En plein air AN EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY
ALISTAIR ERSKINE
En plein air AN EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY
ALISTAIR ERSKINE (B.1959) All works are available to purchase from this catalogue Exhibition: 7th – 15th October Monday to Friday: 10am – 6pm Saturday: 11am – 4pm Any other time by appointment
15 Langton Street, Chelsea, London SW10 0JL E: james@jhba.co.uk | W: jamesharveybritishart.com | T: +44 (0)20 7 352 0015
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1
B
orn in 1959 ALISTAIR JOHN ERSKINE has
of colour through tonal planning and outline.
spent his working life as a freelance decorative
When attempting to convey the poetry of nature
artist. Working on a wide range of conventional and
through painting he has a scientific or analytical
contemporary projects, he has worked alongside many
approach, a mindset perhaps initiated by the
internationally renowned designers such as Dudley
typographic design course where analysis of visual
Poplak, Veere Grenney, Gabhan O’Keeffe, David
language was central. “I discovered that colour
Laws, Guy Oliver, Colefax & Fowler, Sophie Stonor,
interest was relative or interactive. By working swiftly
Nina Campbell, Nicholas Haslam, and Christophe
and with painterly extraction, I try to capture fleeting
Gollut. The Gallery is delighted to be presenting his
interaction of colour with colour and with light and
first solo exhibition in October in which he will be
composition. I aim for unaffected freshness.”
showing a group of pictures that represent a period of work from 1979 to the present day all being seen for the first time.
“In my land and seascape paintings, always done ‘en plein air’, I try to convey mood or sense of place”. Although human form plays little or no part in his
Brought up in Dorset and Hampshire much of
paintings, he is conscious that landscape without
Alistair’s inspiration comes from his travels on family
reference to human habitation can lose meaning,
holidays in the West Country, East Anglia, France
so buildings or other simple man-made effects are
and Scotland. Although not religious himself, his
usually included in composition however simply
family background has connections with the Scottish
expressed. Alongside his land and seascapes, his
Episcopal and Anglican churches and it is perhaps
still life paintings have a wonderfully direct quality.
not surprising that John Constable’s simple ‘rapture
They are perhaps a little more highly worked than
before nature’ and pantheistic viewpoint, seems to
his landscapes but still retain the ‘moment’ of
resonate with his own motivation. He is most drawn
observation and in this discipline he is conscious of
to working as directly as possible from nature – as
not overworking his subject and staying true to his
Wordsworth described his desire to capture visual
‘en plein air’ technique. This skill is carried through
beauty that has ‘no need of a remoter charm by
his charming and very intimate watercolours
thought supplied’.
and drawings.
Inspired by the ‘en plein air’ oil sketches of Constable, Corot, Frederic Leighton and William Nicholson his
Front cover: Regatta at Salcombe (page 2)
own work also has links to the Scottish colourists
Back cover: Walker’s Hill, Alton Barnes,
sharing their interest in their more intense extraction
Wiltshire (page 6)
2
Regatta at Salcombe. Signed. Dated ‘04. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 23 x 30 cm
3
The Ferry, Salcombe. Signed. Dated ‘06. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 15.5 x 24.5 cm
4
The Long Stone, Butter Cove, Thurlestone Signed. Dated ‘06. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 14.5 x 23 cm
From Broadsands, Thurlestone Signed. Dated ‘07. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 24 x 31.5 cm
5
Bosham Quay. Signed. Dated ‘89. Oil on Canvas. 36 x 51 cm
6
Coastal Path, Noss Mayo Signed. Dated ‘08. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 18 x 24 cm
Walker’s Hill, Alton Barnes, Wiltshire Signed. Dated ‘98. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 30 x 40.5 cm
7
Loam Castle, Thurlestone Signed. Dated ‘06. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 15 x 23 cm
Marsh Court River Signed. Dated ‘10. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 17 x 24.5 cm
8
Daffodils Signed. Dated ‘10. Oil on Board. 29.5 x 34.5 cm
Still Life with Freisias Signed. Dated ‘98. Oil on Board. 19 x 24 cm
9
Montana
Still Life with Pink, White and Red Roses
Signed. Dated ‘07.
Signed. Dated ‘06.
Oil on Board. 32.5 x 30.5 cm
Oil on Board. 36 x 30.5 cm
10
Dittisham Signed. Dated ‘98. Oil on Board. 24 x 30 cm
The Old Boathouse, Bantham Signed. Dated ‘06. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 20 x 25.5 cm
11
Bantham Estuary. Signed. Dated ‘03. Oil on Board. 23 x 30 cm
12
Montségur, Ariège Signed. Dated ‘07. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 20.5 x 25.5 cm
Moulin Huet, Guernsey Signed. Dated ‘84. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 13 x 18 cm
13
River Carron Signed. Dated ‘04. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 20 x 26.5 cm
Seascape at Mothecombe, Devon Signed. Dated ‘98. Oil on Board. 22 x 30 cm
14
The Lake at Thenford Signed. Dated ‘91. Inscribed Verso. Watercolour on Paper. 17 x 27 cm
Across the ‘Bag’ at Bosham Signed. Dated ‘88. Inscribed Verso. Watercolour on Paper. 17 x 23 cm
15
Still Life with Cornflowers. Signed. Dated ‘05. Oil on Board. 44.5 x 36.5 cm
16
Ribebon, St Aulaye, Dordogne Signed. Dated ‘87. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 30 x 41 cm
Nivelle, Dordogne Signed. Dated ‘99. Oil on Board. 30.5 x 40.5 cm
17
The Dordogne near Pessac Signed. Dated ‘07. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 18 x 25.5 cm
Fields Near Little Cheverell Signed. Dated ‘92. Oil on Board. 21 x 29.5 cm
18
The Oceanographic Museum, Monaco Signed. Dated ‘93. Inscribed Verso. Watercolour on Paper. 12.5 x 18.5 cm
Ghajn Tuffieha Bay, Malta Signed. Inscribed Verso. Watercolour on Paper. 10 x 15 cm
19
Top left: The Hallway, Friars Well Signed. Dated ‘88. Inscribed. Pen and Ink on Paper. 20 x 15 cm Top right: Still Life with Biscuit Barrel Signed. Dated ‘02. Watercolour on Paper. 17 x 14 cm Below right: Still Life with Apples and Grapefruit Signed. Dated ‘06. Watercolour on Paper. 14 x 17.5 cm
20
View from Dizard, Pessac-sur-Dordogne Signed. Dated ‘07. Oil on Board. 27 x 34.5 cm
View from South Bank with HMS Wellington Signed. Dated ‘04. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 22 x 30 cm
21
Fishing on the River Test at Longstock. Signed. Dated ‘05. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 30 x 40.5 cm
22
On Wandsworth Common
In the Garden, 58 Ravenslea Road
Signed. Dated ‘88. Inscribed Verso.
Signed. Dated ‘93.
Oil on Board. 21 x 15 cm
Watercolour on Paper. 19.5 x 13.5 cm
23
On the Banks of The Dordogne, Pessac
Poplars at Nivelle
Signed. Dated ‘07.
Signed. Dated ‘97.
Oil on Board. 30.5 x 25.5 cm
Oil on Board. 28 x 25 cm
24
Looking towards Poole from Studland Signed. Dated ‘99. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Canvas. 25.5 x 35.5 cm
Near Pessac-sur-Dordogne Signed. Dated ‘07. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 30.5 x 41 cm
25
Low Tide at Studland Signed. Dated ‘95. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 16 x 22.5 cm
Mothecombe Beach at Low Tide Signed. Dated ‘06. Oil on Board. 28 x 35 cm
26
Welsh Landscape Signed. Dated ‘96. Oil on Board. 22 x 30 cm
View over St Enedoc, Cornwall Signed. Dated ‘95. Oil on Board. 20 x 29 cm
27
Mushrooms. Signed. Dated ‘07. Oil on Board. 36.5 x 44.5 cm
28
Coast near Bawdsey, Suffolk Signed. Dated ‘98. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 30 x 40 cm
By the Walnut Orchard, Dordogne Signed. Dated ‘07. Oil on Board. 31 x 40 cm
29
Windsor Castle from the Brocas Signed. Dated ‘86. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 11.5 x 15 cm
Windsor Castle from the Brocas in Autumn Signed. Dated ‘93. Oil on Board. 15 x 21 cm
30
Cliffs at Bawdsey, Suffolk Signed. Dated ‘98. Inscribed Verso. Oil on Board. 30 x 40.5 cm
Cherry Trees Signed. Dated ‘07. Oil on Board. 20 x 25.5 cm
PRICES Page Title
Price
Page Title
Price
2
Regatta at Salcombe
£1750
17
Fields Near Little Cheverell
£860
3
The Ferry, Salcombe
£2100
18
Ghajn Tuffieha Bay, Malta
£220
4
From Broadsands, Thurlestone
£1500
18
The Oceanographic Museum, Monaco
£500
4
The Long Stone, Butter Cove, Thurlestone
£950
19
Still Life with Apples and Grapefruit
£300
5
Bosham Quay
£2500
19
Still Life with Biscuit Barrel
£300
6
Coastal Path, Noss Mayo
£580
19
The Hallway, Friars Well
£400
6
Walker’s Hill, Alton Barnes, Wiltshire
£1100
20
View from Dizard, Pessac-sur-Dordogne
7
Loam Castle, Thurlestone
£720
20
View from South Bank with HMS Wellington
7
Marsh Court River
£950
21
Fishing on the River Test at Longstock
8
Daffodils
£1200
22
In the Garden, 58 Ravenslea Road
£420
8
Still Life with Freisias
£950
22
On Wandsworth Common
£700
9
Montana
£1400
23
On the Banks of The Dordogne, Pessac
9
Still Life with Pink, White and Red Roses
£1750
23
Poplars at Nivelle
10
Dittisham
£1300
24
Near Pessac-sur-Dordogne
£1400
10
The Old Boathouse, Bantham
£950
24
Looking towards Poole from Studland
£1750
11
Bantham Estuary
£1850
25
Low Tide at Studland
£720
12
Montségur, Ariège
£580
25
Mothecombe Beach at Low Tide
£720
12
Moulin Huet, Guernsey
£500
26
View over St Enedoc, Cornwall
£640
13
River Carron
£980
26
Welsh Landscape
£640
13
Seascape at Mothecombe, Devon
£980
27
Mushrooms
£2500
14
Across the ‘Bag’ at Bosham
£950
28
By the Walnut Orchard, Dordogne
£1100
14
The Lake at Thenford
£950
28
Coast near Bawdsey, Suffolk
£1300
15
Still Life with Cornflowers
£4000
29
Windsor Castle from the Brocas in Autumn
£950
16
Nivelle, Dordogne
£1300
29
Windsor Castle from the Brocas
£520
16
Ribebon, St Aulaye, Dordogne
£1100
30
Cliffs at Bawdsey, Suffolk
£1400
17
The Dordogne near Pessac
£700
30
Cherry Trees
£1100
£1100 £850 £1800
£1100 £750
15 Langton Street, Chelsea, London SW10 0JL E: james@jhba.co.uk | W: jamesharveybritishart.com | T: +44 (0)20 7 352 0015