Gordon Seward in his workshop
An Occitan for 30 years, Gordon Seward’s English origins are reminded only by a slight accent and a sense of formula tinged with sparkling humour.
The artist’s figurative paintings are full of generous gentleness, without being mawkish or mannered.
Far from fashions and trends, Gordon Seward is free with colour, light and volume. Artistes Actuels met him in his studio.
A workshop in the same spirit as his paintings
In a rural house in Occitanie (south of France), the room is cool in the shade of thick walls with small windows that let in bright, warm light and the joyful sound of nature. The walls are covered in oil-painted graffiti that echo some of his recurring motifs, such as arabesques, interlacing plants, portrait silhouettes, birds and flowers. The walls are filled with old memories, alongside paintings in progress, empty stretchers and a few books and CDs.
Garden and nature, even indoors
When he creates in his atelier, for the comfort of his back and the suppleness of his gesture, Gordon Seward paints half standing, half sitting on a swing, fixed by a very sophisticated system to the ceiling beams. The swing is ideal for standing back, for working in a relaxed attitude and for reaching with a lateral movement the tables where his palette, tubes, brushes and linseed oil are resting
Even inside his workshop, Gordon Seward lives as if in a garden. And his straw hat is never far away: either as a motif for painting, or as an essential accessory for painting outdoors, as he likes to do.
Compositions for a strong impressions
Gordon Seward’s paintings are not photographs, but sensations. His carefully designed compositions capture a moment and allow the eye to wander freely. He highlights the beautiful in the mundane and the extraordinary in an ordinary scene.
Terraces, gardens, panoramic views from a window, with or without figures, are ablaze with the warmth and joy of the colours of the South: lavender, yellow ochre or poppy red, pine forest green or the soft green of the gardens, azure blue or Greek blue…
Occitan light, the music of nature, the joy of life in a small village: Gordon Seward loves the simple things in life and paints them grandly.
"Painting is about putting vanity in the right place".
For Gordon Seward, it is necessary to learn to make beautiful things for oneself and not to be loved. Gordon Seward works in volume and in large scale: he has created a number of wooden sculptures on a personal basis, and this taste for volume shines through on his canvases, either with thick brushstrokes or sometimes with the insertion of small objects. He also likes to venture into classical themes such as the “Descent from the Cross”, or large formats in the style of church altarpieces.
Whatever the subject of his paintings, it is always an emotional moment that is captured on the spot with plenty of light: you never get bored with a painting by Gordon Seward!
Gordon Seward 2023 exhibitions :
- Galerie Bouquières, June 5th to 25th in Toulouse
- Domaine de Lagoy, July 7th to September 30th in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
- Galerie Saint-Gilles, October 16th to 22 nd in Paris
In 2024 :
- Galerie de la Tour – march 1st to 15th in Lyon
More informations on : www.gordonseward.fr
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