William Watkin will be showing large, colourful, textured, abstract paintings as well as numerous smaller canvases, and beautiful works on paper. The venue, The Old Piggery, is a reclaimed industrial building with unique hanging spaces inside and out, and incredible views. Located on the edge of a beautiful orchard with ample parking in the delightful village of Little Wittenham, this will be the first time that The Old Piggery will be used as an art space, bringing a small slice of industrial chic to the south Oxfordshire countryside.

William’s canvases are intense and dynamic explorations of colour, gesture, surface, and texture. Inspired by Gerhard Richter’s work Watkin uses paddles and tilers’ notched tools to create highly textured, and rhythmically abraded surfaces, onto which multiple, thick layers of paint are added over time and then removed repeatedly until the image is formed. The final pieces are astonishingly rich in intensity of colour, detail and are very tactile. There is a lot going on across the surface, but from a distance they attain a beauty and harmony that is absorbing and immersive.

The inspiration of Turner, Monet, Rothko, Pollock and Richter is clear. But Watkin is also influenced by contemporary British painting, grids, crosshatching and weaving. His work shows signs of Dürer, Mondrian, brutalist architecture, Polish kilims, tartan kilts, and basketry.

Aside from the large canvases, Watkin’s process includes many smaller, more subtle works on paper. These pieces are often inspired by the local landscape of south Oxfordshire where William has lived for 20 years now. They look especially strong in sequences of two or three hung together and he is happy to sell these in small batches at discounted prices. There are also many medium-sized canvases dotted around the unique location so something to suit all pockets and all tastes.

The Old Piggery is a fascinating rural/industrial space with the sties, enclosures and swill drains all intact. Watkin will be curating his work to carefully enhance this space including hanging work in the sties outside. Think of the whole exhibition as a site-specific installation with art hanging in unusual spaces, all against the backdrop of pristine countryside and you get the idea. There is room for the kids to run wild outside while the adults wander through the exhibition at their leisure. The perfect day out!