About | henryglover

Based in London, UK

The embrace is a recurring motif embodied in many forms in my work. Primarily I am a painter and a sculptor. I use these differing mediums for their unique material qualities; their physicality allows me to explore certain aspects of physical relationships, such as hands locked together or squeezing a pillow, comparably to boxers clinching mid-fight.

Combining the 2D and 3D mediums together can catalyse a high pace or a gentle movement within the images. The materiality of painting and sculpture enables me to explore the physicality of the body and also its movement within space. To achieve this, I abstract particular aspects of the body and adjust the value of paint. I acknowledge the drawing, as the driving force behind the work; the lyrical gestures, and fluid marks are what make the liquid paint a physical body. The influence of German Expressionists and Symbolist painters is fundamental to my practice, their subjects resonate with me, and I relate to their emotive application of paint; Edvard Munch has been a constant inspiration.

My painting method is physical. I view the process as much a key part of the painting as the final marks made upon completion. Exploiting the properties of paint and clay I demonstrate the process to reveal this materiality. I enjoy media that are wet and primitive. Clay and oils have this honesty unlike plastic media, they are so tactile that it feels as close as one can get to moulding another body and the intimacy of touch can be as delicate as the process of firing clay. Clay as a transformative material is as primordial as our own sense of self, akin to the Greek myth of Pygmalion this earthy material is what makes mankind. With ceramics, I manipulate the clay to be bold and heavy, or light and delicate, so that once fired, it will either be full and glossy or rough and crisp at the edges.

My work focuses on the interplay between the physical sensations of my materials and the raw emotions of my own personal relationships.