Carpe Diem A solo exhibition Julian Le Bas 7 - 22 OCTOBER 2017
St Anne’s GALLERies
Florence Creffield
CARPE DIEM: A solo exhibition Sarah O’Kane in conversation with Julian Le Bas How long has the exhibition been in preparation? Since my last solo show at St Anne’s, so it has been three years in the making. Previous subjects and canvases have been re-visited and re-worked. With several paintings on the go simultaneously, I have been able to expand possibilities of expression. The snowdrops have been painted in the most extreme light and weather conditions so far. I like the element of surprise when painting, and these delicate but sturdy flowers have certainly offered that to me. Your knowledge of this part of the Sussex landscape must by now be quite profound. Describe for us the experience of working in the landscape. One of the joys of painting within the landscape is the freedom of response it affords. The experience of walking, listening and discovering where to paint is essential to the eventual mood of each landscape painting, before the painting is started. Mount Caburn and Firle Beacon, Midsummer came about through previously painting them individually, and feeling how they are closely connected - like two sisters. The sky feels immense in this location along the River Ouse valley. In this painting I have brought them closer together than they actually are in reality. The painting didn’t start out like this though; it became an emotive and formal decision. You have said that sound is an important component of your artistic inspiration. Please explain. John Constable said ‘the everlasting voice of the sea’ as a response to painting it. Sound can be an intrinsic part of working outdoors, either subconsciously, or as a reminder to stop and listen . An acknowledgment of our breadth of perception can encompass sound as well as a visual response. At Hope Gap, the sound of the oyster catchers’ low flight is upliftingly joyful. Then again, the quietness there can seem to hush the waves. Transposing this in painting is the challenge. How do you think your work has progressed over the last three years? I have strived for an increased sensitivity between the sky and land/sea. Also, the emotional connection to the subjects has gained a greater meaning. Through colour I have tried to evoke a specific mood and underlying structure. These elements have evolved gradually, as when one painting has been ‘resolved’, it can suggest the next.
Bluebells, Beacon Hill. Oil on canvas. 50 x 50 cm (opposite, detail)
Mount Caburn and Firle Beacon. Oil on canvas. 72 x 95 cm (top) The South Downs From Woodingdean, After Snowfall. Oil on canvas. 45 x 62 cm (above) Pomana, Charleston Farmhouse Garden. Oil on canvas. 70 x 70 cm (opposite, detail)
Hope Gap Cliffs, Looking West. Oil on canvas. 56 x 61 cm (detail)
Flowers - Interior. Oil on canvas. 42 x 30 cm
Snowdrops, Dusk to Dark. Oil on canvas. 30 x40 cm (top) View Towards Sheffield Park From Fletching. Oil on canvas. 41 x 50 cm (above)
JULIAN LE BAS TRAINING Hertfordshire College of Art & Design Brighton Polytechnic (tutor Dennis Creffield) Cyprus College of Art SELECTED SOLO SHOWS Collective Gallery, Edinburgh Bede Gallery, Jarrow Towner, Eastbourne HQ Gallery, Lewes St Anne’s Galleries, Lewes SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS The London Group, South London Gallery Dimensions, SE Arts, Sweden Royal Overseas League Annual (prize -winner), London 75th Anniversary of Glamorgan Summer School, Cardiff David Bomberg: Some Students and Current Influences, Towner, Eastbourne The Sussex Scene, Hove Museum & Art Gallery and Towner, Eastbourne Jerwood Drawing Prize, Cheltenham and Hull The Spirit in Nature, Mall Galleries, London Morley Gallery, London Green Sussex Fading Into Blue, St. Anne’s Galleries, Lewes COMMISSIONED PROJECTS Charleston Farmhouse: Small Wonder, Centenary (2016), Conversations with Cows (2017) PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Towner, Eastbourne Kent Institute of Art and Design West Sussex County Council
Snowdrops, Winter Afternoon. oil on canvas, 27 x 20cm (left, detail)
Craven Wood, Summer Sunset. Oil on canvas. 50x 50 cm (front cover, detail)
Mount Caburn and Firle Beacon, Evening Light. Oil on canvas. 50 x 70 cm (opposite, detail)
St Anne’s GALLERies REPRESENTING SUSSEX ARTISTS
111 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1XY mobile. 07777 691 050 sok@stannesgalleries.com www.stannesgalleries.com