The Rope Maker.

Tom Leamon confesses he likes rope. According to the artist, Rope Maker as an exhibition title is a direct analogy to rope and life. Both can be long, short, used to do harm, to help, to bind. In Leamon’s own words, rope is woven together from tiny strands, which together give it its strength, but rope can also break. It is something tangible and carries the weight of history.

A collection of new works created over the past two years at the Beekeeper’s Artist Residence which the artist runs in Algarve, Portugal.

The product of a dramatic and sudden change in the artist’s life – the exodus from central London to an olive grove in rural Portugal – these paintings bear witness to Leamon facing his own demons and fears, questioning how he lived and where, and searching for his true identity both as a painter and as a human. The result is a collection of works that demonstrate a new depth and sense of direction; mature, confident and carefully considered.