A Coastline Closer to Home

Elaine Jones is well known for her ethereal, abstract paintings, featuring the vibrant colours of Costa Rica and the dramatic and changeable weather of the Arctic. Travelling to diverse and contrasting locations is at the heart of Elaine’s practice, and is reflected in her paintings through placing elements of control alongside poured paint and loose brushwork.

Over the past year Elaine’s travels have taken her to the fishing village of Cadaqués, one of the wildest areas along the rugged Costa Brava, and a little closer to home to the rolling hills and unspoiled beaches of Salcombe in South Devon.

Elaine’s new body of work will explore the contrasting colour palettes of both the Costa Brava and the South Hams, juxtaposing very rocky and raw coastline with much softer, gentler shapes. Whereas this region of Spain was previously unfamiliar to Elaine, Devon has long been a source of inspiration for her. However, on this trip to Salcombe it was the spring colours that really caught her attention.

“I was particularly inspired by the tremendous views from the cliffs when out walking, with clear blue skies and the ocean contrasting with rolling English hills and woodland. The colour at this time of year is fantastic, with miles of bright yellow oilseed rape fields and primroses, wild garlic, violets and bluebells.”

Working instinctively, Elaine often uses her sketches just as a starting point, allowing the paint to dictate the direction of the painting. However, in this new body of work drawing is starting to play a greater role in the finished pieces, with Elaine layering drawn marks over the top of abstract shapes.

We’ll be previewing Elaine’s new paintings exploring the coastline around the Costa Brava and Salcombe over the next few months, and will be exhibiting the full collection at the Affordable Art Fair Bristol (8th – 10th September).

Get in touch for tickets to the Affordable Art Fair Bristol and keep an eye on your inbox for updates on these new arrivals…