The Painter’s House: paintings by Chris Thompson
The work in this first exhibition of the year here represents something of a change of direction for Chris, which gathered pace during the isolation of the pandemic. At home every day, he painted the simple play of sunlight on a house wall and the painting Across the Street was included in last year’s Open exhibition here. That same skill in conveying light is evident in the group of paintings in this exhibition, as he uses it to imbue his scenes with a timeless quality and an intriguing sense of a life of their own in a way that is reminiscent of the artist Algernon Newton. Chris has said:-
The influence of Algernon Newton pervades all the pictures in this exhibition and ‘The Painter’s House’ is a direct homage to him. I have always found his quiet contemplation, subtle observations and the desire to find beauty in the everyday completely mesmerising. The painting that gives the exhibition its title is of an unknown place: the cat on the grass is real, the mysterious house may or may not be – it is in my head and it could just be that I haven’t actually walked past that house yet…
Chris will be in the gallery on the opening Saturday if you’d like to meet him and wine will be served in the afternoon (gallery will close at 6pm as usual).
If you’re unable to visit the gallery watch the video of the exhibition here
Chris Thompson: The Painter’s House 26th March – 10th April (closed Mondays), in the gallery at Town House.
All the works will be available to view on the website shortly before the opening of the exhibition. Click here to visit the Town House homepage.