Ben Brotherton - painter

Tuscany residency 2005

I received the funding to stay at the Centro Verrocchio the year after my MA.

My paintings are executed in front of the motif. The choice of subject is dependent upon some point of visual interest – the light upon the side of a building. Painting from nature may  be my attempt to understand the world; it allows me the opportunity of engaging with its constituents. From the infinite chaos of experience a painting might be distilled.

During my four week stay at the Centro I painted in three distinct time bands to appreciate the change in light and colour. The first time band was sunrise, at around 5:30am. The second time band was late morning (after breakfast) from 9:00am onwards. The final time band was the afternoon from 3:00pm onwards.

For me the views from the Centro and the village were a complex and interesting challenge to paint. The receding Tuscan hills offered a spatial depth and colour that I am unaccustomed to. The intensity with which I worked during my four weeks at the Centro and the challenge of the landscape as my motif offered me a unique opportunity. I left the Centro with a coherent body of work which has been the backbone of two subsequent exhibitions. For this reason I am very grateful for the opportunity afforded me by the Juliet Gomperts Trust.

www.grandyart.co.uk

www.axisweb.org/artist/benbrotherton