"Land Marks" - a solo exhibition by Frank Knott

I have long been interested in painting from the landscape, and have always been challenged by its potential for personal expression and interpretation. Many of the paintings in this exhibition have been inspired by the countryside around this immediate area of Burghclere, as I have experienced it from my daily walks throughout the year.

With the demands of working full time, my approach to my painting has always been about seizing the moment and enjoying the activity when I can, either by direct sketching at a chosen location, or by using photography to assist my recollection of it.

This is a process used by many artists, and it is only in the studio, when removed from the scene, that the painting begins to take on ”a life of its own”, and one needs to invent or express the image with the marks and colours of one's own choosing.

My own inclinations in oil painting have led me towards a heightened use of colour and an attempt to convey some coherence with these subjects by this continued treatment. But over and above any attempt I can make to analyse these paintings on a personal level, the key to my motivation to paint, is to enjoy the experience of it and through that pleasure, hope to discover more insight in developing as an artist.

There are many visual highlights to experience when living in the heart of a working countryside environment. One of the best for me is during late summer, when many of the fields have finally been cut and combined, and the golden stubble that remains briefly before ploughing ,  seems to light up the entire landscape. Distant hillsides and their woodland margins appear to glow in the summer light, and as the shadows lengthen, these features become even more dramatic and as the details of the trees and hedgerows get lost in the encroaching  evening light.

I have attempted to convey this with ' September Shadows', and in particular it was ' Late Summer Fields', that began to lead me to the compositional direction  that I have made in two of my most recent paintings. Through a process of selection and refinement  I have arrived at a point where the paintings are now becoming more subjective, "Gathering Shadows" and "Late Summer Evening"', both represent a departure from my previous paintings, but I believe the essential elements  are present,  though in a semi -abstracted way.

It is this license to explore and express that excites me so much about painting, and one of the biggest challenges I find is trying to coax and control the oil paint to do as you wish in this exciting and often emotional journey.