Artists To Consider...

Covehithe Church 1983, John Piper

Famous for his romantic landscapes, views of ruined churches, stately homes and castles, John Piper is considered to be one of the most significant British artists of the 20th Century.  Born in Epsom in 1903, Piper's inclination to become an artist was inhibited by his father's desire for him to join the family law firm. Following the death of his father in 1927, Piper enrolled in the Richmond School of Art and a year later the Royal College of Art, leaving without graduating in 1929.
Piper worked on stage designs and costumes for theater and ballet as well as the designs for seven operas by Benjamin Britten. A versatile artist, Piper also wrote articles on art and architecture and designed stained glass windows for a number of buildings including the new Coventry Cathedral.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Piper was commissioned by the 'war artists' scheme' to capture the effects of the war on the British landscape. The devastation of the Blitz was easily assimilated to Piper's personal interest in old ruined buildings. He had also lost his eldest brother in the First World War which may have made the commission particularly poignant and enabled him to respond with his deepest emotion. During these years he traveled the country, capturing the atmosphere of places. These scenes do not always directly relate to bomb-damage but reflect, in Piper's unique way, a sense of loss and nostalgia. In 1944 he was appointed Official War Artist. Piper died at his beloved home in Fawley Bottom in 1992.

John's paintings reflect his affinity with such wonderful natural surroundings.
John Piper paintings are always in oils on board or on canvas. A restricted use of colour and an emphasis on line and form, set within the Cornish landscape dominate the paintings. John paintings often have a series of thin glazes applied one upon another. Sometimes earlier drawing is allowed to show through; whilst at other times the painting is deeply scratched and scraped, providing an intensity of depth and colour. At other times, particularly with smaller paintings, paint is applied more opaquely and with less over-drawing.
The paintings are full of contrasts and balances. Finely drawn or deeply etched lines are imposed on, or blend into soft blues, greens and ochres. The effect can be sharp or gentle, hard or soft. The paintings have a depth of content and colour but there is much surface work, too. Lines and textures on the surface mean that the work can be perceived at several levels. The image is often stark, even cold, but the treatment is always sympathetic so the end result is one of balance.

So...Hopefully this is what I would like to achieve once I gather my research, materials and have experimented with these profound techniques against my own.