Gordon Connell

Inspired by bright colours and urban grit, Gordon Connell paints radiant abstracts on canvas or board, often on surfaces marked by previous use. The paintings use the colour and texture of the paint surface to explore the way colours react together and how their interplay evokes emotions and memories.



“I am interested in perception and cognition, and I use oil paint and gels as a way to find out how they work. I see painting as a process, an experiment and a discovery.”

After a degree in psychology from the University of Manchester, and art training in London, he set up an art practice and exhibited widely. He worked in several shared studios in Manchester, co-founding Rogue Artists’ Studios where he taught life drawing for many years, it currently has over 85 artists.

Some pieces are roughly painted the exact shade of blue-green to set your teeth on edge. Others are a serene ultramarine that calms and soothes. They are intensely shimmering – mostly blue.

He now lives in Stratford-upon-Avon and has a studio in Bidford where visitors are welcome.