In ‘Into the Deep,’ Justin presents a body of work shaped not only by observation but by experience. The sea becomes more than a subject; it becomes a metaphor for immersion, for disorientation, and ultimately for endurance.
Water is both surface and concealment. It mirrors the world while hiding its own interior, and this duality animates these paintings. Where earlier works were grounded in the visible world, here Justin turns inward. Form is softened as figures, at times submerged beneath fractured light, dissolve into tonal fragments before giving way to broader passages of colour. Each canvas hums with atmosphere: shifting blues layered with translucent glazes, passages of impasto catching light like spray, horizons suspended between stillness and volatility. The paint itself begins to behave like water: pooling, dragging, gathering, revealing what lies beneath.
These canvases speak of being adrift, of feeling submerged or unmoored. Yet they do not dwell in despair. Beneath the weight of tone lies luminosity. Even the darkest passages carry a sense of movement towards light. There is resonance rather than melancholy and a quiet insistence on renewal. Each painting stands independently, yet together they trace an arc from turbulence to steadiness, from fragmentation to breadth. They hold a certain presence and reward sustained engagement.
The exhibition concludes with a portrait of a woman leaning forward, listening. After expanses of sea and sky, this human presence feels deliberate. She embodies warmth, attentiveness and connection, a reminder that without love and friendship, we are all at sea. ‘Into the Deep’ is ultimately not about water alone, but about depth itself: emotional, painterly and human. It is an exhibition that invites stillness, reflection and, above all, hope.
Hester Baldwin, Managing Director, 2026
This collection marks a notable shift from Justin’s earlier focus on oil portraiture. In his previous exhibitions (Chilled Portraits, 2024; Icons, 2025), portraiture was central to his practice. In this new body of work, Justin moves into landscapes and abstraction, while still retaining subtle echoes of the human form.
Drawing inspiration from water, the works explore both new subject matter and new materials. Alongside traditional oil painting, Justin experiments with acrylic and with combinations of oil and acrylic within the same composition. The result of this experimentation is a series of exquisitely balanced paintings in which fluidity, colour, and surface interact with remarkable sensitivity, revealing a painter increasingly confident in his ability to push the possibilities of his medium.
The exhibition brings together a series of abstract works in which gesture, colour, and surface take precedence over direct representation. The move from traditional portraiture to abstraction is no small undertaking; it requires a painter to relinquish the structural framework of the figure and rely instead on instinct, balance, and command of paint itself. Justin navigates this transition with assurance, producing works that demonstrate both technical authority and a deeply intuitive understanding of composition. The resulting body of work reveals an artist willing to push his practice into new territory while maintaining the technical discipline that underpins his painting.