Mary West is a London-based artist whose work merges abstract and figurative elements to explore landscape through light, space, and texture. Inspired by memories and emotions tied to specific places, her abstract landscape oil paintings emerge through intuitive gestures and layers, capturing fleeting moments.
MARY WEST'S CREATIVE JOURNEY
Painted both in the studio and en plein air, internal worlds mix with external worlds. Chance accidents keep the process exciting, leading her down unexpected paths. Her mark making is impulsive; the unknown result is thrilling. As she works, the paintings take on a life of their own, constantly surprising her. Seemingly insignificant drips create moments of beauty, a dash of pink punctuating a swathe of green, or burnt sienna giving way to a deep Prussian blue. It is these moments that bring her joy.
She gets lost within a painting in the same way one can get lost within a landscape. She hopes the work has an urgency and turbulence and yet at the same time a calmness. She relishes the ever-changing elements of nature and landscape, the wild and the peaceful, the ebb and the flow, and it is this she seeks in her paintings. She finds comfort in the cycles of the natural world, its unstoppable power and infinite beauty.
A MEDITATION ON NATURE
"The River Rolls On" explores our relationship with nature and takes solace in the unending flow of the tides and seasons and the trees that bear witness. As a London artist, she finds that the notion of London as an urban forest inspires her work, and she draws on its innate mystery.
EDUCATION & EXHIBITIONS
Mary West was born in London in 1980 and studied at The Slade School Of Fine Art. She lives and works in West London close to the river. The Thames features as an important source of inspiration in her work. Mary has become a significant presence in the contemporary art scene, with two solo shows and numerous group exhibitions, notably most recently with Delphian Gallery at The Saatchi Gallery. Her work has caught the eye of collectors both in the UK and internationally, with paintings now housed in the USA, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
