Born in 1958, Julian Le Bas is a Sussex-based artist whose limpid paintings and robust charcoal drawings re-awaken a sense of our own physical embodiment, and emotional involvement, in the natural world.
Le Bas’ paintings and drawings are moving visible equivalents for the experience of weight and volume in light and space. He sees teaching as integral to his practice as a painter. He has exhibited widely and has works in private and public collections, including The Towner, Eastbourne, and Kent Institute of Art and Design.
For Le Bas, landscape is a live encounter and art, a re-enacting of specific experiences, in paint or with charcoal on paper. Writing about him in the catalogue of his Towner show of 1990, Dennis Creffield hailed him as ‘The Lover and the Poet of The South Downs’ and said how hard it is to make authentic images of this land.
Through seeking to discover and convey his feelings about form, he aims to deepen his relationship with the subject matter. The process of painting and drawing (within an inspired landscape) enables him to ignite and heighten his senses.
Please can you tell us about your artistic practice?
My artistic practice is that I work directly from nature, paint or draw, to kind of find the specific, the underlying form or mood of a particular place or landscape. I’ll bring it back to the studio, if it doesn’t work I will take it back out. I kind of involve myself in a dialogue with nature through painting, it’s very necessary for me to be motivated working directly from the landscape. I still have a fresh response, rather than a known knowledge of a particular place.
What art education have you received?
I first went to foundation and pre-foundation at st albans in Hertfordshire and still in touch with my painting tutor, who is amazing, now 94, Graham Void. I saw him recently, and am full of adoration for him. He was the head of painting there.
I then went to Brighton for my degree, three years there under the influence of Denis Creffield, who encouraged me to work from the subject, and there was no turning back after I started to do that.
I saved up and went to Cyprus School of Art – that was fun! I had never been to such an exotic part of the world before, and had never witnessed the heat. The School was run by Stass Paraskos. He was a Cypriot painter, who had a great philosophy. He always encouraged us. He instigated getting very established artists to come and teach out there and offer their experience.
This experience was very instrumental in me using purer colours. This is due to the of the actual warmth of the climate. I initially started using colours which were local colour, meaning more true to what the colour exists, but it wasn’t enough for me. It didn’t express the warmth of the climate, so I used more warmer and purer colours.
Where do you see your work sitting in relation to your contemporaries and the art world or art in the broader sense?
With my contemporaries, I think it’s really valuable to see each other’s work, the painters that I respect, the painters that I was at art school with, I continually stay in touch with. Seeing their work in exhibitions or at home is important. In an open way.
Where were you brought up and how has this affected your painting?
Very good question! I was born in St Leonards on Sea, very near to where I live now. My grandma used to live there. She had a beach hut, and I have very happy memories of playing by the sea. You see, I grew up in St Albans, a long way from the sea. One of the appeals of applying to Brighton, as well as admiring the work was living by the sea. The sea and the space is very much part of me. So I’ve come back, now living in Seaford, a very friendly place. It’s fantastic because nature is so close – only a four minute walk. I’ve kind of gone back to where I am from.
What and who are your influences?
As painters go, painters that I love and admire would be Cézanne, for his, I can never tire of looking at his work. He captures something of endearing and very much to do with his own sensations in front of nature that have a real truth to them
The passion of Van Gogh, and he is so articulate, his letters are very inspiring. Seeing his paintings, has always had a very strong influence on me.
My tutor at Brighton, which was, Denis Creffield, he was very strong influence on your work. He was extraordinary draftsman, and he was probably one of the biggest influences on your approach.
How does the South Downs landscape influence your work?
A continual subject of mine has been the coast, painting from the sea. From the coast along Sussex is particularly inspiring, but the relationship in all weathers is something that is almost impossible to capture but, for me, trying to experience something of it’s energy, of the elements of the sea in a specific kind of time really.
So for example one of my latest paintings, that was painted when there was incredible storm, shows quite an extraordinary value of the sea which was high and sparkling. One has to treat nature with respect when the elements are very fearsome. I think, knowing that the surprise elements of what is discovered through the experience of painting is really key for me.
Has being involved with Charleston Farmhouse been instrumental in your artistic practice?
With Charleston Farmhouse has had quite a long association.. I was asked to work there casually before the opening of the house, and had a show there in 1989. My inspiration from the South Downs it’s a very deep feeling for that area. Which fuels my work and painting. And so I get asked to do workshops there maybe twice a year. Which I love doing.
In practical terms, how do you organise your life? When do you paint?
It varies, I prefer painting either early morning or in the evening. The atmosphere and the light is more challenging and more evocative. Rather that during the day , the light can be a bit flat, it depends on the season and teaching commitments. But ideally early morning. I love amazing shadows that give great contrast of the light and the colour.
I usually work directly from the colour and the paint. It is a very direct connection with the subject when drawing. And for example I have been painting from Seaford head quite a lot, on a big scale, to help me define and give more confidence about using colour.
We are honoured that you are tutoring for us this year, can you tell us about why you love teaching and what students can expect from you?
I throughly enjoy meeting committed students who have a real affinity for wanting to paint, there is so much to discover. I really enjoy meeting students and professional artists who want to rekindle their love of painting. I find that inspiring.
Julian Has a solo show March 4th – 12th 2023 at
Star Brewery Gallery
Castle Ditch Lane
Lewes BN7 1YJ
Open daily 11am – 5pm except Mondays
All courses with Julian can be viewed here: https://thenewart.info/our-tutors/julian-le-bas/
