In conversation with Lupen Crook – the

 Lupen Crook photographed by Willow Vincent

 “Check Mate”, oil on canvas

a conversation with lupen crook

Writer

Willow Vincent

Born in Medway, Lupen Crook initially made his name as a singersongwriter, developing a reputation for offbeat, poetic lyrics and a DIY, “outsider” ethos. He has now returned to Kent after several years of being thrown around London’s unrelenting carousel

In the six months since settling in Ramsgate, Lupen has dedicated himself to exploring his practice as a visual artist, which has culminated in a new series of oil paintings entitled Little Deaths. This comes from, a French term usually attributed to the post-orgasm experience. But Crook explains, “It’s more than that, it’s about all of the climactic moments we experience in our lives.”

With their lacy patterns and primitive marks, his paintings communicate trauma, catharsis and dreamlike ecstasy through surrealist, bodily imagery. Sitting in his Ramsgate kitchen, being intermittently pestered by a black cat with a habit of climbing on his shoulders, I ask him about his process and plans for the future.

Tell me about what makes this current series of paintings different from your previous work.

I think I’ve had a weird breakthrough. All I’ve dealt with before is what’s literally in front of me, and then I’ve added the magic on top – the psychedelic gauze over a building or a street scene. But the process has now totally flipped. Whether it’s a smoky pink or a murky yellow, colour is the first thing I think about and it’s enabled me to mainline into the emotion behind the painting. Sort of like automatic painting. Colour is primal and pre-thought.

Would you say that your style has become more abstract as a result of this?

Whilst I don’t consider my style to be abstract, my first layers have to be abstract because they are just an emotion via colour, and there’s no form at this stage at all. But it’s also been my gateway into dealing with the figurative. I’ve rarely painted people, it’s always been buildings and structures, but reducing things to colour, shape and feeling has given me a pathway to explore bodies in my work. After all, we’re all just vehicles of meat and bones, full of lots of other magic.

 “Crash Mat”, oil stick on canvas

Do you have any further upcoming plans to show your work?

What role has relocating to Ramsgate played in the development of your art?

For me, London began to feel suffocating. People pretending to be people on top of people struggling to be anyone at all. I couldn’t find a way to fit into that. Coming down here has enabled me to have a bit of creative space, where I can just paint and not worry about a competition or race. There are so many artists in Ramsgate, doing different things, but we’re all looking at the sea. Painting is a very peaceful and beautiful process, not unlike watching the waves.

When I first moved down to Thanet, I discovered the Pie Factory in Margate and booked an exhibition for May 2023. I currently have a painting from my new collection on display in a group exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, London (until 18 November). I’m starting to develop some ideas for a curated exhibition that will build on the themes from my recent show at the Wooden Box Gallery. I’ll also be releasing new music in 2023.