Walter Holmes has been painting for 50 years. Following a formal education in earth sciences (Durham University and Imperial College, London), he studied art at various institutions, including Hammersmith and Chelsea Schools of Art and Newcastle University. Since his first one-man show in 1971 his work has been exhibited throughout the UK and is in private collections from the USA to Russia.

Like many outstanding artists Walter brings a unique energy to his paintings through his understanding of light. In a way, his paintings are the narrative of a life-long obsession with the action of light upon the substance of the world; it's effect on foliage and stone, on water, cloud and haze - even the blaze of the sun itself.

May painting of the month.

Rialto - Blue.
Original. 150mm x 150mm. Pastel on paper.
Giclee print available from the shop.

"I visited Venice Fish Quay early
one morning, long before the tourists
had arrived and caught a glimpse of
the Rialto from the No.1 vaporetto.
The study of the bridge was done from
memory in my hotel that evening."

So many painters have searched for these near ungraspable qualities of light for their entire lives, we could be forgiven for thinking that by the 21st century we would have experienced every nuance and expression of its gleaming brilliance and wearied of the exploration; but the search is of course unending - fostered by the resolute dedication of the few amongst every generation of artists. Walter Holmes is one of those few whose work explores the action of light on subjects which encompass cityscape, landscape and seascape at one extreme to the purely abstract at the other.

The search for a representation of light is not even the whole story in Walter's case, it's what he feels about his subject which strikes you on seeing his paintings. You only have to look at a few to realize that he feels a great deal about what he sees, making his paintings both beautiful and emotionally powerful. He continues the English Landscape tradition in a unique way which pays homage to Northern Romanticism, Abstract Expressionism, Turner, Girtin, Constable and Palmer to name a few. It is Walter's technical skill as a painter combined with an understanding of light, and particularly his ability to convey emotional presence in his paintings, which set him apart from his contemporaries.