Gustavius Payne

Gus Payne is a Welsh figurative artist represented by Ffin-Y-Parc. His work is also available at Queen Street Gallery and other galleries. Work available throughout the year.

​

Elected to the Welsh Group in 2013 (and chair in 2018), his figurative paintings use nature, animals, birds and trees, alongside hoodies, mobile phones, religious iconography and other human constructs. His diverse imagery draws from mythology and folk-lore, alongside ecological and political concerns, drawing the viewer into a fascinating reflective world, set in the post-industrial Welsh Valleys.
 

"My work is generally concerned with the human predicament, using the notion of a collective unconscious; a rhythm seen throughout human cultures via religion and mythology, referring to the psychologist assertion that myths, fairy-tales, folk-lore and religion all originate in a place deep within the unconscious, allowing human beings to make sense of the world where, at the time of conception, there is no clear logic or empirical evidence.

 

I often use archetypes and established signifiers as a starting point, allowing the work to develop on its own terms. (Though I may also begin a painting or a drawing as a series of marks, with no definite planned outcome). The purpose is to create a composition that "feels" right, together with the questioning restraint and acknowledgement that 'feelings' can often be misguided."

​

C.V. & Exhibitions