Martin Bentham RWA - Texture & Colour exhibition

Martin Bentham has been painting up on the Mendip Hills for the past 30 years. I went to see his latest exhibition at the Royal West of England Academy (RWA) and to meet the man of the Mendips!

Martin Bentham RWA

'Dry Stone Wall Repairs, Mendip, February'

 

Martin's latest exhibition - Texture & Colour was a collection of works produced over the last 5 years. The earliest piece was the impressive 'Dry Stone Wall Repairs, Mendip, February. This oil on linen is a whopping 105cm x 169cm!

I had planned the visit to the RWA in order to hear Martin's hour long tour with a Q & A session. I was keen to hear all about Martin's artistic background, his technique and what inspired him. The intimacy of the exhibition was perfect to learn all about Martin and get to know this gifted artist.

As the room filled, Martin gave a short introduction about himself and his background as an artist. As a youth, Martin was always sketching. His sketches were very detailed. Eventually he enrolled on a foundation art course and went on to study at Exeter College of Art. When he completed his course he began to paint the people and landscapes around him in the Mendip area.

In 1993 Martin held his first exhibition at his parents house. The proceeds from the paintings he sold enabled him to carry on painting and to produce some of the wonderful paintings seen in Martins catalogue and at the 2012 exhibition.

He found that using oil paint and a palette knife he could recreate with great effect the natural landscape in which he immersed himself. Its very evident in each of Martin's paintings how this technique shows the different effects of the lichen, grass and rock. All the varying textures that Martin produces gives a life-like appearance to his subjects.

'From Townfield to Pen Hill'

2012

 

As part of the art course Martin learnt to make his own canvass'. Using Irish linen stretched over boards Martin can make his own size canvass to suit any size of painting. It adds something a little extra special to know that the whole piece has been created by Martin.

Working outside with his chosen subject in front of him is where Martin works best. Sometimes he will go out everyday for weeks on end in all weathers to the site of his subject and set up his easel (with umbrella attached!) until the painting is completed. He rarely works from a photograph or in the studio if he can help it. He finds it too static. Working outdoors in various weather changes the way he paints. It invigorates and actually adds energy to effects of the paint.

One of the larger paintings on show was 'The Apiarist 2'. This took Martin approx 4 months to complete. Part of the work did have to be carried out in the studio. Martin took photographs and used these for some of the finer detail which was not possible whilst wearing a bee keepers suit and covered in bees! I loved the many bees in the painting and upon close inspection I could see how much paint was used to give the bees a 3D effect.

'The Apiarist 2'

 

 

The Apiarist 2

(a close up of the bees)

 

 

 

Before Martin became a full time artist he did various jobs including being a Postman. Inspired he has painted approx 12 different paintings of various post boxes from around the local area. The intense colour shown in the painting of the GR Postbox, Blagdon, September is incredible.
The green vegetation around it intensifies the red and is an amazing colour combination.

GR Postbox, Blagdon, September

 

Someone from the audience asked Martin which of the paintings from the current collection was his favourite. The 'Dry Stone Wall Repairs, Mendip, February' he replied. I tend to agree.