IMPORTANT NOTICE : The site will be affected by essential maintenance on Thursday 5th August 2021. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
  • The Artists
  • Exhibitions
  • Training
  • Resources
  • Join
  • Hubs
  • Artist development
  • News & Events
  • Support us
  • Shop
easy read Accessibility Log in
  • Outside In
  • The Artists
  • Exhibitions
  • Training
  • Resources
  • Join
  • Hubs
  • Artist development
  • News & Events
  • Support us
  • Shop
  • Menu

Artist

Gavin Blench

Is this your gallery? Start editing it ›

My work deals with the tension between open and boundaried space within my local landscape, on the edge of Dartmoor, where there is an interplay relating the topographical to the social. Wild space butts against the needs and assertions of community. I portray place in its temporal aspect, showing the surface of the land as possessing a lifespan of its own that is imprinted by the activities of many of our own lifetimes; boundaries thousands of years old, interwoven and overlaid by newer demarcations. Within this, there is also an acknowledgement of my own temporal viewpoint. I have progressive multiple sclerosis, so these familiar places become increasingly inaccessible. Inevitably the landscape I love becomes a resonator for the emotions around loss and approaching mortality. The boundaried constraints of disablement juxtaposed with the wide expanses of the imagination. I paint from observational drawings, which then evolve into the finished work in the studio. In this way I branch out from the literal toward abstraction. My intervention between the experience of walking and standing in a place and the experience of viewing the finished piece of work is recorded in its history of paint application. I work in oil paint; the colours and gestures of the painting process itself have a lot to say about the finished piece. I originally trained as a sculptor and this informs my understanding of composition and hierarchical space. Prolonged periods in Arnhemland Australia, living with the Gumatj aboriginal clan, has also fed my understanding of wild space in relation to human habitation. My practice is an attempt to map my own contextual relationship to timeframes of changing landscape. Focusing upon the essential components and contrasts that make up a specific landscape, I paint the distinctions between these states in their simplest form.


Outside In journey

Exhibitions

Alternative Visions: Undiscovered Art in the South West

Alternative Visions: Undiscovered Art in the South West is a remarkable and celebratory exhibition which provides unique insights into a previously undiscovered group of artists and what motivates them to create art. The exhibition is developed …

›
Untitled by Gavin Blench
Garramalk by Gavin Blench
Hold by Gavin Blench
Field by Gavin Blench
Hallscleave Morning by Gavin Blench
Toward Challamoor by Gavin Blench
Stoke Fields by Gavin Blench
Stoke Fields number2 by Gavin Blench
Blackslade by Gavin Blench
Boundary In Rubine by Gavin Blench
Foales Arrishes number 1 by Gavin Blench
Kaapa (diptych) by Gavin Blench
Arymer by Gavin Blench
Toward Start Point by Gavin Blench
Holne Moor by Gavin Blench
Downstow by Gavin Blench
Foxworthy Point by Gavin Blench
Escarpment Arrangement by Gavin Blench
Escarpment Arrangement by Gavin Blench
Escarpment Arrangement by Gavin Blench
Boundary by Gavin Blench
Littlecombe Fields by Gavin Blench
Pudsham by Gavin Blench
Lemon Valley No2 (Toward Littlejoy by Gavin Blench
Lover’s Combe by Gavin Blench
Cover image p1050970crop_300dpi by Gavin Blench

What do you think about this artist's work? Guidelines for commenting Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Accessibility
  • About
  • Contact
  • Trustees and the board
  • Funders and supporters
  • Press
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and conditions
Arts Council England
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
John Ellerman Foundation
George Dannatt Trust
Garfield Weston Foundation
Art Fund
The Roddick Foundation
Investec
Linbury Trust

© 2023 Outside In.

Outside In is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered Charity Number 1171128.

Outside In, PO BOX 810, Chichester PO19 9WF

Tel: 01903 898171

Our social media pages:

  Twitter     Facebook     Instagram

Website by Surface Impression

easy read

These options can change the way this website looks, which may help you to use it more easily.

Further information about accessibility can be found on our Accessibility page and our Accessbility statement.

Accessibility options

  • Display contrast
  • Text options

Standard contrast

Low contrast

High contrast

Standard text

Large text

Extra large text

  Artist log in

Forgotten your password?

Not a member?   Sign up

Subscribe to the Outside In newsletter

* indicates required
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT