![\"Stuart](\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/z1bof8fpebut6tr\/The%20Keeper%20of%20Kings.jpg?raw=1\" "\\"\\"")
“The Keeper of Kings” by Stuart Luke Gatherer – Oil on Canvas<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n I first discovered Stuart\u2019s work at his New York exhibition in 2004, and have been a fan of his ironic satirical humour ever since, as has his long list of high-profile collectors, including Billy Connolly, Dame Judi Dench, and Michelle Pfeiffer, among others. Stuart\u2019s works can currently be seen at London\u2019s Albemarle Gallery, a long-time personal favourite, also featuring the work of artists Ian Cumberland, Vittorio Gui, and my friend Philip Munoz.<\/p>\n “Anatomy Lesson Of The Online Doctor” by Stuart Luke Gatherer – Oil on Canvas<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n “The Darkling” – Oil on Canvas<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n As a figurative painter, it was a pleasure for me to get the chance to chat with Stuart over the holidays, about his life and art. Whilst I was hoping the exchange would demystify his work and process, I\u2019ve decided some things are best left as they are \u2013 inscrutable and thought-provoking. Stuart was once asked that question every artist eventually encounters, \u201cWhat would you do if not an artist?\u201d to which he replied with the only answer any artist worth his or her salt should, \u201cI cannot even think of it.\u201d<\/p>\n “Westminister Bridge” – Oil on Canvas<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Q: When I first discovered your work, probably 10 years ago, one of the things that struck me most was the element of surprise at play in some of your works, as a means of triggering viewer response. They\u2019re very engaging in an almost filmic way; you ask yourself, who are these people and what has just happened here? An obvious narrative subtext runs throughout many of the compositions. What sort of response are you hoping to elicit from the viewer?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A: I don\u2019t want my work to be merely literal or illustrative. What I am trying to avoid is a sort of Victorian didactic art; a moralising narrative or an improving picture. There has to be something more; something that only the unique physical handling of paint can achieve. The idea that the poetry is in the image sublimates the physical act of painting to rendering. Art is not technique. I believe painting is a tightrope between what you want the image to say and what you want the paintwork to say, and believe the best paintings to be execution and inspiration in perfect equilibrium.<\/p>\n As I get older my aesthetic vision has changed whereby I wouldn\u2019t be interested in a subject that photography could do better. Although I couldn\u2019t go as far as pure painting, whereby the viewer judges the painting on the quality of design (colour, line and form) rather than on the quality of the illusory deception and the message held there in. For me the greatest drawback of abstract painting comes from the fact that it can only elicit one type of response; an aesthetic one. A figurative painting can engage with the viewer on so many different levels, whether it be perceptions, emotions, memories, dreams, nightmares etc. It is this multi-layered connection that fascinates me about painting the human condition. What I look for in a situation is ambiguity with a slight touch of surreality; one that will not automatically come to a logical conclusion. I think my best work has always had a portentous air. The division between the imitative and the suggestive creates a strangeness for the viewer to complete; nothing is obvious, nothing is clear cut. Something is left hanging in the air.<\/p>\n Q: There is a beautiful use of chiaroscuro and a bit of an almost \u201chomage\u201d to some of the Old Masters implicit throughout some of your paintings. Is there any particular artist from the past who most inspired you?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A: The artists who most inspired me at a formative time were the baroque masters; namely Rubens<\/strong><\/a>, Rembrandt<\/strong><\/a> and Caravaggio<\/strong><\/a>. I suppose it was Rubens\u2019s wonderful movement and Caravaggio\u2019s lighting. But as a painter concerned with the human condition, the greatest influence on my work has been Rembrandt, who is, in my opinion, the greatest painter of what it is to be human. Degas is an artist and draughtsman I greatly admire and Edward Hopper, with his vision of surreal isolation, is someone I will always return to. But in reality there are just too many artists alive and dead to mention. The trick is to keep on looking.<\/p>\n Q: How do you go about designing your compositions, and are the scenes painted from photographs, or do you use live models? Like Hitchcock, it seems you make random appearances in your paintings now and then; am I correct?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A: Once I have an idea for a subject I jot down several thumbnail sketches. From these I create more sketches in which I work out the details for tone, colour, lighting and models, and then I sketch one final \u201cpose\u201d drawing. At this point I organise models to come and sit for drawings and photographs. I do it this way round as the chosen model has to fit my compositional drawing with regards to height, gender, colouring etc. I will \u201cdirect\u201d the models when it comes to the mood and style of the painting, for example; sinister, mournful, ambivalent etc. I don\u2019t consider myself a portrait painter, so it is not the case of \u201che looks good, I\u2019ll design a painting around him\u201d – the composition comes first.<\/p>\n After transferring the design to canvas or panel the photographs will only be used in the initial stages for notes on drawing, light and shade etc. After this the drawings and photos are discarded and the painting takes on a life of its own. What matters is the aesthetic of the painting rather than faithful photographic likeness of a particular model. Like Hitchcock, I do make random appearances in my work, and this is occasionally due to a late addition to the composition. I, like many artists, paint self-portraits to experiment with certain aspects of technique and style. I am convenient; that is all.<\/p>\n Q: There is a polarity in many of your compositions, groups of people ironically bonded together logistically, yet isolated from one another. I notice also humour and possibly even an element of absurdity. It\u2019s hard for me to link your work to a studio setting, as there appears to be a real exchange between yourself and the world around you \u2013 the presentation of someone who constantly observes. Where do you find your ideas, and what compels you?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A: \u201cWhere do you get your inspiration from?\u201d is the hardest question of all for an artist to answer. My ideas come from several different sources; some from research, some by accident but mainly a mixture of the two. Although my work has been likened to a still from a film noir, I rarely watch films or TV and never go to the cinema. I am probably most inspired by museum and gallery trips (both contemporary and pre-modern) mixed up with sources such as photography, magazines and books. Even certain music can help set a mood for a painting. Also, walking has always helped me to clear my mind of the quotidian and focus on composition. I think the greatest inspiration probably comes from being out and about and seeing how people interact with each other: a stranger\u2019s askance stare or a reunion on a street corner can make their way into my work.<\/p>\n Q: Is there something besides your work you feel passionately about?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A: I listen to a lot of classical music, and played the trumpet for 10 years in my youth, although I never saw myself moving into that field professionally. Had I not been a painter I would probably have sought to be either an architect or a carpenter. I feel happiest doing something that combines art and craft; the cerebral and the manual, in equal measure. Outside of painting what I\u2019m happiest doing is hill-walking or mountain trekking.<\/p>\n Q: Many artists are cursed with the belief that we may never be able to reach exactly what we want, a sense of dissatisfaction or wrestling with that unobtainable goal; and many great pieces of art have been created out of this melancholic sublime. Do you believe there is a link between anguish and the creation of art? Is the \u201csuffering artist\u201d a truth, or just a myth?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n A: I think if you asked my wife, she would say that \u2018the suffering artist\u2019 idea is alive and well, but I really think you have to see it as a job in which you\u2019ll have good days and bad days. Although the methodical nature of his work might explain Chuck Close\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> quote – \u201cinspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just turn up for work\u201d, I am certainly more in accordance with this than the idea of the tortured artist waiting at the bottom of a glass for the perfect work. That romantic view of the artist has little relevance in this age where a lot of the most-acclaimed contemporary artists are more accomplished businessmen and self publicists that they are artists. That said, I think some artists do suffer, and the isolating nature of the work might make us more prone to depression, anxiety and self-doubt, but I really don\u2019t think there is one type of artist. In that way we are just like any other profession.<\/p>\n Q: I know you have shown your work in New York. Any plans for future US exhibits?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A: At the moment I have no plans for a U.S. show, but I will certainly be showing there again at some point in the future. Many of my patrons and supporters are U.S. based so it would be good to make an appearance there again.\u00a0 I think the west coast would be a good place to show next time, giving me another opportunity to explore the wonderful country.<\/p>\n For more on Stuart Luke Gatherer visit:\u00a0www.stuartlukegatherer.co.uk<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0www.albemarlegallery.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Stuart Luke Gatherer photo by Hugh Kelly Photography<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Stuart](\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/iz083bzyyaqxxd2\/Anatomy%20Lesson%20Of%20The%20Online%20Doctor.jpg?raw=1\" "\\"\\"")
![](\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/ee2h43iyu96mc8u\/The%20Darkling.jpg?raw=1\" "\\"\\"")
![](\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/j1874qh5dy292wh\/Westminister%20Bridge.png?raw=1\" "\\"\\"")
![](\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/p79qp1e4lvzz32u\/SLG%20photo%20Hugh%20Kelly%20Photography.jpg?raw=1\" "\\"Stuart")