Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London. 1st - 18th June 2005

You are never left in any doubt when you first glance at a Pockley painting that it represents the emotional position of the artist. In this way, it is not only the subject matter that reveals the nature of the painting but the formal language of the image. The focus of her last three solo shows at the gallery has shifted from oil donkeys looming out of a Californian vista, to a string of bright lights along Brighton Pier. Nothing is removed from the landscape but is reconfigured through a poetic language - her vision remains consistent and entrenched. It is an industrial world where grandeur is somehow inherent - vast skies swamp architectural or natural landmarks in shrouds of rich, luminous colour, where shimmering light or sweeping brushmarks applied over a gesso ground evoke the weight of rich emotional metaphor.

The new exhibition is inspired by London. Based there for eight years, including three years at the Royal Academy Schools, Pockley never looked to the city as a subject for her painting. This is curious, until you discover that for her, London was primarily an uncomfortable and claustrophobic experience. Since moving to the countryside two years ago, distance has provided her with the perspective to reflect on the inherent majesty of our metropolis. She observes from afar, with skylines of electric light or veiled dusk that mask formidable buildings. An array of flicking light splatters the surface of translucent waves of deep atmospheric colour. Pockley creates a mysterious urban utopia, a place far removed from the crowded streets, the pumping exhaust fumes or the crushing commute on the underground.

Sarah Myerscough Fine Art
15-16 Brooks Mews
London
W1K 4DS
Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 12-3
Nearest Tube: Bond Street
www.sarahmyerscough.com