Havant’s arts centre hosts exhibition exploring ‘wilderness’ of landscapes where nature and urbanisation meet

Andrew Hardwick’s exhibition ‘Forgotten Land’ is currently on display at The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre.

It features several large scale, mixed media paintings which depict ships, factories, warehouses, and storage compounds, often alongside natural wastelands.

Bristol-based Andrew works from his studio, which is two fields away from the docks where the River Severn runs into the sea.

His work aims to capture the ‘wilderness’ of this area, examining the contrast between the overgrown natural landscape and the development of industry and housing estates.

Andrew said: ‘I do big, textured work and it’s about areas around the docks.

‘I’m interested in the idea of wilderness and built up areas.’

The artist feels that these portraits of the Bristol landscape – many of which were created over the past year – have much in common with Portsmouth as another area where natural growth meets concrete and tarmac.

Andrew added: ‘It’s very much an industrial area - it’s a powerful area with the sea.’

His creative process involves layering of paint and other materials, and scraping into the layers to create the image he wants - sometimes creating an ‘aged and weathered’ look, Andrew said.

Often incorporating a bright burst of orange or pink in an otherwise muted or dark colour palette, Andrew says he employs an ‘intuitive’ use of colour in his painting.

He added: ‘Some paintings want to be made, and some don’t, meaning they take months.’

A recurring theme in the exhibition is that of the ‘ghost ship’ leaving the docks and heading out to sea.

Andrew said these images are based on his experience watching the ships sail out near his home: ‘When the ships head out of the docks, they head into the sun and merge into the sun. It’s quite a spiritual thing.’

SEE ALSO: Gosport library’s defibrillator donation from ‘brilliant’ local charity could help to save lives

Sophie Fullerlove, director of The Spring, said: ‘I really like the idea of having such big, impressive pieces in this place.

‘It’s a different type of visual art.

‘I am always interested in work which is going to strike a chord.’

Forgotten Land will be on show until June 25.

An artist’s tour and talk will take place on May 18 at 7pm.