Studio Hours

About

‘Studio Hours’ presents new paintings by Tom Saunders and Josephine Rowntree, an exhibition that is the outcome of a decade of conversation and shared studio time. It is not primarily a collaboration, and the differences in the works are immediately apparent. However, all the works are centered on differing relationships and connections to the development of modern painting, and its continuing relevance in the era of information capitalism.

The antagonism between vitalistic, spontaneous and intuitive drives on the one hand, and an ordered and technical approach on the other, forms a powerful motivating force for both artists.

Josephine Rowntree’s abstract paintings record an interest in the duration between the time when an idea is formed and the moment it is acted upon. This duration is present in her paintings, which comprise abstract and figurative elements that interact haphazardly to create a visual map of an idea or a feeling. Although this desire has been present in her work before, it is developing to become more spontaneous and direct. The new paintings show an interest in finding a way to visualise time - a representation that is instinctive and abstracted but that hints at the “real” through its vibrant and energetic quality.

Tom Saunders’ new inkjet and acrylic paintings have given photography a central place in the creative process, and reflect in a direct way on the self-identification as an artist, and how this connects to the architectural, literary and psychological space of the studio. Using layers of paint to reactivate the surface in certain areas, the works refuse to fully abandon the visceral pleasure of material shaped and influenced by the hand. In this way the works aim at being an exposition of the manifold desires, dreams, delusions, failures and hopes that are an ever-present part of the artistic mind.