FOREWORD Through All Seasons takes us on a grand tour of scenes guaranteed to evoke a nostalgia and longing for all things British, from recent additions to our city skyline such as the Millennium Dome, to the fairgrounds and fishing trips that call to mind many a childhood of bygone days. Such idyllic impressions create a longing to bask in the serenity of these enchanting landscapes; one cannot help but feel an irrational jealousy for the figures enjoying their environments. Yet they have been granted access to these beautiful locations not to incur the jealousy of us mere onlookers, but painted in by Coulson to create a sense of scale within the compositions. Here the artist has taken the trouble to create perspective for us, to portray nature dwarfing humanity, to remind us of our place within the hierarchy of the infinite. This work is far more than a collection of picture perfect postcard moments. Far from being designed merely to please the eye, these scenes aim to evoke a surreal sense of atmosphere, to create a moment for the onlooker, almost to disquiet us in a most pleasing way, as a pervading sense of déjà vu brings an involuntary rush of memories to the fore. As remarked by one of Lawrence’s two heroes, John Constable, “painting is but another word for feeling”. As a young man first embarking upon his quest to master his craft, he was bestowed with invaluable advice from his father, celebrated artist Gerald Coulson. Telling his son, “Only two things matter: the beauty of the subject, and the skill of the artist.” Lawrence’s path was set towards achieving the stunning simplicity to which he aspired. This devotion to his craft has seen Coulson scour the British coastlines, moors, hillsides and cities to capture every view and skyline that will then take its rightful place in his oeuvre. His main obstacle is, and reportedly always has been, self-criticism. He demands perfection of himself, and the highest quality of work at all times. In these darker moments of self-doubt, Coulson takes courage from William Turner’s final works, finding endless valour in the bursts of colour and explosions of light that the second of his artistic heroes managed to create within his work, painted -
incredibly - when Turner was approaching complete blindness. Through All Seasons is beautifully conceived; unpretentious scenes captured and interpreted for the enjoyment of others. One can only hope that, somewhere, Turner and Constable are smiling their approval.
TECHNIQUE Throughout his prestigious career to date, we see Coulson diversify in subject matter whilst retaining the technique and flair that has earned him critical acclaim and an ever growing audience of collectors. We can be assured that this progression is consciously geared towards an absolute avoidance of his own personal comfort zone, and a conviction to continue evolving, improving and challenging perceptions of him as an artist. Here we see a looser technique, a more fluid approach, which comes with Coulson’s acquired skill and confidence with his subject matter. Coulson first applies the paint with a big brush, before using his fingertips to blend and push colour into the canvas. This physical interaction with his work has only been part of his method in recent years, incorporated only once he felt he could be sure of the lightness of his touch and the delicacy of his finish. A keen photographer, Coulson will take reference shots to support his work back in the studio once a vista has sown the seed of an idea in his head, but this is as far a concession as he will make to modern technique. In his words, he likes to work ‘off the grid’ and enjoys the relative isolation that comes from a studio where there is no mobile phone reception, much less WiFi and other technological intrusions.
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