Alastair Gamble BArch (Hons)

From a very young age I spontaneously produced drawings and paintings. One of my earliest memories was when I was four years old, and lying on my bed thinking that the wall in front of me looked so bare. As I had recently been given some crayons, I proceeded to draw an abstract mural with sheer exuberance. As you can imagine my parents were not best pleased with my first artistic endeavours, as they had to set about repainting the walls! At school, I did Art as an A-level, and then studied Architecture at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
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I particularly like to paint with a blend of light and shadow to imbue my paintings with depth and heightened interest. However, unlike architectural design, I prefer to be fine and delicate yet at times fluid in my brushstrokes, and not being hindered by rigidly straight lines or vanishing points, as I want the paintings to reflect my character and its quirks.

In the last few years I have been painting with authentic

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From a very young age I spontaneously produced drawings and paintings. One of my earliest memories was when I was four years old, and lying on my bed thinking that the wall in front of me looked so bare. As I had recently been given some crayons, I proceeded to draw an abstract mural with sheer exuberance. As you can imagine my parents were not best pleased with my first artistic endeavours, as they had to set about repainting the walls! At school, I did Art as an A-level, and then studied Architecture at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
​
I particularly like to paint with a blend of light and shadow to imbue my paintings with depth and heightened interest. However, unlike architectural design, I prefer to be fine and delicate yet at times fluid in my brushstrokes, and not being hindered by rigidly straight lines or vanishing points, as I want the paintings to reflect my character and its quirks.

In the last few years I have been painting with authentic looking colours, but still retaining an individuality and uniqueness, without copying exactly what I see.

In most of my paintings I am keen to create an atmosphere of mystery, through the use of light, space and depth, and to allow the viewer to question what stories and narratives might lie within the fabric of buildings and the ornaments it contains. This comes out especially in the interiors I paint, but also sometimes manifests in the exteriors of buildings, where a hint of what happens inside might be revealed. There is also a strong sense of comfort and warmth with all of my paintings that gives the viewer a warm inner glow.

Although in the past, I have used a few different mediums, namely watercolours, oils, acrylics and gouache, I am currently painting with the medium of oils again, but this time with water-soluble oils as I prefer the lesser toxicity compared to traditional oils, while still achieving rich, authentic looking colours.

The subject matter I choose to paint is predominantly a balance between architecture with a high solid to glass ratio, as I find the use of too much glass dehumanising, and I embellish it with nature in all its guises. I also thoroughly enjoy painting interiors, especially where I can convey a feeling of light, space and depth.

I only introduce people and animals to my paintings where it enhances the composition and drama.

I am influenced by the impressionists and post-impressionists like Cezanne, Monet and Van Gogh, but also drawn to the interiors of Vermeer and the humanity and brilliance of Rembrandt. Chiaroscuro - the play of light and shadow plays a key part in my paintings, and Caravaggio, whose work I admire, excelled in this technique. Maggie Siner is a contemporary American painter, whose work I am enamoured by, for her loose gestural brushstrokes which belies a perfectly geometric execution.

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/alastair-gamble