peter joyce, born 1964

This exhibition of new paintings by Peter Joyce has the common thread of land meets sea. Joyce's imagination has been captured by an astonishing landscape of marshland in western France and the influence of the tides on this area and it's community. Seascapes, landscapes, salt pans, creek inlets and small fishing ports are characteristics of this marshland that Joyce now calls home.

Beautiful colours and fresh imagery are at once apparent but one cannot mistake these works for Joyce. Some abstract qualities are present naturally as one would imagine, but others more literal in their interpretation. Either way one can firmly appreciate the watery vistas that are set out in front of you.

A variety of sizes and media show Joyces' responses to more intimate areas of interest while others give an overall feeling for the space that calls itself Marais Breton Vendeen. Of course one can compare this region with the Norfolk coast in England; a flat landscape with ditches and water running to and from the coast. This vast French marshland however, is much less ordered, more intimate, with small family industries of farming, shell fish and salt production close to the sea, and the wild coast punctuated with beautiful little ports. Peter Joyce has set out to paint the portrait of this area and has, as always, researched the area well; the land, the sea, it's history, it's current use and it's family.

Peter Joyce statement 2010

'I adore this area, but my paintings are never about emotion they are about recording the landscape. I work hard to ensure that my paintings are true and represent what I see, what I learn and what I experience. A camera takes a moment in time but I choose to use paint as my medium to represent these beautiful places and their character, hoping my paintings are much more than a snapshot'

past shows

October 2011