'Travelling Light' by Tom Benjamin

Travelling Light paintings of London, Tuscany, Provence and Sussex Tom Benjamin 4 MARCH - 19 MARCH 2017

ST ANNE’S GALLERIES

TRAVELLING LIGHT | RECENT PAINTINGS OF LONDON, TUSCANY, PROVENCE AND SUSSEX “For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value.”

Claude Monet Sarah O’Kane in conversation with Tom Benjamin It’s been three years since your last solo exhibition.

What changes and developments have you noticed in your painting?

This show will look quite different from the last one although there are lots of continuities. I am still making my paintings entirely in front of the subject but I have started to work on each one for shorter intervals in order to better capture specific qualities of light. When the light changes I move on to another painting and return to the painting at the same time another day. I am exploring new subjects: London and also towns and villages in southern France and Italy. Water as a subject is becoming more important in my work.

What drew you to paint in London? Describe the experience.

I remember standing on the balcony of the Royal Festival Hall and being struck by the scale and atmosphere of the city. I find London as a subject particularly exciting: the Thames, the natural landscape with man-made structures and the alternative sources of light. London feels exotic to me. I love the dawn and the dusk. Although I take what comes with the weather, London is particularly good to paint in grey and rainy weather.

Certain areas of Tuscany and Provence have become subjects for you.

There’s a lot to be said for getting to know a place deeply. I’ve been teaching several weeks a year in these regions and the light and forms give me new opportunities; when I come back, I rediscover Sussex afresh.

In this show you’ve returned to painting scenes with boats.

They are visually rich and beautiful forms. The boats I paint aren’t the posh ones but the ones that are returning to nature, rusting. There is the sense they are changing, along with the light and tides.

Brighton is an enduring subject for you.

I love the whole atmosphere of Brighton. With that independent spirit it’s visually very rich. The light is fantastic. There is a lot of reflected light off the pale buildings.

I see that you’ve really developed your seascapes.

I’ve the urge to do the coastline justice. I find Cuckmere and Hope Gap extremely beautiful. As a painter I’m drawn to the complicated textures which create a sense of grand space. There are endless possibilities as it’s so fast-changing.

How do you make the final selection of paintings to exhibit?

The ultimate test is: does it feel powerful? Does it feel how it was being there? If I’ve conjured the experience, it’s a success. When I’m on the spot, it almost feels ridiculous that it can be translated onto a flat surface.

But painting is so fast and intuitive and alive that if I get it all down, it works.

DAWN OVER VINEYARD I oil on panel 20 x 25 cm

THE KOMEDIA, BRIGHTON, RAIN oil on panel 28 x 35 cm

FROM GREEN PARK oil on panel 23 x 30 cm

TIDE OUT AT CUCKMERE oil on linen 65 x 52 cm (detail)

THE ALBERT BRIDGE FROM BATTERSEA PARK oil on linen 46 x 60 cm (detail)

THE ORANGE AWNING, BRIGHTON oil on linen 40 x 30 cm

THE ALBERT BRIDGE FROM CHELSEA EMBANKMENT, AFTERNOON (TOP) oil on canvas 61 x 76 cm (detail)

THE LONDON EYE AT DUSK oil on canvas 61 x 76 cm (detail)

NEWHAVEN HARBOUR AT LOW TIDE, WINTER SUN oil on canvas 70 x 91 cm

ADELAIDE CRESCENT, HOVE I (TOP)

SILVER BIRCHES, WINTER OIL

THE SPRING-FED POOL (TOP)

TREE LINED TRACK IN PROVENCE, SUNLIGHT

oil on linen 36 x 36 cm (detail)

oil on panel 25 x 20 cm (detail)

oil on panel 25 x 20 cm (detail)

oil on panel 30 x 23 cm (detail)

THE OCHRE TRACK oil on panel 23 x 30 cm

TOM BENJAMIN Tom Benjamin was born in 1967. He trained at Norwich School of Art, graduating in 1989. He lives in Lewes with his partner and three children.

Tom is represented by St Anne’s Galleries. His work is in private and corporate collections across the UK as well as in the US, Japan and Europe.

PREVIOUS GALLERY EXHIBITIONS St Anne’s Galleries Gallery 10, London The Anna-Mei Chadwick Gallery, London The Roy Miles Gallery, London Charleston Farmhouse, Sussex Star Gallery, Lewes HQ Gallery, Lewes New English Art Club Royal Society of British Artists

AUTUMN LIGHT, SAIGNON (TOP) oil on panel 30 x 23 cm RUSHING WATER, LIMA RIVER I oil on panel 18 x 25 cm

DAWN OVER VINEYARD II oil on panel 20 x 25 cm (detail)

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