Dan Parry-Jones 'Lifeseen'

Dan is recognised for a unique process he has been developing since he started painting professionally in 2008. He combines painting, screen-printing, photography and collage, a multi-disciplinary approach that has evolved from a background in illustration and graphic design.

Although ‘Lifeseen’ showcases his signature theme of coastal scenes with children playing, it also demonstrates a recent shift in subject matter and style to grittier, more panoramic, urban landscapes – both busy and desolate in feel – inspired by his travels and his home town of Bristol, with increasingly abstract backgrounds.

“My process is very physical and only works on board. I’ve tried working on canvas but I end up tearing the surface. That’s because I build up the paint in several layers, scraping and sanding back as I go to create more and more texture. I begin with a mental vision of the painting, the various elements appearing like film stills in my mind. But as I paint, print and collage, I invariably find myself following a new, unplanned direction. The final piece is usually nowhere near the initial vision and it is this struggle between adhering to a plan and allowing the automated side of the brain to take over and create something else that results in my best work.”