Stephen Price
A new series of works by Pembrokeshire-based artist Adam Taylor which are now on show at leading Welsh gallery, Ffin-y-Parc, have been described as ‘a revelation’.
Adam’s talent was recognised when he won the Ffin y Parc Prize late in 2021, and since then he’s gone on to amass almost 100,000 followers on Instagram – as well as being represented in Spain and Scotland, with collectors from across the world.
Described as ‘one of the most important artists working in Wales today’, Adam works closely with the land and seascapes of Pembrokeshire – his work often suggesting or inspire by his oneness with the elements around him.
Ffin y Parc write: “Adam strives to capture the atmosphere and changing moods of the land and sea, distilling and refining basic elements to create meditative, eloquent compositions.
“He brings to his work a consciousness of how human interactions have used and shaped the landscape. He is also aware of how our changeable states of mind can alter what we see and how we feel.
“He works predominantly in oil but also uses enamel paint and elements of collage. He trained in Fine Art in Cardiff, graduating in 2004.
“In March 2022, Adam had his first exhibition with us. During that year he was also elected an associate member of the Royal Cambrian Academy and he was personally chosen by Sean Scully to appear in an exhibition which he curated at Flowers gallery in London.”
He told Nation Cymru previously: “My paintings are abstract and are mostly depictions of my surroundings. I work on panels using oil paint, bitumen, spray cans and oil sticks.
“I like my work to have an aged look, a sort of decay. I find thinned down bitumen (the stuff you waterproof felt roofs with) rubbed on to dried layers of paint gives such a warmth.
“When bitumen is used neat, the dark tone is so much warmer than any oil colour you can buy from the shops.
“I always try and pare down my paintings to their simplest form. I like the idea of producing an almost dreamlike landscape.”
“I worked for a foraging company when I first moved to Pembrokeshire, collecting sea weeds and plants.
“I had to spend hours on the beach and in forests in all kinds of weather. I still spend a lot of time outdoors.
“I never go into a painting with an idea of how it will turn out. I just start painting and I see what happens. Most of the time, when I plan a painting with an image in mind, it usually ends up in the scrap pile.”
He added: “There’s a certain peace out there in the rock pools and shoreline that hopefully comes across in my work.”
The evolution of his work has been a thrill to witness. He shared: “I started out at Art School doing still life paintings but when I moved to the coast I began painting the vast landscape around me.
“The minimalism started to creep into my work and the paintings naturally started becoming more abstract almost of their own accord. As ridiculous as it seems, it was difficult at first abandoning subject based paintings and going purely abstract.”
“Dynamic interplay”
Ralph Sanders from Ffin y Parc shared: “It is very exciting to have a show of new work by Adam, which he has made especially for us.
“These are works full of mystery and ambiguity. Adam distils and recovers his memory of a response to a particular landscape on a particular occasion, viewed through the evocation of a particular mood or mindset. Through layers of abstraction and translation. A dynamic interplay between the external and inner worlds.
“Adam’s work is as pure and concise as it can possibly be. The sparse mark making and subdued palette eschews anything that isn’t necessary. The work may appear calm, reticent almost. Silent, almost mute. It whispers decorously and elegantly. It is a persuasive prelude.
“While it may be possible, and comfortable to let one’s eye glance off the meticulous gnomic surfaces of these beautifully presented paintings, they mean to halt you in your tracks. They are full of a tense, tight energy. The self-possession is disquieting.
“The stillness and concentration of Adam’s work can make you aware of the thump of your own heartbeat, the pull of your own thoughts. And they produce a bump of adrenalin which is unnerving but extremely bracing.
“These paintings stare back unflinchingly. It is as if we are being recognised. Or found out.
“Adam’s work is a revelation.”
The new works from Adam Taylor can be seen in person at Ffin y Parc Gallery, Llandudno from 30 October – 21 November or can be viewed online now.
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