Terence Clarke: In the Light of Colour
We have been exhibiting Terence Clarke for more years than either of us would probably care to remember—right back to the early days of Thompson’s Gallery on Dover Street! It’s a testament to the longevity of his career and the continued popularity of his work with our clients.
Terence’s subjects vary widely, from scenes in his home county of Worcestershire to the South of France, Spain, the USA, and China. He has travelled far and wide, capturing everything from hot Spanish summers to cold North Carolina winters. He is equally well known for his playful still lifes, where his masterful use of colour and composition shines through.
For Terence, the act of painting is a decision to celebrate the visual world. A painting on a wall becomes a place of contemplation—a quiet place, a place of rest. His work brings us to silence, offering an escape from language and an invitation to reconnect with the joy of looking.
His paintings focus on moments of light and the exuberance of colour. Each image is a glimpse into an experience, a celebration of a place encountered during his travels. The still lifes use familiar objects as a foundation for essentially abstract compositions, while landscapes shift between the recognisable and the abstract.
There is a constant tension and harmony between the painted mark and the reality it represents. The dense foliage of a pine tree may also be perceived as a dark abstract shape; a strip of blue sea both suggests space and stands alone as a rich expression of colour. In this way, each painting communicates as a unified whole, with no single idea outside the image itself. The surface—the brushstroke, the hue—is the message.
Every composition is built from a myriad of touches and decisions. When you look at the painting, you grasp all of this in a single moment. And yet, the complexity ensures that each time you return to it, the work feels new again—an ever-refreshing experience of light, colour, and form.
This is what makes Terence Clarke’s painting so rich and satisfying. We hope you enjoy looking at these works as much as he has enjoyed making them.
Terence Clarke
2 - 17 August 2025
Thompson's Gallery Aldeburgh
