Patrick Lewis | Landscape | Figurative | Still Life | Painting | Drawing

I see painting as being the experience of observing an object or location and recording that experience over a period of time. I always work from observation as it is easier to paint something you are looking at rather than trying to build the image away from the subject later on. I am still learning that when you paint from life you are not copying or capturing what you see, as such. You are reproducing it in your own way, reconstructing your own version of what you see before you. You will see that the headings of each page on this site and the works shown do not always correspond exactly, however the page titles seem to cover most subjects included.

My Painting Method:

I start a painting by finding the most prominent colour and mixing this as closely as I can, considering its tone as well. When I have placed this I then do the same for the other colours that my eye is immediately drawn to, mixing and placing them in relation to the first. I carry on in this manner until most of the surface is covered and the broad areas of colour have been placed. Next is to then draw into the painting with a finer brush using a complementary colour to that which dominates. Then it is back to mixing and placing the colours, always considering their relationships as they sit next to each other. I continue in this manner, working over previous layers until I feel some balance or sense of place has been reached. Sometimes a painting is completed in one session. On other occasions I have to keep returning to the same painting over four or five different days. I paint on mdf board primed with acrylic gesso and covered with a warm ground such as burnt siena. For the past few years I have been using acrylic paints as they are so practical, particularly when painting outdoors.

Bio:

I was born in Antigua in the Caribbean and grew up in Cornwall, England. I am based in Oxford, England, but retain connections with Cornwall. I have a BA (hons) degree in Fine Art from Wirral Metropolitan College and a National Diploma from Plymouth College of Art and Design. I am interested in many types of painting and, being curious about modern painting, have tried my hand at large colour field paintings in the past. However, over the years it has always been the case that I have returned to working from observation.

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