Charles Inge

Isle of Wight, UK

Looking for beauty in the chaos.

The Bell-Jar series, begun in lockdown, are a celebration of life.

Each painting begins in a state of chaos. I pour, drip and use tools that I cannot control. Then, over many layers, I try and find some kind of harmony.

The Sugarcandy Mountain of the titles reference George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Sugarcandy Mountain is supposedly a magical place where all the animals go to when they die. They are told that they will have no suffering, plenty to eat and infinite happiness.

Charles Inge studied at the Ruskin School of Fine Art, Oxford University, and more recently at Turps Art School. His studio in Soho London was demolished during the pandemic so he moved to the Isle of Wight where he has been painting ever since.

He has exhibited widely, including at the National Portrait Gallery and with the Royal Society of Marine Artists, the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. His work has been featured in Vogue magazine and is in the collection of Art UK.

In 2021 he won the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize.

charlesinge.com, @charles.inge