A local artist is set to stage an exhibition of new and old paintings which plot his journey from art school to retirement at Babylon Gallery next month (December). 

Stuart Green, originally from Birmingham, is presenting his new solo exhibition ‘The Search for a Voice’ from December 8-23. 

The exhibition, which will be a major retrospective spanning more than six decades, features a range of work from pencil, pastel and oil pastel ink to watercolour, acrylic and oil paint, and even some giclee prints. 

The works will also come in various sizes from postcard to large (100x200cms) and are sure to speak to the viewer on an individual level as the process by which they came about is representative of Stuart’s life through landscapes. 

Ely Standard: This image shows artist Stuart Green painting as a young man.This image shows artist Stuart Green painting as a young man. (Image: Babylon ARTS)

Going to art school in the Cotswolds turned Stuart into a lover of the countryside, in turn influencing his paintings which feature the marks, textures and colours that both man and nature produce on the landscape. 

On graduating, Stuart began teaching in Northamptonshire. He taught in various other schools before taking up the post of director of Art at the King’s School in Ely in 1981, and he’s called Ely home since. 

“A few years ago, when in conversation with a friend from art school days who is now a leading Welsh artist, he said in a very strong accent “You are a very good painter boyo but you have to find your voice man!” said Stuart. 

“This exhibition plots some of that journey to a voice, from art school to retirement. 

“I let the viewer decide if this has been successful.” 

Ely Standard: An example of the work that will be on show during Stuart Green's exhibition at Babylon Gallery in Ely.An example of the work that will be on show during Stuart Green's exhibition at Babylon Gallery in Ely. (Image: Babylon ARTS)

Stuart has exhibited all over East Anglia both in solo and group shows. He had also exhibited in Germany and has work in private collections both in Europe and Australia. 

“A teaching exchange in Australia dramatically changed my way of working,” he said. 

“Seeing the world literally from many different perspectives encouraged new approaches and experimentation.” 

To find out more about Stuart’s work, visit www.stuartagreen.uk