'Divine Light : Landscapes & Portraits 2016 - 2018' - An Exhibition by Warren King

“The Sun is God.”
J.M.W. Turner (1775 – 1851)

The English master J.M.W Turner’s last words may have been apocryphal, but as a basis for any artist’s statement of intent they hold a powerful, undeniable truth. Sunlight provides each of us with the gift of sight, allows life itself to exist.

"I am fascinated by the ambiguity light creates when cast on a face or body, a landscape or urban setting. It can be subtle or dramatic and it can act as a bridge between the figurative and the abstract, the commonplace and the ethereal. As an artist, it is my aim to use light to subvert our understanding of the everyday. Light is the fundamental reference point I employ to convey a sense of spirituality or otherworldliness within my paintings."

Warren King grew up in Belfast and from an early age was given a thorough grounding in painting and drawing by his cousin Brian Audley, a lecturer at Queen's University. Frequent trips to the Antrim coast set in motion a lifelong love of nature and as a result, references to vibrant colours of rural Ireland and the endlessly kinetic power of the sea can be found in almost every painting he produces.

He studied at Medway Art School in Kent and in 2017 he was awarded a year long scholarship with SoFAP (the Society of Fulham Artists and Potters). He currently has paintings on display at The Waterside Gallery in Barnes. His Instagram Page (@kingsweny) is followed by world-renowned painter Hughie O'Donoghue and his work is endorsed by British Female Artist of the Year, Sarah Shaw. He is alo a member of Artists At Home, has sold paintings at Chiswick Auction House and has exhibited at Brick Lane Gallery, Fulham Exhibition Hall, The Hogarth Club in Chiswick and The Tideway Gallery in West London.