Luke Austin-Heywood is one of the artists at The Mining Exchange. When I first visited, I was particularly drawn to a number of artworks in one area of the gallery, which I soon found out to be his works. Luke happened to be there that day, and I struck up a conversation.

Luke Austin-Heywood is one of the artists at The Mining Exchange. When I first visited, I was particularly drawn to a number of artworks in one area of the gallery, which I soon found out to be his works. Luke happened to be there that day, and I struck up a conversation.

Luke has lived in the West Country since he was two. He attended Launceston College in North Cornwall for school, then down to Falmouth Art School for a BTEC in General Art & Design, before getting a place on a Fine Art course at Plymouth University. During his time in Plymouth, Luke suffered severe back injuries, which began to deteriorate shortly after and affect him in a big way.  

From his time in higher education, the most important thing Luke has taken away with him is that, “It’s down to me, I got to find the interest and the energy to do it. Doesn’t matter what someone tells me or how inspiring someone is, it’s got to come from me, really. Also, having people around you, that’s the best part of it, the culture and the energy.” 

Luke spoke of some of the ideas that drive him to paint. “The connection between (Jackson) Pollock’s all-over drip painting, natural form, natural rhythm, at the deepest levels of consciousness the mind is simply nature - this was a state which can be said to relate to Lavender Mist (1950), whose drips and skeins of paint balancing in the shallow depth of the picture plane, have a similarity to the organisation and structure of neurons firing in the depths of the brain, and of course natural structures and patterns as such found in trees and water. We are nature.” 

These works of Pollock were inspired by jazz music of the time. Luke turns to modern electronic music and its rhythmic patterns, in conjunction with natural elements such as the coast of Cornwall, the light, warmth of summer for inspiration. A contrast of mania and busyness in summer months against the quiet bleakness, rain and cold of winter. These concepts form a kind of duality, which comes to the fore in Luke’s paintings.  

The aforementioned modern music creates the pathos, balancing against a calmer ethos of natural form. He is interested in the little details of how paint behaves on the canvas. “The practice is meditative, and as it is about nature, it is about the mind and emotions, about the environment and about a human experience through abstract painting. It is also at times dynamic and emotional, stormy and atavistic, in contrast to the meditative.” 

Luke’s artistic practice is built upon a dynamic fusion of multiple other influences too. These  include Abstract Expressionism, Primitivism, Concrete Art and Mid-Century American Painting. His work also reflects deep engagement with late 20th century graphic design, anime, manga and the digital aesthetics of cyberspace.  

This diverse mix creates a truly unique visual language that bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary art forms. His goal is to create art that resonates with viewers on both an intellectual and emotional level.

WORDS

Dominik Frolec

IMAGES

Luke Austin Heywood