Martin Laurance

From Land to Sea A solo exhibition of recent works by Martin Laurance at Mandell’s Gallery 12 Jan – 8 Feb 2020.

Martin began his career as an engraver and graphic designer, before taking a B.Ed in art and design. After graduation Martin concentrated solely upon drawing, particularly life drawing and rarely exhibited work at this time.

By the early 1990’s Martin became interested in landscape. After the discipline of the figure and the austerity of pencil and charcoal the scale of his work became large with vibrant colour replacing monochrome. His recent work has seen a return to monochrome and it’s expressive possibilities, but colour still remains central to most of his work.

‘Martin Laurance has a unique style, not derivative of, or in the manner of any other artist. His artworks can contain found paper pertaining to the subject, a shipping chart used as the basis for a coastal view, with layered paper and collage. These elements provide a strong textural feel, this combined with his confidence in using strong colours result in highly individual work. Martin Laurance is equally happy with monochrome work. His oil paintings, at first glance, could be read as abstract works but on closer examination become more representational. His recent paintings of the Norfolk coast feature strongly in this exhibition.‘ John Allen, Mandell’s Gallery

In my paintings, I try to convey the spirit and reality of a place. Going beyond the immediate sensation to something felt and experienced. Many of my locations are very well known to me and have been walked over and drawn many times. In the studio, I use this raw material to create a work that is true to my experience. By allowing other elements such as memory to enter the picture making process at this stage the work becomes richer, and to me, more meaningful. I work in a variety of mixed media; oil, acrylic, collage, ink, charcoal, watercolour and gouache, singly or in combinations on paper or canvas.