STEPHEN CHAMBERS
Berlin Flowers (Narcissi & Tulips, Simon’s Cherries), 2020
oil on gessoed panel
55 x 45 cm / 21 1/2 x 17 3/4 inches
Stephen Chambers
Ann Dowker
Vanessa Gardiner
Michael Kane
Władysław Mirecki
Linda Ryle
There is no argument behind this selection of mature painters at the height of their powers. There is no theme or message except excellence. Each does what he or she does to the very best of their abilities, trying to grasp the unattainable vision, striving after impossible goals and continually seeking to surprise themselves with a different approach to a lasting preoccupation. I have chosen three women and three men to offer some sort of balance, but all are figurative artists who use abstraction and formal design to a considerable degree in their work. Here are six different takes on the world, six different ways of living with our history and our environment while continuing to learn from it. Chosen for their integrity as much as their skill, for their unceasing enquiry into the world of appearances and the deeper meanings behind the surfaces, these artists are six of my favourite painters whose work I admire enormously and would, quite simply, like to share with you.
– Andrew Lambirth, June 2020