Jeremy Gardiner, Pillars of Light, Coastal Lighthouses of the South West

About

Jeremy Gardiner, Pillars of Light, Coastal Lighthouses of the South West

For Pillars of Light, Gardiner spent many months on the British coastline, making meticulous line drawings, studying weather conditions and painting. This was followed by time in the studio where he translated these locations and feelings into colours, textures and shapes. Describing his work as “capturing fleeting sensations between recollection and imagination to create moments of eternity”, the resulting paintings fizz with history, culture and a sense of place, as the lighthouses create evocative views of some of the most isolated outposts of the British Isles.

“These majestic structures can be found throughout Britain’s coastline,” says Gardiner, “and besides their architectural beauty, lighthouses have a symbolic significance; they are feats of Victorian engineering, designed to withstand storms and waves, a symbol of man's struggle with nature. They can best be conveyed not by imitating in paint the appearance of their parts, but by summoning up their essential nature through the use of light, space and colour. The landscapes are not static, and when I walk the coastline the composition of the scenery constantly changes.”

'These paintings are the product of a prolonged engagement with lighthouses and their histories, and with some of the most evocative of Britain's coastal landscapes.' 

Christiana Payne, Art Historian

As well as the very informative exhibition catalogue, there is a documentary film online where you can see Gardiner at work at https://vimeo.com/181173959 .