremely visually satisfying. 32. Devon – Dazzling Light at Hartland oil on canvas 51 x 51 cms 201⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
33. Devon – Cliffs Above Welcombe Bay oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins
34. Devon – Boats on the Rocks at Hartland oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 241⁄8 x 241⁄8 ins
Provence was Alan’s first love
35. Devon – Suckling Calf
oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
36. Devon – Hartland Towards Evening oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
37. Provence – Bonnieux from a Courtyard at Lacoste oil on canvas 77 x 62 cms 301⁄4 x 241⁄4 ins
Provence Having referred to the extensive ‘library’ of shapes and colours in his head for his composition, Alan prefers to lay on the paint intuitively, inventing shapes and colour combinations as he goes along. ‘That’s when I enjoy painting most, inventing as I go.’ In a complete change of palette, the exhibition travels from the moody blues of Ireland to the warmer colours of France and Romania. Provence was Alan’s first love, and he has worked there innumerable times, often in spring when the pure white blossom flares out in the cherry orchards. In his Provencal paintings the brilliance of the blossom makes dramatic impact against a darker background – a contrast reminiscent of his Hartland paintings, where white-capped waves crash against dark rocks. 38. Provence – Cherry Trees at Bonnieux oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
39. Provence – Olive Grove at Menerbes oil on canvas 36 x 36 cms 141⁄8 x 141⁄8 ins
40. Provence – Cherry Orchard in Full Blossom oil on canvas 41 x 51 cms 161⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
41. Provence – Hillside Villas at Gordes oil on canvas 51 x 61 cms 201⁄8 x 24 ins
42. Provence – Cherry Orchard Below Bonnieux oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins
43. Provence – Cherry
Blossom at Eygaliere
oil on canvas 41 x 51 cms 161⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
44. Provence – Cherry Trees
near Les Baux
oil on canvas 25 x 31 cms 97⁄8 x 121⁄4 ins
45. Provence – Radiant Blossom
in Blue Evening Light
oil on canvas 51 x 61 cms 201⁄8 x 24 ins
46. Provence – Bonnieux from the Shadows of Lacoste oil on canvas 77 x 62 cms 301⁄4 x 241⁄4 ins
Piemonte
47. Piemonte – Rhythms of the Langhe oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins
opposite
48. Piemonte – Olive Trees among the Vine oil on canvas 116 x 91 cms 455⁄8 x 357⁄8 ins
Tuscany
49. Piemonte – Autumn
Evening Vines
oil on canvas 41 x 51 cms 161⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
50. Piemonte – Villa Amongst
the Vines
oil on canvas 51 x 61 cms 201⁄8 x 24 ins
51. Tuscany – Cherry Orchard in Evening Light oil on canvas 91 x 102 cms 36 x 401⁄8 ins
Venice Reflections
52. Venice – Ochre Reflections oil on canvas 61 x 51 cms 24 x 201⁄8 ins
53. Venice – Yellow Reflections oil on canvas 61 x 51 cms 24 x 20 ins
54. Venice – Swirling Waters oil on canvas 61 x 51 cms 24 x 20 ins
55. Venice – Multicoloured Reflections oil on canvas 61 x 51 cms 24 x 201⁄8 ins
Cyprus
56. Cyprus – Hillside, Vines and Olive Trees oil on canvas 92 x 122 cms 36 x 48 ins
57. Cyprus – Cyprus Olive Groves and Fields in Evening Light oil on canvas 92 x 102 cms 361⁄4 x 401⁄8 ins
Sicily
58. Cyprus – Summer at Paphos oil on canvas 91 x 102 cms 357⁄8 x 401⁄8 ins
59. Sicily – Autumn in the Madonie Mountains oil on canvas 91 x 91 cms 357⁄8 x 357⁄8 ins
Transylvania Alan finds another change of mood in the countryside of Transylvania, which has become a recent addition to his collection of favourite painting grounds. Following his revelatory trip to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand as tour artist with The Prince of Wales, Alan was eager to see the villages in Transylvania that are under the Prince’s care. These paintings, with their warm colours and peaceful pastoral ambience, demonstrate his love of unspoilt rural landscapes where age-old building and farming methods are still practised.
60. Transylvania – Miklosvar
Gardens in Evening Light
oil on canvas 41 x 51 cms 161⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
61. Transylvania – Kale on the Edge
of a Wheatfield, Zalanpatak
oil on canvas 41 x 51 cms 161⁄8 x 201⁄8 ins
62. Transylvania – Tending the Vegetable Garden at Miklosvar oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins
Isle of Skye
63. Skye – Neist Light House
in Evening Light
oil on canvas 51 x 41 cms 201⁄8 x 161⁄8 ins
64. Skye – The Neist Peninsula
in late Evening Light
oil on canvas 61 x 51 cms 24 x 20 ins
65. Skye – Wind Driven Clouds at Dusk oil on canvas 51 x 51 cms 201⁄4 x 201⁄4 ins
66. Skye – Neist Light House
in Morning Light
oil on canvas 51 x 41 cms 20 x 16 ins
67. Skye – Loch Scavaig with
Early Morning Reflections
oil on canvas 51 x 61 cms 20 x 24 ins
68. Skye – Streams among the Rocks at Loch Mor oil on canvas 61 x 61 cms 24 x 24 ins
In Tibet 69. Tibet – Prayer Flags in
Warm Evening Light
oil on canvas 51 x 41 cms 201⁄8 x 161⁄8 ins
70. Tibet – Drifting Snow
Towards the Summit
oil on canvas 71 x 92 cms 28 x 361⁄4 ins
71. Tibet – Drifting Clouds Towards the Summit oil on board 71 x 91 cms 28 x 357⁄8 ins
Ireland
Works on paper
Hartland – Devon
74. Devon – Boats at Hartland watercolour 31 x 41 cms 121⁄4 x 161⁄8 ins
72. Co. Galway – Coastal Path
at Inveran
pen and wash 42 x 60 cms 161⁄2 x 233⁄8 ins
73. Donegal – Amongst the
‘Twelve Pins’
ink and pastel 42 x 58 cms 161⁄2 x 227⁄8 ins
75. Devon – Evening
Coastline at Hartland
watercolour 42 x 58 cms 161⁄2 x 227⁄8 ins
Provence
Provence and Tuscany
76. Provence – Towards Bonniux
from the Terrace at Lacoste
pastel 30 x 40 cms 113⁄4 x 153⁄4 ins
78. Tuscany – Vines near the
Church at Strove, May 1994
watercolour 29 x 39 cms 111⁄4 x 153⁄8 ins
77. Provence – Evening Across
the Luberon
pastel 55 x 75 cms 215⁄8 x 291⁄2 ins
79. Provence – Gnarled Vines pen and wash 42 x 59 cms 163⁄8 x 23 ins
Cyprus and Sicily
Snowdonia
80. Cyprus – In the Foothills
of the Troodos
pen and watercolour 29 x 41 cms 111⁄2 x 161⁄8 ins
81. Sicily – Autumn in the
Madonie Mountains Study 4
watercolour 31 x 39 cms 12 x 151⁄8 ins
82. Wales – Snowdonia
ink and wash 67 x 96 cms 263⁄8 x 373⁄4 ins
David Messum has travelled and painted alongside Alan Cotton on many occasions, and has a deep understanding of Alan’s work. In his turn Alan Cotton has produced blockbusting exhibitions for Messum’s galleries almost every other year for the past thirty years. This rare artistic partnership continues to be a huge success. Jenny Pery Curator, art historian and author of three Alan Cotton books. The most recent book, Drawn to Paint, by Jenny Pery, to be published in September 2019, focuses on the drawings – the basis of all his paintings – that Alan Cotton has made over a lifetime as an artist.
In association with Messum’s he has exhibited with other galleries, including: • The Brook Gallery, Budleigh Salterton 2019 • The Edge Galleries, University of Bath Contours in Colour – A Retrospective 2015 • Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter Contours in Colour – A Retrospective 2015 • Lewis Elton Gallery, University of Surrey 2012 • Walker Galleries, Honiton and at Sidbury Mill • John Davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-Wold • Falle Fine Art, Jersey
Alan Cotton
Alan was brought up in Redditch, Worcestershire, where he attended the local Grammar and Art Schools, before moving on to study at Ruskin Hall, Bournville School of Art. He progressed to Birmingham College of Art and after three years in the Painting School there, completed his training at Birmingham University and at the University of Exeter, where he took his Master’s Degree. In 2005, he was honoured to accompany His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales to Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji as his Tour Artist. In 2009, he was nominated as an icon by the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Committee and attended two fundraising dinners at Windsor Castle, together with many celebrities. Alan was a founding member and the first President of the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts, which encourages and supports young artists. For many years Alan has been a central figure in the Arts of the South West and through his charitable works has raised substantial amounts of money for a range of charities, including the Art for Life Auction for Children’s Hospice South West, Cancer Research UK, Kids for Kids (Dafur) Alzheimer’s Society and Art 4 Macmillan for which he is also a Patron In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (D.Litt) by the University of Exeter for his ‘outstanding contribution to the Arts’. He was later appointed Hon. Professor of Arts at the University of Bath, giving his inaugural lecture on 2nd November 2011 and in 2017, the Vice Chancellor invited him to sign her Roll of Honour at a dinner in London “… in recognition of his generosity and philanthropic support”. EXHIBITIONS Messum’s Fine Art, London Alan Cotton is represented internationally by Messum’s, who, for over 30 years have presented regular solo shows of his work. Messum’s Exhibitions and Publications: 1985 Alan Cotton, Opening Exhibition 1988 Paintings From Provence 1990 An English Painter Abroad 1991 Recent Paintings from Cyprus, Provence, Tuscany and Venice 1992 Essentially Provence 1994 Cotton on Canvas 1995 Reflections 1996 New Paintings 1997 New Paintings 1998 Paintings from Ireland and Elsewhere 1999 Predominantly Piemonte 2001 A Sense of Place 2002 More Than Morocco 2004 As I See it 2006 From Donegal to the Southern Hemisphere 2008 Hartland, Provence and Co Kerry 2010 Hartland, Ireland, Piemonte and Provence 2011 The Series Paintings 2012 A Painter’s Journey to Everest 2014 Hartland and Beyond 2015 Contours in Colour, Alan Cotton – A Retrospective 2016 On the Road to Transylvania 2017 Drawings into Paintings 2019 Where Land and Water Meet
Other One-Man Exhibitions include: • City of Plymouth Art Gallery • Dorset County Museum, Dorchester • Exeter Royal Albert Memorial Museum • Nuffield Gallery, Southampton • The Bournemouth Gallery, Hampshire • Stroud Art Gallery, Gloucestershire • The Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton, • Otterton Mill Gallery, Devon. • Canada Arts Gallery, Victoria B.C. Canada • City Gallery, Dinan, Brittany, France • Hammer Galleries, New York Mixed Exhibitions include: • Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions • Royal West of England Academy • Royal British Society of Artists • Royal Birmingham Society of Artists • South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts • 20th Century British Painting Exhibitions, London • Waterman’s Fine Art • W. H. Patterson – London • West Country Painting Austin Desmond Gallery, Devon • Charles Causley A Tribute From the Artists – Tour: West Country and London • Bath, Chichester, Sidmouth and Honiton Festivals • Falmouth Art Gallery British Impressionists in Cornwall and Cornish Collections 2011 • Toronto International Art Fairs October 2012 to 2016 • Torre Abbey 2013 Afloat • Gloss Gallery Exeter Paragone – Sculpture or Painting 2014 The Brownston Gallery, Modbury. 2019 Paintings in Collections: His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales • Queen Mary II Commissioned by Cunard • City of Plymouth Art Gallery; • Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter; • National Collection of Paintings in Hospitals; • University of Southampton; • University of Exeter (6 paintings) • Royal Marine Commandos Lympstone • Kings Norton Conference Centre, Birmingham (13 paintings) • Carlton Westcountry Television. • Alan also has work in private collections in the UK,, Canada • United States, South Africa and many European countries . Television – A selection of films: • A Step or Two Away the Picture is Complete Directed by Kevin Crooks BBC (30 min.) • An Artist On Every Corner Directed by David Spires BBC (30 mins.) • Paint Directed by Kevin Crooks ITV (30 mins.) • Alan Cotton at Home with David Young ITV • So You Want to Be an Artist Directed by Kevin Crooks ITV • Cotton on Canvas Two 30 minute films. Presenter Hugh Scully. Director Philip Speight ITV Films: Return to Hartland 2008 Directed by Gary Vernon Produced by Laura Collier Books: Alan Cotton – On A Knife Edge by Jenny Pery, published by Halsgrove 2003 Alan Cotton – Giving Life a Shape by Jenny Pery, published by Halsgrove 2010 Alan Cotton – Drawn to Paint by Jenny Pery, published by Halsgrove 2019
Publications Alan Cotton – On a Knife Edge By Jenny Pery Published by Halsgrove 2003.
From the biography of a living artist ‘what emerges are the psychological motivations and deciding factors that turn a human being into an artist’. In this richly illustrated volume Jenny Pery presents the life and work of the British landscape artist Alan Cotton. Tracing his career from an early interest in painting as a child in Redditch, the book looks in particular at the travels in France, Italy, Cyprus, Ireland and Morocco that have inspired Cotton’s art.
Alan Cotton – Giving Life a Shape By Jenny Pery Published by Halsgrove 2010.
Jenny Pery’s earlier book, Alan Cotton: On a Knife Edge gave a biographical study of the artist; here she focuses on his methods of work as he prepares for an exhibition. Through photographs of work-in-progress and reproductions of finished pieces, the book reveals how Cotton’s ideas take shape through drawing in the landscape and how, from those drawings, he composes the knife paintings that have made his name.
Alan Cotton – Drawn to Paint By Jenny Pery Published by Halsgrove 2019.
For the artist Alan Cotton, drawing is the most natural thing in the world. A compulsion since childhood, drawing is his means of understanding his environment, of being part of it, possessing it. Drawing out of doors, in front of the motif, has become an integral part of Alan Cotton’s artistic practice. A landscape painter in the Romantic tradition, he travels adventurously in search of special places that particularly manifest the power and luminosity of nature. His response to these places can be seen in the pure joy of his mark-making. This book includes a substantial selection from the many hundreds of drawings Alan Cotton has made in a wide variety of locations. Some are working drawings for future paintings, a number of which are illustrated alongside the drawing and therefore provide a fascinating insight into the artist’s working process. Many that are purely visual investigations, drawn for their own sake, have remained unseen in the sketchbooks throughout his life. Drawn to Paint offers a rare opportunity to see these drawings for the first time.
Exhibition catalogues presented by Messum’s Fine Art 1985 Alan Cotton, Opening Exhibition 1988 Paintings From Provence 1990 An English Painter Abroad 1991 Recent Paintings from Cyprus, Provence, Tuscany and Venice 1992 Essentially Provence 1994 Cotton on Canvas 1995 Reflections 1996 New Paintings 1997 New Paintings 1998 Paintings from Ireland and Elsewhere 1999 Predominantly Piemonte 2001 A Sense of Place 2002 More Than Morocco 2004 As I See it 2006 From Donegal to the Southern Hemisphere 2008 Hartland, Provence and Co Kerry 2010 Hartland, Ireland, Piemonte and Provence 2011 The Series Paintings 2012 A Painter’s Journey to Everest 2014 Hartland and Beyond 2016 On the Road to Transylvania 2017 Drawings into Paintings 2019 Where Land and Water Meet
CDLV
ISBN 978-1-910993-47-7 Publication No: CDLV Published by David Messum Fine Art © David Messum Fine Art
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