Mike Fairclough will be no stranger to gallery regulars, having had several focal exhibitions here over the past 12 years or so.
He is a painter of the highest quality who has won many national and international awards since leaving art school some 50 years ago, including Rome Scholar 1964-66 and winner of the Hunting Art Prize in 1987.

The paintings in this exhibition continue his theme of sea and sky, much of the work taking its inspiration from the west coast of Ireland. They are very strong images and Fairclough has introduced new hues into the work - bold reds, blues and yellows which I have not seen before.

The mixing of potter's grog with his oils gives a very hard, textural surface to his work. The huge skies, often illuminated by low sun, accentuate the power of the seas below and produce wonderful seascapes, no matter what the size of the image.
Michael Fairclough has exhibited widely for half a century and his paintings are in many public collections on both sides of the Atlantic. Truthfully, his work just keeps getting better!

Ian Courcoux

Click here to see details of Michael Fairclough's previous show (2008)

Go to 'Current' page