Daniel Crews-Chubb

Daniel Crews-Chubb creates abstract paintings inspired by ancient mythology and history. His references span Greco-Roman deities and Celtic stonework, to tapestries and even Frankenstein's monster. This tension between the sublime and the ugly is central to his work. His process begins with preparatory drawings. Then, layers of paint are placed onto pre-stained patchwork canvases. Thick oil impasto is created with his hands, followed by glue, sand and pumice gels. When dried, he draws instinctive abstract marks using charcoal and oil sticks. The abstract mark-making of 20th century painters Willem de Kooning and Cy Twombly can be seen in his work. Particularly, the broad brush strokes and textured paint.

In his Flowers and Monsters (2022) series, Crews-Chubb wanted to explore collaboration. Using artists' work from the past, he mixed his style with theirs. He was inspired to redo Vincent van Gogh's Sunflower oil paintings in his own style. Crews-Chubb replaced Van Gogh's sunny yellows with his own colour palette – dark blues, reds and pastel hues. He maintained the expressionist energy of Van Gogh, but not just with oil paint. His intense, hand-worked paintings are primal, complex and emotional, "I just love making art, I think it is the rawest thing you can do".