Robert McPartland

I work in the still life painting tradition and grow my paintings from brief, often precarious, arrangements of small, neutral or insignificant subject matter, using observation, intuition, relationship, scale and metaphor to create a sense of clarity and space and give form to my sensibility. I regard form as concentrated space, process and phenomena and strive to create visual meditations that are layered, poetic and stop time. I draw on my interests outside art for inspiration - mainly music, yoga, meditation and Eastern thought, mainly Tao and Zen. I am particularly drawn to the increasing connections between Buddhist related thought and aspects of contemporary science, particularly physics and neuropsychology.
I have also been very influenced by Iain McGilchrist's groundbreaking book "The Master and his Emissary", a Rosetta stone that connects the two brain hemispheres, "the two cultures" and the philosophies of East and West. It reveals much of arts response to 20th/21st century Western society to be in fact, like its subject, Cartesian and dualistic.

Please look at my blog for more written thoughts and observations.
My work can be viewed by year via the Collections/view all/ tab

Goldsmiths college, London.
Ravensbourne college of art & design.
Middlesbrough college of art.

Videos
a short (new) video in which I talk about what it means to be a painter, how I arrived at my subject matter and the connectedness of painting. Beautifully filmed, edited and scored by my son Jack @mcpartland.studio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_8xusLlYCg


A short film in which I talk about my work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzKnk7lYc-s

My partner Stephanie Tuckwell and I exploring the Llyn Peninsula, Wales. Produced for Wales Tourist Board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSHcLgOB8P0

Upcoming one man show - Gallery 57 Arundel, West Sussex, March 2021
Group show - ArtCatto, Loulie, Algarve, Portugal
"Elements: air water" - group show Gallery 57, Arundel, West Sussex, 29 Feb.- 9th May 2020
Joint show of paintings with my partner Stephanie Tuckwell. Kooywood Gallery, Cardiff. May 18th - June 1st 2019
Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize Exhibition, Mall Galleries London 5-17 March 2019
Kooywood Gallery, Cardiff. Nov. 2016
Royal West of England Open, Oct 2016
Jackson's Open Art Prize finalist May 2016
Show with Stephanie Tuckwell - Kooywood Gallery Cardiff Nov 2015
Group drawing show Oriel Mryddin, Carmarthen May 2015
Group Show Kooywood Gallery Cardiff Nov 2014
Royal West of England Annual Open Exhibition Nov - Dec 2014
Derwent Art Prize show, Mall Galleries, London. 15 - 20th Sept 2014
group show "Welsh Contemporary Realism" Kooywood Gallery Cardiff Jan - Feb 2014
Royal West of England Annual Open Exhibition. Bristol UK 24 Nov. - 26 Jan 2014
20/21 Art Fair Royal College of Art Sept 2013 with Flying Colours Gallery
Small works Kooywood gallery May 2013
Affordable Art Fair Singapore Nov 2012 Fiumano Fine Art
20/21 Art Fair Royal College of Art Sept 2012 with Flying Colours Gallery
Fiumano Fine Art London 6th - 20th June 2012 Show Two
Smelik & Stokking Galleries The Hague Netherlands Group show 28/3-3/6 2012
Affordable Art Fair with Fiumano Fine Art 15th - 18th March 2012
Fiumano Fine Art London 7th - 29th Feb. 2012 Group show
Solo show: Kooywood Gallery Cardiff 10th Nov - 31st Dec 2011
Solo Show: Kooywood Gallery Cardiff 11th Nov - 31st Dec 2010
National Open Art Competition Chichester Nov. 2010 Regional prizewinner Wales.