KCR WINTER 24:25 Magazine FINAL 1 - Flipbook - Page 25
Intimate Immensity
Victoria Orr Ewing and Benjamin Lowsley Williams’ work is of the land. It immerses us conceptually and physically. The works are
timeless - of the here and now while hinting at a mythological past, evoking a sense of deep time. The geological and archaeological
roll in with the mists and weather, leaving us with a sense of numinous mystery.
Lowsley Williams presents us with, rather than uses, stone. The stu昀昀 beneath our feet is revealed. He refers to stone as “the bones
of the earth”. We are placed as viewers, intimately close to material alchemically transmuted by heat and pressure over millions of
years. A material so dense with a deep mystery that one cannot help but be transported.
Preferring raw stone or found pieces, his work extends and corresponds with the quarrying process. Laying bare the inherent
properties of the stone itself. LW 昀椀nds and excavates forms and shapes that, in their universality, occupy a place at the beginning of
complex symbols. The arch, the step, the circle, it pushes our minds to something “beyond”. Reminiscent of ancient standing stones,
vertically bisecting Orr Ewing’s otherwise open landscapes.
Orr Ewing’s empty wild places, often stark and haunting, carry a hint of ominous beauty. They seem to do the reverse of the sculpture. First, they inspire awe at the scale of the unbroken landscape depicted and then, pulls us in as we engage with the paint itself.
Often devoid of detail, they create a visual barrier, beyond which the viewer is rewarded with an in昀椀nite expanse of space. We interact with landscapes in various ways, whether contemplating the vastness of cosmic space or experiencing intimate moments in our
personal surroundings. Her work sometimes adheres to reality, at others, favouring reduction to abstracted colour 昀椀elds.
These paintings o昀昀er a sense of solitude and timelessness. Stories of moor, marsh and mountain, suggested, rather than told. A
gloaming, liminal world where vividly real places a昀昀ect us as much with absence as presence. A hushed radiance between darker
shapes, whether at certain times of the day or during speci昀椀c weather conditions, they evoke an atmosphere of melancholic grace.
These places hold deep reverence for the artist. Spending time in the landscape, she is in昀氀uenced by the same forces that shape the
land. She is attracted to the less obvious, often overlooked spaces that lie between destinations. The work contains a discomfort, to
capture and bring back some essence of place has its cost. These paintings, much like the landscapes they portray, o昀昀er as much
challenge as provide solitude and peace.
Lowsley Williams lives on the Purbeck Peninsula in West Dorset, where he works in the local quarries. His source material includes
the rugged cli昀昀s and the remnants of historical quarrying in the area. A lifelong stone carver, he has studied carving techniques and
aesthetic traditions across Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Recently, he gained recognition as a sell-out artist at the
“On Form” Biennial and has completed commissions for The Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan.
Victoria Orr Ewing grew up in a remote region of South West Scotland. After graduating from The City & Guilds of London Art
School she travelled extensively. Living abroad for several years before returning to Britain in 2016. Now based in Gloucestershire,
she draws inspiration from her travels to remote wildernesses as well as locations closer to home. Victoria has exhibited her work in
galleries and institutions throughout the UK and internationally, including The Fine Art Society in Edinburgh and Panter & Hall in
London.
