Lewis Waugh
I am an artist, living and working in my Portobello studio, Edinburgh Scotland. My work is influenced by surrealism, abstract expressionism and Islamic art - a confluence of Islamic geometry and the art of north-western Europe, particularly Celtic Art. I draw inspiration from music, poetry and my experiences in the mountains. Only by resorting to abstract forms and the inherent quality of the materials I use, can I begin to convey a sense of that experience.
The Norwegian composer Nilssen stated that “….. only music can give an abstract expression of life in contrast to other arts which must construct models and symbolise. Music solves the problem only by remaining itself: for music is life whereas the other arts only depict life”.
During his stay in North Africa, Paul Klee gradually detached colour from physical description and used it independently. This gave him the final push towards abstraction. Colour, shape and line were freed from the necessity of depiction creating a visual vocabulary which could, to paraphrase Nilssen, express fully, the elementary will of life.
In making the same transition, I have had to evolve a personal visual vocabulary free from the constraints of pictorial representation. Whilst this 'abstract' imagery may confound many, it is a constant source of pleasure and wonder that there are also many who seem to 'get it'.
In my own work I wish to convey the elemental struggle between chaos and order, the cerebral and physical experiences of music, poetry and climbing. I have worked with poets, incorporating their words into my imagery, and my imagery into their words. The works of Sibelius, Taverner, Gorecki, Panufnik and Arvo Pärt, have either directly shaped my work or more subtly inhabited the framework of my compositions.
During 2018 - 2019 I collaborated with Iyad Hayatleh - Palestinian/Glaswegian poet and calligraphers Azim Rehmat Din and Jawdat Al Sabbagh, to bring to a conclusion work from a 3 month period in the Moroccan Atlas mountains.
This work has also been balanced by time in Skye where the poetry of Somhairle MacGill-eain, (Sorley MacLean) and more recently, Meg Bateman, have informed my imagery.
The Norwegian composer Nilssen stated that “….. only music can give an abstract expression of life in contrast to other arts which must construct models and symbolise. Music solves the problem only by remaining itself: for music is life whereas the other arts only depict life”.
During his stay in North Africa, Paul Klee gradually detached colour from physical description and used it independently. This gave him the final push towards abstraction. Colour, shape and line were freed from the necessity of depiction creating a visual vocabulary which could, to paraphrase Nilssen, express fully, the elementary will of life.
In making the same transition, I have had to evolve a personal visual vocabulary free from the constraints of pictorial representation. Whilst this 'abstract' imagery may confound many, it is a constant source of pleasure and wonder that there are also many who seem to 'get it'.
In my own work I wish to convey the elemental struggle between chaos and order, the cerebral and physical experiences of music, poetry and climbing. I have worked with poets, incorporating their words into my imagery, and my imagery into their words. The works of Sibelius, Taverner, Gorecki, Panufnik and Arvo Pärt, have either directly shaped my work or more subtly inhabited the framework of my compositions.
During 2018 - 2019 I collaborated with Iyad Hayatleh - Palestinian/Glaswegian poet and calligraphers Azim Rehmat Din and Jawdat Al Sabbagh, to bring to a conclusion work from a 3 month period in the Moroccan Atlas mountains.
This work has also been balanced by time in Skye where the poetry of Somhairle MacGill-eain, (Sorley MacLean) and more recently, Meg Bateman, have informed my imagery.
