Beyond reach, 2024, Oil on canvas,140 x 110cm, 3,750, Charlotte Aiken
Exhibition
27th September - 6th October
Exhibition opening: Friday 27th September 6-8pm
Charlotte Aiken presents a solo exhibition of paintings exploring her fascination with cloud formations and our connection to the natural world. Through her distinct perspective, Charlotte experiences a world that feels excessively exposed and vivid. Each piece captures a fleeting moment, an experience that will never be the same again.
The work delves into her interest in the atmospheric particles that form clouds, as well as how she feels while looking up at them passing by. Her paintings serve as a means to comprehend what she observes; the layers of colour and circular brush strokes are physical manifestations of what the world looks like through her eyes. Her meticulous process of layering oil paint allows her to slowly recreate the impression of these transient formations.
Inspired by her surroundings, many of her current works draw from photographs she takes on Rodborough Common. In her studio at SVA, her paintings navigate the interplay between emotional responses, reality, and abstraction, offering viewers a glimpse into her deeply personal and evocative interpretation of the sky. The canvas transforms into a vessel, capturing the seemingly unattainable, something beyond reach, allowing it to resonate with everyone’s own interpretations.
“Too often we miss the beauty surrounding us. My paintings invite you to pause... and look up.”
Charlotte Aiken
Charlotte Aiken is a Gloucestershire-based artist who captures the sublimity of the sky with oil paints. Her work reflects a deep fascination with cloud formations and our connection to nature. A 2017 graduate of the London Metropolitan School of Art, Architecture and Design, Charlotte went on to win The Graduate Art Prize with Artiq. She was longlisted for the Jacksons Painting Prize in 2017, VAA Professional Artists Award in 2023, and The Women in Art Emerging Artist Prize in 2024. Charlotte has exhibited across London and the UK, and in 2023, her painting was exhibited in ‘Only Connect,’ The Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. Recently, she was awarded a residency with The Pump House X Artiq in Nottinghamshire, where she explored new approaches to painting.
Website - www.charlotteaiken.co.uk
Instagram - @charlotteaikenart
Opening Times:
Friday-Sunday 10am-3pm