Lawrence Coulson b. Cambridge, 1962
reputation, and demand for his work, began to grow and in 1996 he was given the opportunity of exhibition space, which attracted the attention of Washington Green Fine Art Group Ltd and led to Lawrence being offered a publishing contract. He has since grown in stature to become one of Britain’s leading contemporary landscape painters. Many of his originals have been produced as signed limited editions – the majority of which have sold out on release since becoming a professional artist in 1997. “LAWRENCE COULSON GENEROUSLY GIVES US WHAT WE LIKE AND NEED, THOSE FEELINGS OF SOLITUDE AND ESCAPE IN WIDE OPEN SPACES UNDER HEAVENS SO HIGH THEY MIGHT REACH TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE.” David Lee, Editor of The Jackdaw , 2013 This endorsement by writer and art critic David Lee, following a critique of Lawrence’s work in 2013, cemented his standing in the art world. Lawrence still refers to it as “one of the most important moments in my thirty years as a painter, and one of the most thrilling. He has captured the essence of my work completely and goes on to compare my work to the great masters such as Turner and Constable that have long had such an influence on me.”
Inspired by his local landscape, Lawrence Coulson's evocative paintings illustrate the power of nature. Living on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens, Lawrence has an abundance of landscapes from which to draw inspiration. Everywhere he looks is dominated by endless horizons, punctuated only by telegraph poles and church spires. Dramatic sunsets are reflected in the wetlands, while heavy storms rumble in the sky above. Having been surrounded by the art business for as long as Lawrence can remember, he grew up with oil paintings propped up to dry in various places around the house which he took for granted. His father, Gerald Coulson - one of the most important landscape and aviation painters of the twentieth century - worked in a spare bedroom and for a while as a young child he thought all dads did the same. Despite his love for art, he did not excel at the subject while at school, and his first career saw him step into the world of retail. At the age of 21, his father encouraged him to try oil painting, teaching him which colours to use and the importance of tonal values, and encouraging Lawrence to copy Victorian landscape paintings from old Sotheby’s auction catalogues. After successfully selling these first paintings locally, Lawrence was convinced that he wanted, and needed, to paint professionally. His
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