‘The Light of Greece’ / Tomas Watson / Jill George Gallery
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Open Monday - Saturday 10.30 - 7.00 Sunday 19 March 11.00 - 6.00.
Tomas Watson’s exhibition of Paintings and Works on Paper, ‘The Light of Greece’, starts on 13 March at 30 Tottenham Street. This is Tomas’ first solo show for 4 years.
Tomas Watson lives and works in Greece spending the winters in Athens and Summers on Lesbos. He graduated from Slade School of Art in 1994 having also completed a further year’s study for Anatomy for Artists. He has lived and worked in Greece since 1994 having initially received Greek Government Grants in 1994, 1995 and 1996. He won the BP National Portrait Prize in 1998 and was commissioned to paint John Fowles for their contemporary collection in 2001.
“When asked why he has spent the last 30 years living in Greece building his career there, Tomas Watson answers, “The Greek Light”. He is interested in the form as it is defined by light and shadow. In his earlier works, mostly interiors with a solitary figure, the shadow dominated with a single light source illuminating the immediate surroundings. Recently the focus of his paintings has moved to the exterior, with a strong light penetrating even the shadows, which are themselves full of saturated colour, adding an extra level of complexity.
“In Greece, the light is all-encompassing. It has a unique intensity which gives a meaning to and defines everything. The land, the sky, the sea, your very existence. This is especially pronounced on the islands.”
Watson has spent most of his years in Greece moving from one remote island to another before recently discovering Lesbos, which he now considers to be the island of light.
The work in this exhibition has been created in the last three years and to a great extent focuses on scenes from Lesbos. In 2022 Watson had a Painting Exhibition at the Natural Museum of the Lesbos Petrified Forest.
For further information or images please contact Jill George 07973 825335. Email. jill@jillgeorgegallery.co.uk