NEIL CANNING
‘A SENSE OF SPACE’
14 TH SEPTEMBER - 10 TH OCTOBER
Saturday 14 th September, 5-7pm
RSVP - info@newcraftsmanstives.com
The large-scale paintings and works on paper in Neil Canning’s new collection respond to the dynamic landscape of West Cornwall, and explore the ways in which the ever-present ocean impacts his work. Behind his sweeping compositions and vivid use of colour is Neil’s deep love for this remote and exposed landscape, and thirty years of commitment to making work here. Created in his studio mostly from memory, and rendered in a powerfully abstract style, these works define the artist’s sensory interpretation of the coastal landscape, embracing not just visual viewpoints but the essence of light, the seasons and elemental forces, including the dramatic Atlantic storms of winter 2023/2024.
“Being close to the ocean has allowed me to develop a distinct way of working that transcends most representation, inviting the viewer to experience the raw power and beauty of nature through the language of abstraction. The ocean brings a greater sense of freedom to what I do and influences the dynamics of every painting. It allows me to create a world of floating forms where sometimes it is good just to stop and stare. There is amazing sense of space here which I find incredibly liberating, and which encourages me to incorporate a greater degree of energy when painting, and to employ high key colour which reflects the intensity of Cornwall’s azure seas and its explosions of yellow gorse or lichen.
Memory plays a large part in the way I transform information, and places that create the strongest memories stay with me. When I draw, I make only a few definitive lines and perhaps some written notes about light or weather conditions, strength of wind or temperature. It is these elements that are edited and take me back to that original experience of place, so that the abstraction in my work comes from simplifying what I see and recreating the essential sensations of being in a particular location. Light and weather are just as important as capturing the more concrete qualities of landscape, and I also like to give the impression of movement. Despite the traditional idea of landscape painting, we actually spend most of our time moving through our surroundings, walking or moving at speed in a car or train, even looking down from an aircraft, so as a contemporary artist I am aware of these aspects and aim to incorporate them into my work. I accept that my paintings are largely abstract works, but each one reflects a moment in nature”.
Neil Canning, 2024
Neil Canning lives and works in West Cornwall. In 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from University of Exeter for his outstanding contribution to contemporary British art. His work is held in private and public collections throughout the world.
