The underpinning theme currently in my paintings is “contrast”. Differences in colour, mark, tone, or shape that contribute to the visual effect of a design or image. I explore how materials, form and colours energise, harmonise or disrupt a work.“Contrast,...
Read MoreThe underpinning theme currently in my paintings is “contrast”. Differences in colour, mark, tone, or shape that contribute to the visual effect of a design or image. I explore how materials, form and colours energise, harmonise or disrupt a work.
“Contrast, the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association. As in life; light, form, feeling, day, night, sea, sky, beach, city, life and death. Contrast enables us to measure experience.”
Durães-West
Darkness/Light, Mark/Form, Urban/Nature, Land/Sea, Desert/Sky, LIFE/DEATH, Night/Day
I was born Justin West in the UK I paint under the name Durães-West to give homage to Portugal and my Portuguese partner who helps support me. I place my underlying influence of “contrast” from growing up in Saudi Arabia juxtaposed between the sea, a bustling growing city and the vast desert. Between a strong Arab culture and the European of my birth. I have always painted but have also had random careers as a professional rugby player, founder of a security company that provided close protection services for the Saudi Royal family, owned a surf travel company, been a sports teacher and recently coaching professional surf athletes. One of the biggest problems we face as humans is not having enough time to fully live out all of the amazing contrasting opportunities life gives us.
Much of my work must be influenced by urban Lisbon, the ocean and beach culture. My series DARK MATTERS, BLUE and WHAT are based on themes covering the deep, expanse, darkness, light capturing the essence of a city at the forefront of exploration, death and rebirth and the great contrast we face in life and death.
