Fine Art, Painting

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‘Tabula Rasa’: Locke Goes Painting

The Wednesday

‘Tabula Rasa,’ the phrase created by Locke, has come alive in Mike England’s new exhibition. Locke thought that the mind is a clean slate and our ideas come through the senses. These ideas could be visually formed lines and colours as shown in the paintings. The exhibition was well attended for the private viewing on Saturday the 9th March in the evening at the Cornerstone Gallery in Didcot. Mike is an active member of the Wednesday Group and several members of the group turned up to support the event.

The gallery provided an ideal space to allow the paintings to be shown to their full potential, displaying brightly coloured works between the more neutrally toned, enhancing the pieces and giving validity to the exhibition.

Mike England

Mike’s work is predominately in oils. He has a wonderful air for colour that is mesmerising, drawing you in so that you can see the intricate detail hidden below the initial abstract image. There were a couple of works in ink. Again the initial impression is very striking but on closer inspection the intricate details in one of these shows a princess and prince looking out into the galaxy.

his audience to draw their own conclusion 10 on the meaning behind his works. His own free spirit is evident in his style and he has a great empathy and appreciation of the power of colour and shades of colour which is not normally achieved in oil. His works have a predominant shape but they also have a unique, almost layered effect which gives rise different ideas as you view the paintings. The overall effect is wonderful,

and certainly not a blank canvas.

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Mike England dedicated the exhibition to his friend and poet, the late Heathcote Williams. The exhibition is on display until the 31st March.

Issue No. 88 27/03 /2019 The Wednesday