Artist Profile: Gareth Buxton

 

Biography

Having successfully pursued a career in a technical industry, Gareth discovered his latent artistic talents by chance, after trying drawing and then watercolour painting classes. He moved to acrylic paints almost immediately, preferring the spontaneity and looseness of this medium. A near fatal road accident late in 2004 was the catalyst for him to become a complete artist. In a very short space of time he has developed and refined his talents. The list below illustrates that he is an artist in demand in competitions and exhibitions across the United Kingdom .

Exhibitions – 2008

  • Derbyshire Open Arts - Little Gallery, Belper, Derbyshire (June 2008)
  • Solo Exhibition - Derwent Gallery (Late August 2008)

Exhibitions – 2007

  • Derby City Open - Derby Museum & Art Gallery, Derbyshire
  • Gareth Buxton Solo II - The Little Gallery, Belper (Oct)
  • Wirksworth Festival - Panel Selected Resident Artist (Sept)
  • Altered Images - Blackfriars Arts Centre, Boston (Sept – Oct)
  • Autumn Exhibition - Needhams Gallery, Ely
  • Ovenden Exhibition - Artshed Gallery, Ware, Herts (Aug-Sept)
  • “Derbyshire Life and Countryside” Artist of the Year - Finalist, Gallery-S, Matlock (to Oct)
  • MOMA* ( Wales ) - Finalist :Tabernacle Competition (Aug)
  • Out of Control: Solo - Gallery-S, Matlock, Derbyshire (March)

* Museum of Modern Art

Exhibitions - 2006

  • The Landscape Metaphor: A World Inside - Three Cups Gallery, Ely
  • Liberte d'Expression - Barclays Global Headquarters ( Canary Wharf )and Candid Arts Trust, London
  • Open 18 Competition - The City Gallery, Leicester
  • Needhams Christmas Art Exhibition - Witchford, Cambridgeshire
  • Great Art Christmas Fair - Alexandra Palace , London
  • Anglian Contemporary Art Exhibition - Cressing Temple , Essex
  • Intro 2 - Needhams Restaurant, Witchford, Cambridgeshire
  • As Yet Untitled - Blackfriars Arts Centre, Boston , Lincolnshire

Exhibitions – 2005

  • Derby City Open - Derby Museum & Art Gallery, Derbyshire

 Currently Featured In The Following Galleries

  • Derwent Gallery : Main Road , Grindleford, Hope Valley , S32 2JN
  • The Little Gallery : 63-65 Bridge Street , Belper, Derbyshire , DE56 1AY
  • Gallery in the Square: The Old Chapel, Twyn Square, Usk, Monmouthshire, NP15 1BH
  • TheArtbay Gallery: The Old Bank Chambers, Christchurch Street, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent ,

Landscape Paintings

Gareth's mesmerising landscapes are inspired by places, memories and emotions. He finds more beauty in a dark rainy sea than in a glorious sunset. Many of his paintings show a battle between darkness and light, and this interplay creates a mood of tension and drama in his work.

Often seeking the inspiration of his local Peak District location, Gareth's paintings are never literal reproductions or copies of the landscape. The artist does not paint in situ and rejects the convention of painting in this traditional manner. As a result you will not find him trekking across the wilderness with a rucksack full of paints. Instead he visits locations, absorbs the atmosphere and the rest comes later, from inside.

Sculptures and Abstract Paintings

In 2006, Gareth started showing his sculptures and Abstract Paintings in public exhibitions for the first time. This more personal work explores a variety of themes including his relationship with technology and the processes of life including ageing and decay. Using the metaphor of the body as a machine, he looks at the natural processes beyond our control.

The "Organic Flesh Machine" sculpture series combines pseudo biological items with electronic and electrical 'found objects' embedded into the canvas and boxes. He often includes surgical elements and "blood" filled tubes. He is interested in the notion of consciousness and mind/body separation. Do we derive our sense of self and identity from the functions of our physical body, the biology of the "organic machine" or does the self exist quite independently of our "hardware"? Is there a ghost in the machine? When the body fails and the machine stops, does consciousness disappear?

A recurring theme in this work is the artist's feelings of despair at a world that increasingly places value on "form" rather than "function" and this idea is developed in the Corpus Veneer series of semi-abstract paintings.

The visual style of the sculptures and abstract paintings is influenced by the cultural heroes of the artist, for example the films of directors such as David Cronenberg and Clive Barker and the art of Hieronymous Bosch and Franics Bacon.

Contact Details

Email: g a r e t h @garbleart.co.uk (remove the spaces before emailing me, its to stop spammers!)

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