Dave Gowers - Paintings

Having grown up in Margate, the sea has been a constant presence in my life and one that I've searched out wherever I have since lived. The sea, and sky above it, are unobscured and change unceasingly. Their fluidity and the moods they evoke have been a continuing source of fascination for me as an artist.

I have, over the years, observed not only the flux and force of their nature, but have also become aware of a vast depth, of looking into the sky rather than at it, as you would an unmoving image or object. These natural views are effectively three dimensional; one could slide right into the cloud to another world.

The limitation of a flat surface and paint has interested me in this regard. How to convey disappearing into an avenue of sky or sliding into the last of the light on the horizon?

While varnish has the quality of protecting surfaces, it can also be used to create atmosphere. I have used varnish both to dilute the density of colour and, at other times, to create glazes between layers of paint. So for example the first layer may be a blue for the sky, the second layer might be mist falling, the third and forth, each separated by a film of varnish, might be the arrival of cloud or dusk. Every layer of varnish has a minuscule thickness and as these build up they serve to render the painting three dimensional in a small way, refracting the colours right down to the base.

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