Aiguille du Midi
by Rich Roberts

At first glance they appear to be dramatic Alpine landscapes, dominated by enormous snow-covered peaks and sweeping fields of powder. Look closer, though, and the paintings are far more expressive. The mountains are constructed from energetic strokes, strong outlines, splashes, layered colour and almost exaggerated contrasts between brilliant snow, deep blue shadow and exposed rock.

The snow is particularly important. Rather than treating it as a flat white surface, Roberts builds it up through blues, violets, turquoise, pale greens and subtle warmer tones. This gives the slopes movement and depth, making the landscape feel almost as though it is still shifting beneath changing mountain light. Robert states ‘They are paintings about the experience of mountains, not paintings of the mountains’.