“At the beginning of lockdown, I fell in love with houseplants,” he reveals. “I think I wanted to bring the outdoors inside. I’ve collected around 40 specimens in various shapes and sizes.” IN THE STUDIO One of Robert’s limited edition prints STEALING THE SHOW
Robert’s studio is filled to the brim with natural history books and reference photography, which he reworks and reimagines for his original paintings. His signature ‘drip’ effect is created by letting paint run down the canvas before building up colour with successively thicker application. This gives his work a hallucinatory feel, echoing the expressionist style of Jackson Pollock. While painting, he listens to music, natural history documentaries and true crime podcasts. Along with his conservation work – which includes donating a piece of artwork to raise money for the Koala Hospital in South Wales after the Australian bushfires – his passion for learning more about the environment feeds into every piece he paints. His three newest works are named after rivers, while he also developed a new passion for flora during the recent COVID-19 crisis.
took centre stage on the colossal chimney breast of a cathedral-style Lincolnshire home in a January 2021 episode of Grand Designs – proving contemporary art can suit any décor. He says: “It’s so fantastic that my art was on Channel 4, especially as it’s in someone’s home – so it means a lot to them, and this means a lot to me. I even went out and bought a new television!”
ROBERT OXLEY PLAYLIST
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