Showcasing a stunning collection of watercolours that continue his exploration of the dramatic maritime boundaries of south and west England, Drawn To The Coast expands upon the intricately layered and textured abstract landscapes which captured the imagination at his previous Paisnel Gallery show, Pillars Of Light.
Gardiner's work always thrills with its spirit and sense of place, his understanding of the unique contours of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset underpinning work revelling in geology and history, nature and memory. Each watercolour in Drawn To The Coast has been painstakingly worked upon using two sheets of 640 gram cotton rag, which Gardiner cuts into, paints and engraves - a layering effect which mirrors the artist's deep interest in the detail of the natural world.
These are powerful, atmospheric expressions of landscapes in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Isle of Wight and Lundy which share the same lineage as the acrylic and jesmonite works on poplar panel. St Ives Rooftops, August, Cornwall conveys the quiet beauty of dusk without ever tripping into sentimentality, while the large foreground of the expansive Early Morning, Anvil Point, Dorset offers an emotive sense of, as Gardiner puts it, "empty desolation".
"I am trying to harness the sensation of the different seasons by exaggerating shapes, form and colour," says Gardiner of pieces that began as field sketches and working line drawings and often use architectural shapes to create contrast between man made and organic forms.
Even a seemingly straightforward landscape watercolour - Morning Walk, The Lizard, Cornwall - is imbued with a rare depth and quality emphasized by the artist's use of premature technique; the surface patterns of agricultural cultivation offering an abstract design of echoing colours, upon which Gardiner has engraved and incised intriguing detail.
"Ever since we were first introduced to Jeremy's work we've been enthralled by his meticulous attention to detail, the sophisticated technique of his paintings and the stories they tell," says Stephen Paisnel. "Drawn To The Coast is his fifth show here and will delight the wide variety of people who enjoyed his previous exhibitions at Paisnel Gallery as well as serving as a striking introduction for newcomers to his wonderful body of work."
