GEOFF STEAR
Of Sea & Land
'When you dwell on an island, you stand on the land but look to the sea. The sea is fluid. The land is solid. Sometimes they meet. In paint I speak of contrasts and ambiguities: soft or sharp, defined or vague, infront or behind, grounded or afloat. Never quite certain or fixed.'
If it's necessary to categorise, Geoff Stear would consider himself to be an ‘Abstract Artist’. The surrounding landscape has more than once been a strong influence on his work and on occasions may even be recognisable as such, though he prefers the more ambiguous, atmospheric and non realistic imagery to predominate. The half hidden feel of place or rather an emergence from the void (or paper/canvas!) of a created world influenced by observation or thought processes from the environment around him. Though for him, thinking of his work for its predominantly ‘abstract’ qualities does not mean that recognisable imagery may not sometimes creep in. Needless to say having moved to the Western Isles the landscape and culture of island living has had a massive influence on his work. The wild and extremes of land and sea, of weather and the rapid changes – the coming together of things, the separation, the blending and hiding, the ambiguity and mystery, all play a part in this new body of work.
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