Alex Stewart was born over 60 years ago in the northern English town of Halifax, which means that he’s been painting and drawing for over half his life. There have been huge changes in his life during this entire time, and as he has changed, so have his paintings.
Every time he sits to paint, all these things sit inside him. As he starts, an internal switch takes him on a path of discovery where things appear in his mind's eye. It is no longer words or even conscious thinking, it is a language of how he experiences life. Watercolour paint on paper, oil on canvas or panel, these are the materials he uses to create his images. It gives him freedom. No one formally taught him, and he has no rules. He creates a nest where he can listen to a cricket match or music and allow himself to fall into his imagination. He sets himself challenges to overcome, plays loud music when he has a thousand leaves to paint and curses himself for not making things easier for himself. He wants every painting to be perfect and jewel-like, but always finds a flaw. No one else will see it, but it's that flaw which is the seed for the next image, a doorway to the next step.
The cast of characters expand and contract, changing colour, shape and meaning. All is in flux, but each painting seems so specific. Yet when looked at the following day can convey something very different. The meaning is in the eye of the beholder, and theirs to explore.
When he’s asked about his paintings, he says they are illustrations for an unwritten book. He uses images and colour instead of words. His influences and inspirations come from many directions. Miniature paintings from Asia and illuminated manuscripts, as well as remembered children’s books. He is influenced by and/or loves so many different artists, people, places and things that untangling them into a list is impossible. He included the quote below because it sums up the joy of painting and the life it has given him.
“Somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond” - e e cummings
Alex has held exhibitions in the UK, Sri Lanka, USA and India since 1993.