ANDY ECCLESHALL | 1ST PLACE
2025 LANDSCAPES COMPETITION

Contemporary landscape artist, Andy Eccleshall, is a master of the poetic interplay of light, atmosphere, and mood. He creates striking scenes — dramatic cloud formations, stars above empty barns, resolute abandoned houses, slowly rolling mist enveloping terrain. His typically large-scale pieces are studies in subtlety and grandeur. His ability to evoke atmospheric qualities in paintings invites viewers into a moment of quiet reflection, enabling them to feel the scene.

Originally from Stafford, England, he is now based in Edmonds, Washington in the U.S. Eccleshall’s paintings have received widespread recognition earning numerous awards, being showcased in exhibitions, and featured in art publications.

We spoke to Eccleshall about his art and the inspiration behind it.

Paintings of skies and cloudscapes have a long tradition in Western art, how did you come to focus on this type of imagery?

Where I grew up in the U.K. it's a relatively flat and open landscape allowing for fantastic vistas of the sky. I've always been fascinated by how the light works on and through clouds and how it describes their layers. During my time in the U.S., I've been blessed to experience the wide open landscapes and colossal cloud formations across the country, and in the Pacific Northwest I find the same cloud structures and lighting that I grew up with. I find myself constantly looking skyward, dazzled by the contrasts and perspectives of these massive formations as they interact with the various landscapes here in Washington state.

Many of your paintings include these expansive skies above small buildings, barns, and farmhouses. What do these ratios convey?

How small we are. We tend to have a very grandiose view of ourselves, but we are so fragile against the massive and beautiful forces of nature. The inclusion of diminutive man-made forms isn't always to suggest an inferiority, however. I love to include abandoned farmhouses and other weathered structures as a reference to survival, against the odds and against the elements. There are many metaphors that can be drawn from that, but I think we can all relate to the sense of being "weathered" by storms and still standing. Not resenting the challenges that have befallen us but respecting them and recognizing how far we've come despite the odds.

What impels you to paint large-scale pieces?

When I paint large, I'm able to "put myself in the scene." Sitting in front of an 8-foot-wide canvas allows me to recall how it feels to actually be in the place that I'm trying to capture. My hope is always that the viewer has the same experience, though they will bring their own memories to it.

How do you capture an image for a painting, and what is your process for creating a scene on canvas?

Typically, it starts with an experience. Standing in a field watching a storm, or the sunlight. I will often do plein air sketches to capture the color palette but will also take snapshots of details — a barn, a tree, a cloud. Then the painting itself evolves as an idea beginning with a series of mental images which then get transferred to thumbnail sketches and then, as quickly as possible, onto the canvas. Even with very large canvases the initial sketch-in happens very quickly. I like to get the image out of my head and onto the canvas as accurately as possible, before I lose sight of the composition and the drama. Once I have it anchored on the canvas then I begin to sculpt and refine it over time.

Where is the landscape depicted in "Into the Light," and what captivated you about this scene?

This is an abandoned farmhouse in the Skagit Valley in Washington. I've painted this house several times, in different settings. I love its simplicity and fragility, while recognizing that it's a survivor. It's still standing after 100 years of punishment. All the perspective lines in the painting run up and through the house, and the energy of the sky seems to radiate from it. It's by no means the star of the show, that's the sky, but it demands to be acknowledged. It's a remnant, a symbol of hard work and perseverance. And while it too will one day fade in the face of the elements around it, it stands for now, as a testament to a dream. An echo of a promise kept.

Eccleshall is represented by Cole Gallery, Edmonds, Washington; Seattle Art Museum Gallery, Seattle, Washington; Galerie Autrevue, Heerenveen, The Netherlands; Smith & Vallee Gallery, Edison, Washington; Matzke Fine Art, Camano Island, Washington; The Centerpiece, Raleigh, North Carolina; and Kostuik Gallery, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

All images © Copyright Andy Eccleshall, shared with permission