Luke M Walker - Journeys through Landscapes and Paintings

You may well have seen Luke M Walker's work in and around Battersea Powerstation. As community outreach artist for the huge regeneration project, he has been working with local children and members of the community to document its transformation over the past ten years. His paintings capture an area going through significant change - both physical and social - as the former industrial brownfield site is redeveloped into homes, offices and municipal spaces.

Datascape 010 - ‘Battersea Powerstation to Tate Modern, 3.52 miles, 1hr 03 mins’. Oil & Acrylic on Canvas. 76 x 61 x 6 cm. From a series of walks connecting London Landmarks; this one connecting the two former Powerstations designed by George Gilbert Scott.

Luke's practice as a Landscape Artist often acts as an inquiry into both what can and cannot be seen. Through experimentation, exploration, chance, the collection of data and other records of his personal progress through the environment, his paintings are a reflection of the landscape he sees but also of the information and memories he has gathered along the way.

Datascape 002 - 'Highest to Lowest’. A walk from the highest point in London; The top of the Shard, to the lowest; Northern line platform on at Hampstead Underground Station. Undertaken on the day of the opening of the Shard. Oil & Acrylic on Canvas. 120 x 68 x 6 cm.

As a passionate explorer and climber, much of Luke's work derives from journeying on foot. He collects specific data on his walks: distance, pace, altitude or number of steps and then translates the data into paintings which become physical representations of the act of walking.

Datascape 003 – ‘And Then There Were Three’. A walk up and down a hill in Cumbria, the palette reflecting the colours of the landscape that day. Oil & Acrylic on Canvas. 124 x 90 x 6 cm.

His Datascapes are also paintings of time and distance and it is these additional spatial and temporal qualities that he is keen to express. Whether through constructed landscapes or from a direct observation of the environment, they act as a record of both the activity of the artist in the

landscape but also of the artist in the studio.

I am very much looking forward to joining Luke for a talk and walk on 13th May, 2023, when he will be discussing his practice and process at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Honiton, followed by a guided walk in the beautiful Blackdown Hills, AONB.

These will be taking place as part of 'Paradise Found: New Visions of The Blackdown Hills', a show in which Luke is exhibiting and I am co-curating with artists, Fiona McIntyre and Tim Craven.

In the New Year, I will be providing more information about booking your place on this fascinating journey through landscape and art.