I began painting glaciers in 2018. Initially I made numerous panels, not much bigger than postcards, and worked in oil. The miniature scale intrigued me, as did the juxtaposition of the snapped view with the ever-changing giants. I cropped long views, into portrait format, and explored the unfolding elements: cloud, ice, snow and water. I sought a quiet formality, suggestive of the longevity of a massif, and its incremental changes. Perhaps this minor painting can prod our collective conscience and remind us that we are in a vast space, and part of a deeper time which is out of gear with modernity.
Daniel Crawshaw’s paintings investigate our connection to mountain landscapes. Often on foot, he gathers photographs and drawings in the wild. His studio works, of varying scale, delve into our shared experiences of the remote, often pitching desolate scenes into the realm of belonging and kinship. His cropping of images and the serial nature of his production sets the work between photorealism and memory. Growing up in the Welsh borders informs much of Daniels approach, yet he seeks to challenge this closeness, living in London and venturing into unfamiliar environments. He has undertaken research and residencies in, Spain, Canada, Wales and Australia.
