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Lying Near Water
Embark on a Profound Artistic Journey with Alice Neave: South East London’s Artist Explores Loss, Grief, and the Liminality of Place in her Third Solo Exhibition, ‘Lying Near Water,’ at Blue Shop Gallery
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Until October 22nd, ‘Lying Near Water’ displays artworks created using gentle layers of paint, inspired by Alice’s time living in South-East France, Pembrokeshire, and the city.
These unique artworks are a bit tricky to understand and focus on creating marks. They also include other pieces stitched onto the canvas and paper.
Alice talked to Creative Boom about why these works are based on her childhood in the countryside. She said, ‘I’ve always found peace in nature. I daydream a lot, and I’m amazed by the natural world. Green spaces, especially forests, woods, moss, and rivers, are special to me and inspire my art. To put it simply, I feel at home in these places.’
The countryside also has a healing effect on Alice. After living in London for ten years, she felt tired and uninspired. So, she moved to France seven years ago, specifically to the Poitou Charente region.
She says, “Moving to the Poitou Charente helped me recharge and see things from a new perspective. It boosted my confidence in painting, taught me how to observe the landscape & the light, & all that found its way into my artwork.”
In ‘Lying Near Water,’ texture is just as important as paint. The artworks on display are a mix of different surfaces, many of which come from previous pieces of art. Alice confesses, “Sometimes, I wonder if it’s right to cut them up! But when I start creating a new piece, I do it without being overly attached to the old ones.”
Alice is confident that the creative process will guide her and teach her something along the way. She believes that art can be recycled and may convey something entirely different in future works.
“I keep various sections of paintings in my studio. When I’m stuck on something, I take them out and try to fit them together like a puzzle to get new ideas. Sometimes, they unexpectedly turn into a painting that works,” she explains.
In addition to her experiences in the countryside, Alice finds inspiration in tantric paintings and Persian miniatures. She says, “My late father, who continues to be a strong influence in my art, gave me a book a few years before he passed away, titled ‘Tantra Song: Tantric Paintings from Rajasthan.’ These anonymous spiritual drawings are surprisingly contemporary, even though some are centuries old.
“They use vibrant pigments on paper, which now appear old and delicate. These artworks are deeply emotional and convey a lot through circles, pyramids, arrows, and simple symbols, along with stunning color combinations. They strike a beautiful balance between elegance and playfulness. They’ve been an invaluable resource for me in my studio.”
Persian miniatures also employ similar color palettes that have faded with time. Alice is drawn to the sense of life and the human stories these paintings convey within their decorative borders.
She explains, “You can spot traces of these influences scattered throughout my work. Tantric paintings, in particular, resonate with me because they convey something with simplicity, sensitivity, and a painterly touch. You can see the life and journey they’ve experienced.”
The underlying themes that bind this exhibition together are memory and grief. While Alice acknowledges that her own life experiences form the basis for these themes, she desires her paintings to convey something larger.
She shares, “I once heard an art critic say something like this: ‘A good artist draws from their life experiences for inspiration, but a great artist goes beyond that point until they no longer see themselves in the work; the work develops its own voice and starts speaking to the artist, teaching them. It’s no longer just a vehicle for the artist.'”
Ultimately, our life experiences find their way into the studio, and it’s the artist’s responsibility to use these experiences as the foundation or building blocks for a body of work.
“Memory and grief are my building blocks, and painting has been a significant personal aid. It’s truly wonderful when my paintings resonate with and connect to others, as we all go through similar losses and experiences eventually.”
This directness and resonance align with Alice’s guiding principle for her art, which is that it serves as the “language to get to the crux of the matter.”
In her artworks, including those featured in ‘Lying Near Water,’ her goal is to convey and evoke those indescribable emotions that you can’t put into words but can instantly recognise when you experience them.
She explains, “The way they resonate with each individual who connects with them is remarkably unique. I’ve poured my heart and soul into them.”
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