Exhibitions

Coming Home - Doncaster Museum

As a child I visited Doncaster Museum and remember being mesmerised by the paintings. In particular, the painting of Doncaster Cattle Market by Lionel Townsend-Crawshaw really caught my attention. This impressionist scene influenced and changed the course of my life because, from that day onwards, I decided it was the kind of artist I wanted to be.

I was fortunate to be encouraged and nurtured by inspirational art teachers at Doncaster Grammar school, in particular David Douglass.

Ironically, life can often be cyclical. My lino cut ‘Princess’, based on my friend Shirley’s rescue dog, has been displayed at the Royal Academy of Art. Princess is a Doncaster resident and she brought me back to the place where it all began - the new Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.

I am a painter who is fascinated by colour, the effects of light and how paint can create space. I am constantly looking for motifs when I’m in the landscape. I have favourite places I revisit often to observe the changes of the seasons. One particular favourite is between Balby and Edlington. I have known this patch of scrubland and copses since I was a child and I later painted there as a teenager. Forty years later, I still continue to gather inspiration from the same area, as you will see from the collection displayed here.

Another favourite place is Wimbledon Common, which is close to where I now live, and Great Dixter in Sussex. These landscapes are diverse in their fauna and terrain but have all the visual ingredients I need to create my work.

I like to experiment with scale and format as I endeavour to capture the essence and atmosphere of the scene. The quality of paint and my mark making enables me to translate what I see and feel on to the canvas or panel.

 Finally, I would like to dedicate this exhibition to my parents, Keith and Joan Mowforth. They first brought me to Doncaster Museum on that fateful trip which decided and shaped the rest of my life. In spite of their initial misgivings, they wholeheartedly supported my decision to follow my artistic path and ultimately my successful 40 plus year career.

 Ian Mowforth