Andrew Cranston - Never a Joiner

Andrew Cranston is a painter-storyteller who creates narrative paintings by manipulating materials like layering, lacquering, and bleaching on linen-bound book covers. His work is influenced by past painters like Vuillard, Bonnard, Matisse, and Munch and is filled with references to cinema, literature, and art history. This publication features a selection of his book cover paintings, accompanied by personal notes and reflections that offer insights into his mind and life. The artist's writing has become a way of engaging with painting and activating its afterlife.

Format: Hardback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 05 October 2023
Publisher: Anomie Publishing

Andrew Cranston, a painter-storyteller born in 1969 in Hawick, Scotland, currently resides and works in Glasgow. His unique approach to art combines storytelling with painting, utilizing the linen-bound covers of old books as his canvas. His artistic process involves the gradual creation of paintings through the manipulation of various materials, including layering, lacquering, bleaching, collaging, and constant re-working. This results in images that seem to oscillate between past and present, capturing a sense of temporal ambiguity. Cranston's artwork is characterized by its contemporary spirit while also displaying a deep connection to painters of the past, particularly the intimacy of Vuillard and Bonnard, the vibrant hues of Matisse, and the expressive strokes of Munch. These narrative paintings are drawn from the artist's personal memory, observations of life, and a liberal sprinkling of references to cinema, literature, and art history.

This publication showcases a selection of Cranston's book cover paintings, which have gained him widespread recognition in recent years. The cover image, titled Cat and cheeseboard (2018), depicts a cat perched on the upholstered arm of a sofa, surveying a selection of bries and camemberts, accompanied by mousetraps. Other animals, such as a horse, fish, leopard, and elk skeleton, intermittently emerge from the canvas. Additionally, there are still lifes featuring fruit, flowers, pottery, landscapes, both bleak and fantastical, peopled and unpeopled interiors, portraits of family members and celebrities, childhood memories from school classrooms, classical music-filled assemblies, holidays in Switzerland, and visits to granny's flat. The featured paintings encompass a wide range of subjects and themes, reflecting Cranston's diverse artistic interests and influences.

In conclusion, Andrew Cranston's painter-storyteller approach is a testament to his creativity and dedication to art. Through the manipulation of materials and the fusion of narrative elements, he creates paintings that evoke a sense of temporal ambiguity and connect to the rich artistic heritage of the past. This publication offers a glimpse into his captivating world, showcasing a selection of his book cover paintings that capture the essence of his artistic vision.

Weight: 978g
Dimension: 201 x 247 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781910221532