'Rising air'

Gliders high in a thermal. Acrylic on canvas. 100(h) x 100(w) cm

 

Andrew flew gliders for 14 years, and became a British Gliding Association instructor. He developed a deep affection for this simple visceral form of flying. I felt extremally privileged to be able to teach others the skills and revealing to them some of the joys - hopefully inspiring them to explore the sport as I did. The memories will stay with me all my life.

Through these dramatic 1m x 1m paintings he has sought to express the unique feelings experienced whilst flying light aircraft high in the sky, amongst tumultuous, tumbling air: the fragility in the cold shadows of towering clouds; the flexing of long sleek wings; riding the Sun's energy in thermals rising from Earth's surface to form clouds high above fields and villages; the lack of horizon or landscape; the timelessness and the ever-changing 3-dimensional spaces. These paintings speak of vast spaces and courageous experiences.

"I liken the feeling of rising air to that of sitting aboard a surfboard, eyes closed with your back facing out to sea, then feeling the energy of waves silently lifting the board beneath you, like a slight increase in Gravity".

In 'Rising air' (shown above) the composition is simply a circle with the eye moving anti-clockwise from bottom left, the subject being the nearest aircraft and its occupants viewing the swirling gaggle of craft climbing in a thermal. There is a trick played too. The wing tip nearest the eye projects forward of the topic creating a line into the painting and creating a feeling of space - much as the early masters did in still life paintings when plates hung over a table edge creating shadow and depth (See William Harnett, Study table or Vermeer, Messy table).