The Autumn Auction 2020

I don’t like getting up early, but sometimes it's worth it, pays tribute to the part of the day that can feel sacred and untouched. 

Luke Knight is inspired by the changing weather conditions he witnesses, and relies on, for his surfing in Cornwall. “I am a keen surfer. Surfing is dependent on a range of conditions, wind, swell and tide, coming together to provide good waves. In order to make the most of a good swell window, despite not being a morning person, I will often get up so I can be at the beach by daybreak. It is a special thing to be up, awake and active, whilst for most others the day has not yet started, to witness a secret part of the day. I can be rewarded with great waves and fantastic sunrises. The flip side to this is there are many times when you go out early in the morning anticipating great conditions to find that they are not what you expected or thinking that you will beat the crowds you find the fifty others have had the same idea as you!”

Luke Knight prefers to paint on board as it allows him to sand, scrape and polish the paint surface. Where canvas might rip or tare, wooden board will stand up to the process. He creates layers and either adds or takes away from subsequent layers to build up a painting. Developing the work in this way takes time but the time allows the painting to grow one layer informing another. “This allows the painting to develop both in my mind and on the surface.” The fact that paintings are created over an extended period allows for many moments or fragments of observations and memories to inform the painting. Like our thoughts and feelings are built of many fragments of observation and layers of experience, as are Luke's paintings. 

"I am inspired by the landscape and weather of the changing seasons, in particular when I observe these changes whilst spending time in the sea here in Cornwall surfing, this is where the essence or the kernel of my works are. For me, my paintings are both of about time and place but also of a feeling and an experience."

Accolades

Education: BA (hons) Fine Art, Howard Gardens, UWIC (now Cardiff Metropolitan University), 2003

Awards: First Prize Barcelona International Gallery Awards, September 2019