Jeremy Houghton has been painting with watercolours for as long as he can remember, but it wasn’t until 2006 that he made the unusual decision to use them as his specialist professional medium. Unusual because this medium is the most difficult to work with, and was until now, regarded as outdated. Jeremy's paintings are eye-catching; a combination of exceptional draughtsmanship and bright translucent watercolours: a halfway-house between the designer and the alchemist. Jeremy also has an eye for the bigger picture; where and how his artwork should be hung, and what should be around it, and it is because of this vision that he has created a very distinctive watercolour concept, where even the final wall-space is often considered way ahead of the actual picture.
Jeremy’s ‘Window’ paintings were originally inspired when he was teaching art in Africa*. Frequently he would discover, with the help of an empty photograph slide, beautiful miniature compositions hidden in his large representational pictures. Eventually he found the courage to cut one out. Now he creates huge watercolour paintings with the sole purpose of destroying them, in order to find smaller unplanned creations from within their images. No two Windows are the same; none of them have any deep hidden meanings, they are all just enchanting ‘lucky finds’ embracing their colours and marks. They aim to stir thoughts and emotions to whatever level the viewer chooses. Jeremy then sticks them side-by-side onto a piece of paper to form a montage bursting with questions and idiosyncrasies. Once they are all arranged together into compositions of hundreds and sometimes even thousands, the Windows ostensibly amalgamate, and the paintings assume their own personalities. The overall image is a mesmerising treasure box of miniscule abstract paintings, that can be enjoyed individually or as a whole.
Jeremy’s intention for his paintings is that they adorn the walls of buildings from an array of different cultures and countries. Whilst many completed pictures are sold through galleries, he relishes commissions where his Windows become bespoke pieces of visual art which compliment their surroundings. Interior designers such as Percy Bass have embraced Jeremy’s concept and enabled this to happen in various interiors in London. This increasing exposure has helped cement Jeremy’s identity as artist whose vision and work is not just about the picture, but also how it enhances the wall-space itself.
Jeremy studied art for A-level and at The Slade. He then read Law and obtained his LLB before returning to the art world as a teacher. He taught in Oxford for three years, followed by The International School of Cape Town where he was head of art, teaching the GCSE and A-level students, for five years. He returned to the UK three years ago and decided to paint full-time. He is now married and lives in the house where he was born in Broadway in the Cotswolds.
*Jeremy called his montages ‘Windows’ because the witch doctors in Africa still to this day carry a small bag of stones and shells around their necks, which they throw on to the ground to predict their patients’ future. They call these stones their ‘Windows’. MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of Art is to engage with its viewer; to communicate, to provoke and to inspire. By simply being with art, viewers are given these opportunities. However, these feelings can be enhanced even further through the actual exchange of art, and ultimately the owning of it. Artists create in order to communicate, and usually artists like what they have made to reach out to others. But too often artists are missing out on the greatest reward of taking sharing to another level and giving their art away. For an artist to bestow his creation into someone else’s hands is a truly empowering act. Being artistic is a gift and gifts should be given. Sadly however, in this age of commerce and technology, with the interaction between individuals becoming increasingly internet-based, the probability of being given this luxury by a friend, let alone a stranger, has become highly unlikely.
Jeremy Houghton is redressing the balance. He aims with his work to communicate a love of colours and marks, to provoke interpretation, and to encourage his viewers to share their inspiration. He has always taken pleasure in giving away his work to family and friends, and he now intends to present his art to strangers; giving them the chance to own his work so that they too, in turn, can engage with it at a more personal level. By giving his art away, and getting others to do the same, he is actively encouraging people to appreciate the art process; that of being a custodian of art and owning it; connecting with it as a special possession, and then bestowing someone else with the same experience.
Through his art Jeremy is engaging with people, and getting them to engage with each other. He is interested in the social interaction brought on through this process, how it can and should journey through cultures and countries, uniting people.
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