We are very excited to have an artwork by British artist Adrian Elgie in our office. His paintings have already made their mark, bringing strong colours, intriguing textures and an expression that feels both playful and sophisticated.
Adrian has had the sea and nature close to him throughout his life. He was born in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, while his parents have their roots in Marazion in Cornwall and St Andrews in Scotland. Coastal landscapes and the sea have therefore always been a natural part of his life, and have also become an important source of inspiration for his art.
His path to becoming an artist, however, was not entirely straightforward. After studying at Cardiff Art College in the early 1980s, Adrian moved to London and embarked on a long career in advertising. Over the course of 28 years, he progressed from Art Director to Executive Creative Director at one of the world’s largest advertising agencies. His career took him to Cairo, Amman and Dallas, among other places, before eventually bringing him back to the UK.
Despite his busy professional life, painting was always there. His brushes were never far away, and in 2012 Adrian decided to turn his long-standing passion into a full-time career as an artist.
Since 2016, he has been based in Mallorca, with the sea right on his doorstep. Much of the inspiration for his current work comes from this environment. Adrian’s paintings often begin with nature, but they are far from traditional landscapes. Instead, he breaks down what he sees and translates it into colour, form, line and texture.
He describes his approach as an attempt to distil the way he experiences nature. By looking more closely at the structures within a landscape, he abstracts shapes and details and then rebuilds them in his own way. The result is a collection of paintings that capture the feeling and essence of a place, rather than attempting to reproduce it literally.
Materials and techniques are also an important part of his artistic expression. Adrian works with acrylic, ink and oil pastels, and sometimes even uses a two-inch screw to create marks and textures in the paint.
After numerous solo and group exhibitions, Adrian’s work has found its way into private collections in various places, and interest in his work continues to grow.
We are especially happy to now have his work here with us. His paintings bring colour, energy and personality to our office, and perhaps most importantly, a sense of Mallorca, the sea and the landscapes that have inspired Adrian throughout his life.
“I love nature’s infinite variety. Every time I paint it I am overwhelmed with the choice of shapes and colours it gives me. I love to précis and abstract these forms to share with the viewer a visual truth I see. A clarity and simplicity that can be lost on a walk through it unless you stop and look closer at it. I hope my paintings help the viewer look closer.”
