Okehampton exhibition showcases local artist’s new Dartmoor-inspired works
A new collection by Christopher Paul Diffey explores movement, energy and organic forms through layers of colour, texture and light in a three-day Dartmoor-inspired show
A Devon artist who helped establish the forerunner of Devon Open Studios is preparing to showcase a new collection of paintings inspired by the landscapes and atmosphere of Dartmoor later this week.
Christopher Paul Diffey will present ‘Between Worlds’, a three-day exhibition at The Threshing Barn, Reddaway, from Friday, July 17, until Sunday, July 19.
The collection features a new body of large-scale abstract paintings exploring movement, energy and organic forms through layers of colour, texture and light.
Paul said his work is rooted in the natural world while also exploring the relationship between physical reality and imagination.
“Painting has always existed between two realities. One is the tangible world of flesh, stone, weather, gravity and memory - the visceral world that presses itself upon our senses,” he said.
“The other is the imaginative world, where symbols, dreams, myths and emotions transform ordinary experience into something transcendent.”
“The great challenge is to produce work that allows both these worlds to coexist in dynamic equilibrium - and then to inhabit the threshold where physical experience becomes a doorway into the imagination,” he added.
Diffey was among the original artists who helped establish the forerunner of Devon Open Studios when the initiative began in the 1990s.
His latest exhibition “marks a significant development in his creative journey”, which has spanned contemporary oil painting, gouache and more traditional approaches to fine art.
Paul’s work has long been inspired by the rhythms, landscapes and atmosphere of the surrounding countryside.
Visitors will be able to view the collection at The Threshing Barn, Reddaway, EX20 1SG.
The Grade II* Listed 16th-century building has been described by Diffey as “not a purpose-built gallery but a spacious contemporary home environment”.
Located between Okehampton and Sticklepath, it will be signposted from the A30 east of Okehampton.
The exhibition is free to visit and runs between 10am and 4pm each day.