mike Lewishon

I began work as a printmaker in London in 1983. Two years later I was awarded a painting scholarship to the Royal Academy of Art in Copenhagen. At the time, contemporary art in Denmark was influenced by German Neo-Expressionism and I experimented in figurative symbolism using bold marks and strong colours. On my return to the UK in 1986, I moved to Bristol. It was an exciting place and time to be artist. My painting underwent a process of reduction and became more abstract. I used organic forms that were based on the patterns found in natural world. Environmental symbolism played a role where arcs, circles and seeds became constant themes in my work. My paintings became a celebration of the rhythms and beauty of nature.
 
My move to Clare in 1996 represented a deep need to be immersed in the natural world. It’s sheer beauty and timeless qualities had me bewitched. After studying, building a home and planting trees, my art continued. In 2006 I began a four year photography project based on a detailed look at the natural surfaces of Clare. I combined pairs of photographs, the patterns in each one effecting the other. I travelled all over the county exploring and recording the huge variety of surfaces. Ultimately I produced 112 of these paired images which then became part of a book that was published in 2009.
 
Since then my painting and photography has been about the relationship between land and water. The extraordinary coastline, lakes, and rivers that exist around Clare produce an ever changing and evolving landscape. I’m particularly interested in that space in between, where land meets water. This edge is forever changing, it is a place of flux and movement. Usually in my paintings there is a focal point; maybe a hill, tree or band of colour. We are invited to look across to this place, where hope, freedom, understanding or peace might exist.
 
https://www.mikelewisohn.com/