​

BEARSPACE is pleased to present a new body of this dynamic artist’s work, taking his cultivated graphic style to paint coastal landscapes with a touch of the urban edge, developed in his studio in Woolwich, South East London.  Using a limited palette of two or three colours such as scarlet red and cerise alongside black and greys, these new paintings hark back to his background in screenprint, illustration and graphic art.

​

 Rock faces and glass-like surfaces are interjected with shingle and breaking waters using a combination of hard-edge flat abstract shapes and freehand brushwork. These paintings seem to hold an urban spirit of space surrounded by mass but also manage to draw you into the drama of the scenery.

​

 Phil Ashcroft created these works based on several specific landscapes in North Devon and Pembrokeshire. In August 2019 he completed the North Devon Art Residency (NDAR) and created a series of works based on his time spent there. He has also taken inspiration from the seascapes of nearby Abereiddy in Wales. 

​

 Ashcroft recently took part in 'SIX DAYS IN DECEMBER' at Thames-Side Studios Gallery, London (2019). His live painting projects include Taikoo Park, Hong Kong, as part of Hong Kong Arts Month (2018) and 'No Soul for Sale' with the Scrawl Collective’ at Tate Modern, London (2010).

​

Solo exhibitions include 'Fallout' at Canal, London (2016) and 'Cave Paintings' at Lewisham Arthouse, London (2015). Phil Ashcroft was also in the John Moores Painting Prize 2014, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (2014).

​

Image credit: Phil Ashcroft, Combe Martin I, acrylic on canvas, 102 x 76cm, 2019. Image courtesy the artist, 2020.