Artco

Jonathan Froggatt

"The scale and imagery of Jonathan Froggatt's work shows confidence that is fresh and exciting. He is expanding his vision into new areas and still retaining the dynamics and impact his work has always conveyed." - David Blackburn RA more

The forthcoming art exhibition hosted by Artco Gallery in Leeds promises to be something very special and not to be missed. Continuing their ongoing commitment to contemporary artists Artco Gallery are pleased to announce an exhibition of new work by an exceptionally talented painter, Jonathan Froggatt.

Jonathan has a long history with Artco Gallery, being one of the first artists to exhibit regularly with Artco. After a period of phenomenal success; Jonathan executed a number of high profile commissions including Yorkshire Water Services Ltd, Esholt and Princes Exchange, Leeds; he moved to London to pursue his artistic career. Jonathan has recently moved back Leeds and has produced an exciting new body of work for his homecoming show at Artco Gallery.

This new series of paintings by Jonathan Froggatt mark a turning point in the continuing evolvement of this Yorkshire artist, to reflect an increased level of both maturity and skill.

His focus has turned away from the purely abstract imagery of his former years and now looks towards the natural landscape for inspiration. However what emerges is not the landscape as we know it but rather a precious and largely unpopulated, dreamlike landscape. The lines are not sharp, instead the image gently weaves itself around the canvas; colours are blended effortlessly into one another and we seemingly gain a curious glimpse into the artists memories of certain places.

It is clear that it is the simple relationships within the landscape that act as Froggatt's inspiration. Those dynamic points where sky meets horizon, clouds emerge over the brow of a hill, or a mountain peak stands proud in isolation are transformed into iconic representations of familiar subjects. Thus, the viewer at once feels a comfortable acquaintance with these images, in which they can recreate their own memories of a particular time or place. The quiet assurance and transcendence these paintings contain belies their powerful presence, which is gained through pure simplicity and exceptional compositional arrangement.

Each of Froggatt's paintings are built up through a painstaking process of layering. Starting with a sepia based ground to define areas of light and dark, he then gradually applies multiple layers of glaze, allowing each one to dry completely before adding another. His intricate knowledge of the materials and technical assurance allow him to use his medium so that each painting is chemically as strong as possible. This gives Froggatt's work the longevity characteristic of the great masters. By painting into the canvas and effectively utilizing the variant opaque and transparent properties of a pigment, he is able to create a depth of colour that shines from within the very painting itself. The brushstrokes have been cleverly masked so that what remains is a delicately vulnerable surface more reminiscent of glass than canvas.

Leah Hester-Brown agrees that ‘This is a calming, yet magical series of paintings, charged with atmosphere, seductively warm and sublimely absorbing. Jonathan is an incredibly skilled painter, highly regarded as an important contemporary artist. Leeds is very lucky to welcome back such a talent. We are delighted to be working with Jonathan again’.

Exhibitions:

1993 Loughborough College of Art and Design.

1994 The Arts Cafe (Leeds) Cosmic Cow (Leeds).

1995 Leeds University. The Granary wharf (Leeds).

1996 The Arts Cafe (Leeds). Leeds Metripolitan University.

1997 The Arts cafe (Leeds).

All Bar One (Manchester).

Cappuccinos (Leicestershire).

1998 Dixon Bates (Leeds).

Dare Cafe (Leeds).

The Arts Cafe (Leeds).

"Pigment Figments" joint exhibition at Art.Co (Leeds).