Blue Shop Gallery presents
’Hidden Rituals’
Sam Douglas
7th - 24th November 2024
PV Drinks Wednesday 6th November 6-9pm
72 Brixton Road, Oval SW9 6BH
Gallery opening hours: Wed - Sun | 11am - 6pm
Sam Douglas (b.1978) is a contemporary British painter born in Somerset. Douglas graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2007 and has exhibited internationally including Japan, China, Poland, Switzerland, Norway and Berlin, with solo exhibitions in Arles, London, Dublin and Edinburgh. During this time he has been selected for the John Moores painting prize and has been on numerous residencies.
Sam Douglas currently lives and works near Glasgow and much of his research is conducted via the first hand experience of the Scottish landscape, in particular searching out prehistoric sites which have formed the focus of his practice for many years. These places are interpreted in the studio via a range of painting processes that aim to mimic the geological actions of sedimentation via the pouring of resin and varnish and its subsequent erosion by sanding and scratching. Previous strata of paint often emerge like an archaeological fragment and high gloss or built up surfaces encourage active viewing in order to fully apprehend the painting.
“At first, we think we are experiencing a body of landscape paintings, beautifully observed and exquisitely rendered. But behind the viscous gloss surface of these works, the painterly layers reveal so much more. Sam Douglas embarks on expeditions to find hidden landscapes and ancient remains. Travelling on his bike for days at a time with panniers full of camping materials, he hits the moors and mountains in search of rock arts and standing circles made in stone. Prehistoric concentric markings called ‘cup and ring’ marks dating back as far as 4000 BC are discovered, sometimes covered by earth and moss. Once found - he pitches his tent nearby and watches the rise of the moon. Sam Douglas’s paintings are adventures captured, treasures found and discoveries savoured. The ancient gems he seeks in the land lie hidden under the surface, this echoes the way he excavates his own painterly surface to scratch back and find lost paintings from before. The way he depicts these sensory journeys in these jewel-like portal paintings serve as a celebration of these seeking adventures to reveal and uncover all the years and lifetimes that have passed before us. In other works, the ferns glow behind mottled glazes and we peer into the undergrowth of grasses waiting in patience. Sam’s works hum with the light of the moon and they radiate the joy of a life well lived.” - Blue Shop Gallery Director
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Sam Douglas in his Scottish studio shot by Blue Shop Gallery | September 2024