Sladers Yard in West Bay Dorset is a real gem of a seaside gallery. The expected collection would be full of bright blue seascapes, yachts and gulls but Sladers always has a really serious collection of contemporary art. We discovered it last year with The exhibition of Phillip Suttons work.

Alex Lowery is the current subject which we visited just before leaving for France earlier in the month. The exhibition, Alex Lowery – Picturing features the artists very real yet illusionary views of the Dorset coast, particularly West Bay and Portland. To this has been added several paintings of Orkney.

His style is very relaxing and almost lyrical. ‘He talks of chromatic harmonies, of ‘treating colours like chords’ and ‘shifting the harmonies around,’ according the curator. I see the mix of colours and tone as very modern American, almost abstract expressionist, and yet the landscapes look so very familiar.

Born 1957 in London, Alex Lowery studied at Bath Academy, Sir John Cass School of Art and the Central School of Art in London. He has painted and shown regularly in Dorset and London since 1994, including the Estorick Collection.

Alex Lowery – Picturing is at Sladers Yard Gallery, West Bay until September 9th. 

Images courtesy of Sladers Yard Gallery