Roy Eastland
Roy Graduated from Edinburgh College of Art 1996. He worked as senior Sculptor for ‘Target Games’, in Edinburgh until 2000 whilst he continued to produce artwork and exhibit in various galleries across Scotland. He became self-employed and moved back to his home town of Margate in 2001, since which time he has concentrated on his artwork.
Roy’s first solo show was at ‘The Droit House’ (Turner Contemporary) as part of ‘Margate Rocks 2002′. His first London solo show was at ‘Archeus’ in 2004.
He has had work in numerous group shows and art fairs and has had work included in ‘ The Hunting Art Prize’, ‘BP Portrait Award,’ at the National Portrait Gallery and the ‘Jerwood Drawing Prize’.
Roy’s work is mostly drawing. He finds himself drawn to subject matter to do with people, memory, the sea and places ‘haunted’ and effected by the influence of earlier human presence.
His drawings are sometimes no bigger than postcards or are long and narrow panoramic ‘ views’ made up of layer upon layer of image and text. These texts are lines of remembered speech, names of places (which hold emotional significance), transcriptions of writings associated with particular points in the landscape and graffiti found in these locations. They become embedded within the various layers and form part of the material substance of the repeatedly re-worked surfaces. Traces of earlier layers influence the formation of subsequent ones or leave fragmented remains which hint at earlier and different stories.
