You may have seen this painting up in art block lately.It's a fantastic diptych painting of moorland produced by Jonty Bullen from last years T.B.G.S. A2 Fine Art exam. From tracing the origins through his preparatory work, which includes sketchbooks, works on canvas and experiments on board, and looking at the expressive marks, washes, dribbles and dabs, one can note his influences as Kurt Jackson and the later works of William Turner. Jackson, one of Britain's foremost plein air artists, is a favourite of artists at our school and recently exhibited in Exeter’s R.A.M.M. His unique expressive style and devotion to the landscape creates highly accessible art, where collage, text and exquisite brushwork bring the viewer closer not just to the emotive power of that moment but the history and atmosphere of the place. Jonty’s work also brings to mind the work of contemporary painter Alan Rankle, and although he didn’t look to him for influence for his final piece, he uses the trickle of glazes and suggestive marks in startling similarity. This may be because of the manner of the exam, which is in-doors, as Rankle is a predominantly studio based artist who also works from sketches and photos, and who also holds Turner as one of his primary
influences. RG #