Luke Elwes’ method of working gives rise, he says, to a mood of reverie. Thinking about climate change, water shortages or floods, the power of the river to give and to take, he makes his gentle marks with rich colours and areas of emptiness. These he dissolves and floats, sometimes with river water or oil paint thinners which he allows to trickle or flow across his paper or canvas. The results seem to reflect light, inviting us to look into them quietly as if they were pools of water.

Luke Elwes studied history at Bristol University and painting at Camberwell Art School, followed by an MA in Art History at Birkbeck College, London University. He travels extensively, discovering and revisiting remote locations in India, Asia Minor and North Africa. In 1998 he was artist in residence on an expedition to Mount Kailash, a holy mountain in western Tibet. Since 2000 he has worked for long periods on an island off the East Coast of the UK. In 2011 he gave his ‘Artist’s Eye’ talk at the National Gallery. He also writes about contemporary art for journals including Modern Painters, Royal Academy Magazine, Galleries Magazine and Abstract Critical.com. In 2013 he was awarded a grant to study at the Vermont Studio Center and in 2015 he was resident artist at the Albers Foundation (USA). His work is in collections in the UK, USA and Europe. He exhibits regularly in London and internationally.

Please contact us on gallery@sladersyard.co.uk or telephone 01308 459511 if you would like to enquire about any of Luke Elwes’ new work.