Gavin McIntosh West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Abstract painter with a focus on colour and composition
I combine elements of formalism with an intuitive, improvisational and painterly approach. I explore strong and subtle colour relationships, seeking combinations that resonate and hold the viewer's attention.
I don't use masking tapes and work with small brushes to create areas of multiple thin layers where the physical process of making the works remains visible. Once I've drawn the composition, I usually start with the largest or smallest area and put down an initial colour that sets a "tone" for the work. From this starting point I progress back and forth across the composition, intuitively balancing local and global colour relationships until the work reaches a point where I can feel it resonate.
Recently, I've begun to mark out the painted area, leaving an unpainted border that presents the work as a complete physical object, where bare canvas, unpainted gessoed surface and finished painted areas are all visible and relevant.
I don't have a website or social media presence, but can be contacted via curator space or by email at gaviao73@icloud.com
Projects and exhibitions
| Details | ||
|---|---|---|
Gaza, Gaza, Gaza: a show of solidarity10/07/2025 — 27/07/2025 A salon style show of works by over 200 artists from over 30 countries, the exhibition raised over £20,000 for Medical Aid for Palestinians. |
Studio 1.1, London | Details |
Between Horizons06/04/2024 — 27/04/2024 Group show with Leeds painter Adam Stone |
Cole's Gallery, Leeds | Details |
Darker than a Blackbird's Retina22/09/2023 — 20/10/2023 Group show curated by Karl Bielik and Rob Hall |
Terrace Gallery presents at The Art Studio, Byram Arcade, Huddersfield | Details |
Fronteer Open06/12/2022 — 17/12/2022 Fronteer gallery's annual open show |
Exchange Place Studio, Sheffield | Details |
Chroma07/07/2022 — 31/07/2022 Group show of works by Gavin McIntosh, Paul Grist, Frances Ross and Jenny Beard |
Cole's Gallery, Leeds | Details |






