Local artist to exhibit work and donate sale proceeds to charity

Sunday 15 May 2022

Local abstract colourist and figurative artist Patrick Earle will be exhibiting his work at Beau Sejour this month thanks to support from Art for Guernsey, with proceeds from any sales going to charity.

Mr Earle’s work explores colour and light and seeks to “open our eyes as to how we process and experience what we see”. Mr Earle will be donated any proceeds between the Samaritans and Art for Guernsey.

“Every day, every moment, colour surrounds us. It is joyful and intense but without judgement. I focus on the sense of visual experience, rather than a particular image,” said Mr Earle. 

Pictured: Patrick Earle self portrait (credit: JR Photography). 

Mr Earle continued: “The intensity of colour when you look at it, the structure of shapes in the natural world, the shifting nature of colour, reflection and movement. How everything changes. The joy of the experience, of being, of the energy of the universe.”

Art for Guernsey Director, Jock Pettitt, described Mr Earle’s work as “bold and intensely colourful”.

“Some of Patrick’s work instantly provides a connection for the viewer, others invite exploration that reveals layers that may not be immediately apparent,” he said. 

“The immediate impact and richness of the paintings evolved into something more profound as I spent more time with them. 

“Patrick’s suggestion is to take a moment to sit and let the work unfold, much the same as taking in a favourite view in nature. With time the layers and details become clearer and more intimately understood.”

Pictured: Patrick Earle's "waves on rock" tapestry (credit: JR Photography).

Art for Guernsey co-curated the exhibition with Mr Earle. 

“We have sought to provide relevant space for shared and intimate experiences for every viewer, awash with colour and with all the usual supporting information and digital content,” said Mr Pettit.

Mr Earle said that his work seeks to explore the “profound joy and beauty in the visual experience” through his art. 

“Our minds seek to label and categorise the things that we see so that we can process them. In doing so we lose the immediacy of what is in front of us: contrasts in light and shade, energy, and colours and their vibrancy. Colour has a special place in our hearts and souls - there is more to be experienced and relished,” he said.

Mr Earle studied at the University of Cambridge and trained at Heatherley’s School of Art and West Dean College.

Inspired by artists such as Diebenkorn, Monet and Bomberg, he started out as a figurative painter, but in recent years has increasingly embraced abstract colour-based compositions, moving from painting most of his work in oils to creating them digitally. 

Pictured: Patrick Earle's "taste 15" (credit: JR Photography).

For his original artworks, Patrick combines his digitally produced artworks on canvas with applied acrylic paint. He also collaborates with Hines of Oxford to create one-off, hand-knotted tapestries from his digital works. 

The tapestries are made from New Zealand wool and Chinese silk, the largest comprising up to 2 million individual knots in the traditional Aubusson method. 

“Visitors will be able to purchase the works on show. The original artworks will be available on canvas or as unique hand-knotted tapestries. For the more technically minded, there will also be a number of novel NFTs of the digital artworks, each coming with the right to access artist-quality prints,” said Mr Pettit. 

The exhibit will run from 20 May to 29 May in the Dave Ferguson Hall at Beau Sejour. The opening hours are 09:00 – 17:00 on weekdays, 10:00 – 19:00 on Saturdays and 10:00 – 17:00 on Sundays. 

Pictured: Patrick Earle's "autumn fire" (credit: JR Photography). 

On the evening of 27 May, Art for Guernsey and Mr Earle, in association with Hanois Baroque, will host a Baroque concert amidst the exhibition in aid of the Guernsey Music Bursary Consortium and Art for Guernsey. 

The event will see performances from Professor Adrian Butterfield (historical violin) and Professor Rachel Brown (historical flute) of the Royal College of Music. 

Professors Butterfield and Brown will be joined by the core members of Hanois Baroque: Max Wong, FRSM and Francois Cloete, FRCO.

The programme will include a number of well-known works as well as some lesser known works to discover. 

Tickets for the concert are available HERE

Pictured top: Patrick Earle's self portrait and "forests and cliff" (credit: JR Photography).