Reuben Colley Fine Arts are proud to present Shadow and Light, the first solo exhibition in Birmingham by internationally collected artist Mark Godwin.
Mark was born and lived most of his early life in Birmingham. At the age of 21 he moved to London to further his artistic career, finally relocating to his current home in East Sussex, where he has his studio practice, just over 10 years ago.
Shadow and Light
‘From the start of this exhibition the idea had been to use both my current surroundings in East Sussex and some of my old haunts in Birmingham as the inspiration for a new series of paintings. The two locations are very different, one a busy, and vibrant urban environment, and the other, a quiet and more pastoral place. Taken at face value the paintings in this exhibition reflect this.However as the paintings were hanging on the walls of my studio or sitting on the easel awaiting more attention, another theme of these works became apparent. This is a show less about specific, actual place, and more about place defined by shadow and light. These paintings are not transcripts of what I see, more like translations in terms of the medium of oil painting. Photographic details dissolve into painterly structures, and abstract tracts of paint merge into the landscape motif. The qualities of colour and gesture eventually ‘see beyond’ the image and assume autonomous aesthetic values.Perhaps the best way to approach these paintings is to see them as a series of shifting scenes, with an indirect mention to, and appearance of truth.’Mark Godwin, September 2012
The exhibition launches on Saturday 13th October at 6.30 pm with a drinks reception in the company of Mark Godwin.
For more information about the exhibition or to register your interest in attending the private view please contact the gallery 0121 449 3744 /tim@colleyisongallery.co.uk