Alexander Heaton

Oil on linen, 120cm x 190cm x 3.7cm  

Within this painting I have chosen to depict the exact moment of dawn as the rays of sun emerge from ridge lines of Nuptse and Mount Everest. The valley of the Khumbu glacier is partially hidden and filled with boiling clouds in shadows of the last vestiges of nighttime. Within moments the clouds will be evaporated, creating feelings of mystique and awe. The viewer is situated on the lesser peak of Kala Patthar below Pumori. During my residency of making artworks in the region this was the highest point I was able to attain upon my own footsteps. My vision alludes to the peak of Chomolungma being the crown chakra of the world within the animistic belief system I follow. This painting is made entirely from reference images I made and photographed during my 2023 residency in Nepal.

Oil on linen.

Size: 98H x 160 W x 3.5 cm

Makalu (8,485 meters) is the fifth Highest mountain in the world. In 2014 I was stood on this mountain ridge in the Himalayas looking out from Mount Baruntse 7,129 m towards it. At this hight your body struggles to sustain its self for very long due to the lack of oxygen air pressure. I was near the summit, but didn't make the final few hundred meters. The mountains sacred realm was left unviolated that day. On this occasion I felt this was right for reasons of safety, but also the divinity of the mountain did not permit it and I glad this was respected. I hope to return one day to look across the soaring ice peaks in the paintings vista of the Tibetan high peaks where Bodhisattvas and Sages dwell. The painting is devoted to all the the Sherpa people who helped me achieve one of my life's ambitions to climb a high himalayan mountain. Mountains to the Nepalese people are seen as deities, there for this is a painting of the infinite transcendental as I witnessed it on that day. This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Baruntse.

Oil Painting on linen

100 H x 153 W x 3.7 D cm

This painting depicts a mountain named Peak 41 which is in the Khumbu region of Nepal. The peak is a sacred mountain to Buddhists and is therefore not climbed by mountaineers. Alex was climbing the mountain Mera Peak in 2014 when he took the series of photographs this painting is based upon from the high camp during his ascent of Mera peak. The painting depicts the last rays of light on the upper slopes of the mountains, a phenomenon which happens twice a day in the Himalayas in good weather. None the less this phenomenon never ceases to amaze and inspire Alexander. Up on first witnessing this affect of light on the Scottish peaks as a child Alexander vowed to himself to visit the greater ranges to feel this sense of awe and closeness with the transcendent. This painting is the culmination of the covenant that was made between nature in the forms of light on rocks and the young 12 year old artist to be Alexander. This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Mera Peak.

Oil Painting
Size: 61H x 76 W x 2 cm

The mountain, Chamlang in the Nepalese Himalayas, near Makalu is depicted in this painting. It lies in the southern section of the Mahalangur subrange of the Himalayas. Chamlang has an elevation of 7,319 metres (24,012 ft). The mountain is wreathed in ring of clouds giving it an other worldly presence and majestic beauty. Chamblang has many mysteries associated with it, but the most well know is when Reinhold Messner, one of the world’s foremost top mountaineers, said he watched a UFO “the size of a full moon” for nearly three hours whilst climbing in the Chamlang. He said he spotted the UFO as it drifted south into Nepal from Tibet over the mighty snow-capped mountains. The mountain is painted from camp 2 on Mera Peak 6,476m which Alexander climbed in 2014. This painting is part of a larger group of works which Alex made in response to his expedition to the Barun Valey region of Nepal to Climb Baruntse 7,129 m in 2014. This painting is made entirely from reference images Alexander Heaton made and photographed.

This painting was made from photography generated by Stu Peacock and Alexander whilst they were down climbing from Baruntse.

Oil on Linen 100 H x 148 W x 3.7 D cm 2023

Oil on Linen, 130x160cm, 2023

This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Huayna Potosí in 2018.

Oil on Linen 180cm by 150cm 2016

The painting came about after a visit to the region of Meteora in northern Greece. Meteora is a natural formation of rock pinnacles. Many of these rock pillars have monasteries on the top of them. The place has been a spiritual retreat and haven for centuries where monks have sought solitude and refuge from the world in order to preserve high spiritual knowledge. Upon visiting the place it was impossible to not be moved by the immensity of natural flowing energy the place emits. This painting is my attempt to record all this landscape of monolithic rocks and fins some way to render in painting their spectacular monumentality. The rocks themselves are formed as conglomerates of many other smaller different types of rocks. In this collection of difference of forms I have sought to depict the perfection that is the truth of the place. This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was exploring Meteora.

Oil on Linen 70cm by 50cm 2009

This painting is made entirely from reference images Alexander Heaton made and photographed whilst Climbing Piz Bernina in 2008.

Oil on Linen 70cm by 60cm 2010

This painting was made entirely from reference images Alexander Heaton made and photographed whilst ski touring in the Valaisan Alps.

Oil on Linen 15cm by 10cm 2012

This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Bavaria.

Oil on Linen 2009.

This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Piz Bernina in 2008.

122cm by 190cm Oil on Linen 2013.

This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was Castor and Pollux in 2010.

Oil on Linen 100cm by 80cm 2008

This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing in Switzerland.

Oil on Linen

106x211cm

The dawn light is illuminating the rocky peaks of the brenta dolomite mountain range in this painting. This painting is a 180 degree panorama looking south from the summit of peak croz dell'altissimo. In the summer of 2020 Alexander climbed many of the peaks depicted in this painting. The painting is the culmination of his expedition as was envisioned by him on the last morning of his travels after sleeping under the the stars for a week in the alpine. This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing in the Brenta Dolomites on 2020.

Acrylic, Oil on Linen, 130x160cm, 2022

In my creation, I wielded oil with a dedication to capture the raw, untamed majesty of nature and the human spirit's tenacity. Infusing each stroke with the essence of vintage allure and realism, I crafted a scene that transcends the ordinary, invoking a metaphysical connection between the viewer and the vast, silent call of the wilderness. This piece embodies the resolute journey of pushing one's limits, promising to imbue any space with the stirring energy of ambition and adventure. Images within this painting that fuse to form a new envisioned hyper-real place, were sourced from photographs within mountaineering literature by several other himalayan expeditions and climbers such as Reinhold Messner.

Oil on Linen 210cm by 150cm 2011

This painting was made from sampled photography by Craig Potton

Oil Painting on linen.

Size: 123 H x 181 W x 4 D cm

Concordia is the name for the confluence of the mighty Baltoro Glacier and the Godwin-Austen Glacier in the heart of the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan. It is located in the Baltistan region of Pakistan, at 4,691 metres (15,390 ft) above sea level. The area is often used as a base camp for mountaineering expeditions on K2 and other nearby peaks. The name was first applied by the English mountaineer Aleister Crowley during the 1902 Eckenstein/Crowley attempt on K2 and comes from this location's similarity to another glacial confluence, also named Concordia, in the Bernese Oberland of the Central Alps. Mitre Peak marks the confluence of the branches of the Baltoro Glacier with the Gasherbrum branch arriving from the SE and the Godwin Austin branch arriving from the NE. It sits across from Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain on Earth. The painting depicts the aftermath of an avalanche where tents need to be dug out of the snow. Porter's and mountaineers having just arrived are about to help to strike camp and move on to safer ground. The towering Mitre Peak looms above like a sacred crystal of rock and shimmering ice radiating light down from the heavenly realms. Man's insignificance compared to the power of nature is made starkly clear by the sublime lines of the rising peak above. The struggle to merely exist is made clear by the amount of equipment being unloaded and the strain to pitch tents in heavy snows. The images for this painting were sourced from Reinhold Messner's photographs from his expeditions to climb Lhotse in 1975 and K2 in 1979.

Oil on Linen 150cm by 120cm 2008

Oil on Linen 180cm by 130cm 2010

Size: Original diptych double canvas oil painting in oil 130cm by 160cm

(Each panel - 130cm x 80cm x 4 cm)

This is a fictional painting of the Tianzi Mountains which are located in Zhangiiajie in the Hunan province of China, close to the Suoxi Valley. Tianzi means son of Heaven and is the traditional epithet of the Chinese emperor. These mountains have traditionally been the most important source of inspiration for Chinese landscape painting. I have chosen to paint these fantastical mountains with deep fjords cutting through their rock spires to create a hybrid style of painting referencing European romanticism and Chinese watercolour scroll paintings. The painting is executed in stippled monochromatic tones of Prussian blue. Prussian blue, was a colour newly introduced by the British to Asian artists in the late 19th Century. By using this colour I am commenting on the continued cross pollination of artistic styles and philosophy in the ongoing exchange between the west and the east. Which leads to harmony and compassionate care for our most treasured natural wonders.

Oil on Linen 210cm by 150cm 2010

This painting was made from the photographs of Dhulagiri by Reinhold Messner.

Oil on Linen.

This painting was made from photography partly generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Baruntse.

Oil on linen

Size: 76 H x 86 W x 2 cm

As a mountaineer Alex, studies and researches themes directly. He often walks and climbs to remote places in the Himalaya or Alps to cast an eye on his artistic prey. This paintings look out from the summits of Baruntse in Nepal and contemplate the beyond. In this most recent body of work there has been a shift in pallet colour to muted greys offset by florescent pinks and greens. Such a choice serves to place the viewer as a climber in the highest zone of the Himalayas where existence is only ever perceived through tinted lenses changing all light to hyper-colour vibrant and raised contrast levels. One is overwhelmed by the effects of oxygen depletion and dizziness therefore perception becomes about euphoria mixed with intense self-preservation. These paintings are sometimes left in a state of incompletion. The unresolved passages reflect the painting process its self as a journey which may be more important that the finished destination. Much in the same way as the process of climbing a mountain can be discovery of what is revealed within as much as or perhaps more than without, that being on a summit for example. Figures populate these paintings some in double exposure some with voids in them. Such devices act as metaphors to the dispersed sense of self as one ascends higher altitudes. Prayer flags blow in the wind and break apart literally in the brush strokes. These link and act as ceremonial reminders of the real world of family, friends back home and what is at stake in the spiritual ladder world. Puja ceremonies are conducted to appease the mountain deities and bring safe passage whilst scaling the mountain. This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Baruntse.

This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Baruntse.

Oil in Linen 100cm by 110cm by 3.7cm

This painting is of one of the party members of a climbing expedition to Mt Baruntse. The climber is tired and struggling up a difficult fixed line. This painting looks out from near the summits of Mera Peak in Nepal and contemplates the beyond. In this most recent body of work there has been a shift in pallet colour to muted greys offset by florescent pinks and greens. Such a choice serves to place the viewer as a climber in the highest zone of the Himalayas where existence is only ever perceived through tinted lenses changing all light to hyper-colour vibrant and raised contrast levels. One is overwhelmed by the effects of oxygen depletion and dizziness therefore perception becomes about euphoria mixed with intense self-preservation. These paintings are sometimes left in a state of incompletion. The unresolved passages reflect the painting process its self as a journey which may be more important than the finished destination. Much in the same way as the process of climbing a mountain can be discovery of what is revealed within as much as or perhaps more than without, that being on a summit for example. Figures populate these paintings some in a cut-fractured state. Such devices act as metaphors to the dispersed sense of self as one ascends higher altitudes. Prayer flags blow in the wind and break apart literally in the brush strokes. These link and act as ceremonial reminders of the real world of family, friends back home and what is at stake in the spiritual ladder world. Prayer flags on passes are placed to appease the mountain deities and bring safe passage whilst scaling the peaks. This painting is made entirely from reference images I made and photographed during my 2014 expedition in Nepal.

This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Baruntse.

Oil on Linen

This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander Heaton whilst he was climbing Mera Peak.

Oil on linen.

Size: 128 H x 76W x 4 D cm

This painting depicts the west col of the mountain named Baruntse which is in the Khumbu region of Nepal. Alex was climbing the mountain in 2014 when he took a series of photographs this painting is based upon from the mid camp during his ascent of it. Looking up to the col, (which is a gap in a ridge) one can see snow flutings on an ice face. These flutings are a dangerous place to be as avalanches regularly sweep down them and carve out their unique forms. The accumulation of snow creates a fascinating surface of cornices and mushroom like shapes above rock bands. Two mountaineers descend, and are helping another figure off the picture plane to rappel down. They are clad in thick layers of protective down jackets which communicates the extreme nature of this location. The climbers are sampled from photographs of the 1953 Mount Everest expedition. The viewer is retreating from this inhospitable yet starkly beautiful place.

Oil Paint on linen.

Size: 130 H x 160 W x 3.7 D cm

This painting depicts an airy spot for a mountain camp. The melting of snow for drinking water is going on. This being a very mundane yet important task for mountaineers. The fates of many climbers lives have depended on how much this simple task has been adhered too. Ridge lines are shear and encrusted in flutings of snow forming beautiful yet dangerous forms or cornices and mushrooms. This painting has been constructed from photographs by Chris Bonington on his ascent of the Ogre in the Karakoram Himalayas of Pakistan.

Acrylic, Oil on Linen, 130x160cm, 2022

The White Mountain of Seir, on the Urmian Plateau, was the geographical matrix of the Gnostic movement. Near Eastern theocracies emerged in the Fertile Crescent, the directing agency behind them was the Magian Order that originated around Sier. From there the Zoroastrian Magi, later called the enlightened ones, spread southward and eastward, setting up the first theocratic states. From the same point a different branch of the Magian Order, comprising the telestai or Gnostics as we understand them today, spread both east and west, establishing the widespread network of the Mysteries. This painting can be understood as a secret gospel of action to venerate the living earth and her stored memories in the frozen snow pack of peaks. Through negotiating the dangerous ridge line the climbers are ascending through the aeonic realms toward union with the divine source of creation and thus becoming enlightened. This painting is about living ones own myth. The images within this painting were sourced from photographs of the Hillary Step on Mount Everest and several other himalayan peaks such as the Ogre. Such imagery fuses to form a new envisioned hyper-real place. These were sourced from photographs within the mountaineering literature of Chris Bonnington and Peter Habeler.

Oil on linen.

Size: 130 H x 160 W x 3.7 D cm

An allegorical representation of the collapse of confidence in western culture. In Sophianic animism the ice within glaciers represents stored memory and thus the ideas of the earth. A western pillar of thought is collapsing on the mountain of Seir as the serac crumbles in to the valley below. Although this painting is commenting on the current collective subconscious of europa and its state of soullessness which has lead to creeping authoritarianism, the painting is still optimistic. A single climber representing the sovereign spirit of the rhomay (human tenacity) is striving on, in his soul ascent up the mountain. Mountains are natural temples which funnel telluric currents between the earth and sun therefore the activity of mountaineering is equivalent to honouring and interacting with the forces of nature which redeem those who dare to dream of their eternally adorned pearlescent pinnacles. Images within this painting that fuse to form a new envisioned fictional place, were sourced from photographs of several other himalayan peaks and expeditions made by Reinhold Messner and Chris Bonnington.

Oil on linen.

Size: 123 H x 181 W x 4 D cm

Concordia is the name for the confluence of the mighty Baltoro Glacier and the Godwin-Austen Glacier in the heart of the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan. It is located in the Baltistan region of Pakistan, at 4,691 metres (15,390 ft) above sea level. The area is often used as a base camp for mountaineering expeditions on K2 and other nearby peaks. The name was first applied by the English mountaineer Aleister Crowley during the 1902 Eckenstein/Crowley attempt on K2 and comes from this location's similarity to another glacial confluence, also named Concordia, in the Bernese Oberland of the Central Alps. Mitre Peak marks the confluence of the branches of the Baltoro Glacier with the Gasherbrum branch arriving from the SE and the Godwin Austin branch arriving from the NE. It sits across from Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain on Earth. The painting depicts the aftermath of an avalanche where tents need to be dug out of the snow. Porter's and mountaineers having just arrived are about to help to strike camp and move on to safer ground. The towering Mitre Peak looms above like a sacred crystal of rock and shimmering ice radiating light down from the heavenly realms. Man's insignificance compared to the power of nature is made starkly clear by the sublime lines of the rising peak above. The struggle to merely exist is made clear by the amount of equipment being unloaded and the strain to pitch tents in heavy snows. The images for this painting were sourced from Reinhold Messner's photographs from his expeditions to climb Lhotse in 1975 and K2 in 1979.

This painting was made from photography entirely generated by Alexander whilst he was climbing Baruntse.

2023

Acrylic on recycled coffee cans mounted on found tarpaulins and planks.

2023

Acrylic on recycled coffee cans mounted on a petrol can.

2023

Acrylic on recycled coffee cans mounted on found tarpaulins and planks.

2023

Acrylic on tin can mounted on found petrol can fragments and found wood.

2023.

Acrylic on aluminium drinks can fragments mounted on canvas.

2023.

Acrylic on drinks cans mounted on canvas.

Acrylic on recycled tin cooking oil can

31cm by 40cm by 36cm

This is the third of the can series Alex has made for his proposed residency in Namche Bazaar, Nepal. Alex was given the brief to make art from waste which accumulates on Mount Everest. The project in collaboration with Sagarmartha next will be up-cycling rubbish to create sculptures of the surrounding himalayan mountains. Alex selects from the waste, a can that has features resembling part of a mountain or glacier. He then goes on to shape them more with hammers and finally builds up layers of paint to resemble the unique forms of the landscape such as glaciers and crevasses. The work comments on the fragile nature of the most sublime region of our planet, therefore the work responds to the need for conservation and pollution reduction. By taking the very waste that would other wise be burnt or buried on these mountains and transforming it into something of worth it helps to preserve these very places for future generations. These series of works serve to remind us of the glacial places that are seriously at risk due to human impact, pollution, rubbish and unsustainable consumption are a direct threat to the very landscape thats most cherished in our world. These mountains made out of rubbish remind us of what is at stake and serve to inspire new relationships with what we regard as useless waste.

2023

Acrylic on recycled tin cooking oil can

31cm by 40cm by 36cm

Cholatse is connected to Taboche (6,501m) by a long ridge, the Chola glacier descends off the east face. The north and east faces of Cholatse can be seen from Dughla, on the trail to Mount Everest base camp. In Tibetan 'cho' is lake, 'la' is pass, and 'tse' is peak. So Cholatse means literally "lake pass peak".

Acrylic on recycled tin cooking oil can

28cm by 40cm by 33cm

Nanga Parbat, locally known as Diamer is the ninth highest mountain  in the world at 8,126 metres (26,660 ft) above sea level. Located in the Diamer District of Pakistans Gilgit Baltistan  region, Nanga Parbat is the western anchor of the  Himalayas The name Nanga Parbat is derived from the Sanskrit words nanga and parvata which together mean "Naked Mountain". The mountain is locally known by its Punjabi name Diamer or Deo Mir, meaning "huge mountain".

Nanga Parbat is one of the eight-thousanders . An immense, dramatic peak rising far above its surrounding terrain, Nanga Parbat is known to be a difficult and challenging climb.

Acrylic on recycled tin cooking oil can

28cm by 40cm by 33cm

Alex was given the brief to make art from waste which accumulates on Mount Everest. The project in collaboration with Sagarmartha next will be up-cycling rubbish to create sculptures of the surrounding himalayan mountains. Alex selects from the waste, a can that has features resembling part of a mountain or glacier. He then goes on to shape them more with hammers and finally builds up layers of paint to resemble the unique forms of the landscape such as glaciers and crevasses. The work comments on the fragile nature of the most sublime region of our planet, therefore the work responds to the need for conservation and pollution reduction. By taking the very waste that would other wise be burnt or buried on these mountains and transforming it into something of worth it helps to preserve these very places for future generations.

Acrylic on large coffee can.

Acrylic on recycled tin can.

13cm by 8cm by 7cm.

Firn (/fɪərn/; from Swiss Germanfirn "last year's", cognate with before) is partially compacted névé, a type of snow that has been left over from past seasons and has been recrystallized into a substance denser than névé. It is ice that is at an intermediate stage between snow and glacial ice. Firn has the appearance of wet sugar, but has a hardness that makes it extremely resistant to shovelling. Its density generally ranges from 0.35 g/cm3 to 0.9 g/cm3, and it can often be found underneath the snow that accumulates at the head of a glacier.

Acrylic on recycled drinks can

8cm by 11cm by 8cm

This can series Alex has made for his planned residency in Namche Bazaar, Nepal. Alex was given the brief to make art from waste which accumulates on Mount Everest. The project in collaboration with Sagarmartha next will be up-cycling rubbish to create sculptures of the surrounding himalayan mountains. Alex selects from the waste, a can that has features resembling part of a mountain or glacier. He then goes on to shape them more with hammers and finally builds up layers of paint to resemble the unique forms of the landscape such as glaciers and crevasses. The work comments on the fragile nature of the most sublime region of our planet, therefore the work responds to the need for conservation and pollution reduction. By taking the very waste that would other wise be burnt or buried on these mountains and transforming it into something of worth it helps to preserve these very places for future generations.

Acrylic on recycled tin can.

12.5cm by 8cm by 7cm.

This can series Alex has made for his proposed residency in Namche Bazaar, Nepal. Alex was given the brief to make art from waste which accumulates on Mount Everest. The project in collaboration with Sagarmartha next will be up-cycling rubbish to create sculptures of the surrounding himalayan mountains. Alex selects from the waste, a can that has features resembling part of a mountain or Valley. He then goes on to shape them more with hammers and finally builds up layers of paint to resemble the unique forms of the landscape such as rivers or waterfalls. The work comments on the fragile nature of the most sublime region of our planet, therefore the work responds to the need for conservation and pollution reduction. By taking the very waste that would other wise be burnt or buried on these mountains and transforming it into something of worth it helps to preserve these very places for future generations.

Acrylic on recycled drinks can

8cm by 11cm by 8cm

Alex was given the brief to make art from waste which accumulates on Mount Everest. The project in collaboration with Sagarmartha next will be up-cycling rubbish to create sculptures of the surrounding himalayan mountains. Alex selects from the waste, a can that has features resembling part of a mountain or glacier. He then goes on to shape them more with hammers and finally builds up layers of paint to resemble the unique forms of the landscape such as glaciers and crevasses. The work comments on the fragile nature of the most sublime region of our planet, therefore the work responds to the need for conservation and pollution reduction. By taking the very waste that would other wise be burnt or buried on these mountains and transforming it into something of worth it helps to preserve these very places for future generations.

Acrylic on recycled tin can.

9cm by 7cm by 7cm.

This can series Alex has made for his planned residency in Namche Bazaar, Nepal. Alex was given the brief to make art from waste which accumulates on Mount Everest. The project in collaboration with Sagarmartha next will be up-cycling rubbish to create sculptures of the surrounding himalayan mountains. Alex selects from the waste, a can that has features resembling part of a mountain or Valley. He then goes on to shape them more with hammers and finally builds up layers of paint to resemble the unique forms of the landscape such as rivers or waterfalls. The work comments on the fragile nature of the most sublime region of our planet, therefore the work responds to the need for conservation and pollution reduction. By taking the very waste that would other wise be burnt or buried on these mountains and transforming it into something of worth it helps to preserve these very places for future generations.

Pumori (Nepali: पुमोरि, Chinese: 普莫里峰) (or Pumo Ri) is a mountain on the Nepal-China border in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. Pumori lies just eight kilometres west of Mount Everest. Pumori, meaning "the Mountain Daughter" in Sherpa language, was named by George Mallory. "Pumo" means young girl or daughter and "Ri" means mountain in Sherpa language. Climbers sometimes refer to Pumori as "Everest's Daughter". Mallory also called it Clare Peak, after his daughter.

Pumori is a popular climbing peak. The easiest route is graded class 3, although with significant avalanche danger. Pumori was first climbed on May 17, 1962, by Gerhard Lenser on a German-Swiss expedition. Two Czechs (Leopold Sulovský and Zdeněk Michalec) climbed a new route on the south face in the spring of 1996.

Acrylic on recycled drinks can

8cm by 11cm by 8cm

This can series Alex has made for his planned residency in Namche Bazaar, Nepal. Alex was given the brief to make art from waste which accumulates on Mount Everest. The project in collaboration with Sagarmartha next will be up-cycling rubbish to create sculptures of the surrounding himalayan mountains. Alex selects from the waste, a can that has features resembling part of a mountain or glacier. He then goes on to shape them more with hammers and finally builds up layers of paint to resemble the unique forms of the landscape such as glaciers and crevasses. The work comments on the fragile nature of the most sublime region of our planet, therefore the work responds to the need for conservation and pollution reduction. By taking the very waste that would other wise be burnt or buried on these mountains and transforming it into something of worth it helps to preserve these very places for future generations.

2022

Acrylic on tin can.

2022

Acrylic on aluminium drinks can.

2023.

Acrylic on drinks can mounted on canvas.

2023.

Acrylic on drinks can mounted on canvas.

2023.

Acrylic on drinks can mounted on canvas.

Acrylic on flattened drink can glued on canvas 15cm by 21cm

Acrylic on flattened drink can glued on canvas 15cm by 21cm

35 cm by 58cm

Acrylic on coffee can mounted on found wood.

2023

Acrylic on coffee can mounted on found wood.

Oil on Linen

Oil on Linen, 120x190cm, 2024

Oil painting on linen

Size: 130 H x 200 W x 3.6 cm

A ghostly image of the Goddess of the White Mountains stares out from the Bavarian landscape of the summit of Hoch Kalter, (High Cold mountain). I climbed this mountain alone in the late winter of 2010 it was one of the most rewarding and spiritually enlightening ascents I have made. The face of the woman represents all that is at stake by being alone in such a place and that one must return at all costs, to the love and companionship of those most dearest. These thoughts were naturally in the forefront of the my mind at the moment of summiting. The female face as an avatar of the Goddess Sophia, the Aeon of Wisdom and the earth. Her presence embodies terrifying sublime beauty that I was persuing during this adventurous quest . It's therefore only natural that she should be interwoven into the landscape of this view point. This painting is made partly from photographs Alexander took whilst climbing in Bavaria in 2009.

Ravine features portions of landscapes from two romantic paintings, The Chalk Cliffs at Ruggen, and Rocky Ravine. The lower portion depicts an aerial photographic view of the surface of a glacier with crevasses. Skylines from existing works serve to create a new foreboding vignette of heightened emotion. The feelings of giddiness one sometimes feels whilst looking down at precipices were the inspiration for the painting.

Original diptych double canvas painting in oil

(Each panel - 129cm  x 81cm  x 4 cm)

The Tianzi Mountain is located in Zhangiiajie in the Hunan province of China, close to the Suoxi Valley. Tianzi means son of Heaven and is the traditional epithet of the Chinese emperor. These mountains have traditionally been the most important source of inspiration for Chinese landscape painting. I have chosen to paint these fantastical mountains with deep fjords cutting through there rock spires to create a hybrid style of painting referencing European romanticism and Chinese watercolour scroll paintings. The painting is executed in stippled monochromatic tones of Prussian blue. Prussian blue, was a colour newly introduced by the British to Asian artists in the late 19th Century. By using this colour I am commenting on the continued cross pollination of artistic styles and philosophy in the ongoing exchange between the west and the east. Which leads to harmony and compassionate care for our most treasured natural wonders.   

Size: 117cm by 117cm, Original Painting: Oil on Linen.

Looking up from the summit of the Berchtesgadner Hochthron on the Untersberg Mountain near Salzburg. The act of searching for meaning in a landscape seems to render the place meaningless by the very act of analysis. One is left with only what is there, natural, physical phenomenon, like snow, clouds ,and ice particle's which refract light in a mathematically predetermined way. Perhaps this system of natural patterns is all the meaning one can hope for in the picture plane. The painting is meaningless but meaning is not lost. An original oil on linen painting, the work has been signed by the artist.

Original Painting: Oil on Linen, Size: 30 H x 40 W x 2 cm.

Ravens circling a mountain top in mythology symbolise a sleeping king within the mountain waiting to rise when the country is in peril to save the nation.

Original Painting: Oil on Linen, Size: 30 H x 25 W x 2 cm.

On the Summit of the Wetterhorn is an imagining of the celebrated legend of alpinism where the party summit the peak and plant a spruce tree on its summit. The Wetterhorn, in the Swiss Alps close to the village of Grindelwald, was first climbed in 1844, although the ascent by Alfred Wills and party in 1854 is the more celebrated, and is generally regarded to have marked the beginning of the golden age of alpinism. As with much of his other work, Alexander Heaton incorporates runic symbolism into this piece, here evoking primitive emotions of conquest and awe as man confronts the power of the natural world.The mountain is composed of three distinct peaks that lie close together: the Wetterhorn (most visible from Grindelwald), the Mittelhorn (the highest) and the Rosenhorn. Winston Churchill climbed the Wetterhorn in 1894. The summit rocks were the intended terminal for the world's first people-carrying aerial tramway, but only the first quarter section of the lift was built. It was in operation until the beginning of World War I.

oil on linen 85 by 60 cm

Size: 78cm H x 70cm W x 3cm, Oil on Linen.

The old english oak is a symbol of home and this land. In this series of paintings of the same oak stages of its life are shown. Its has firstly been struck by lightning and caught fire on the inside. This has however not killed the oak entirely. The tree has endured this blasting and lived on. There is great hope in the branches of the tree and its tormented forms take on new character and offer as a metaphysical symbol of hope in our own life, no matter what may come to pass we will always strive to endure and live on. Scars define our own unique character and become the spirit of our natural personality.

Size: 78cm H x 70cm W x 3cm, oil on linen.

The old english oak is a symbol of home and this land. In this series of paintings of the same oak stages of its life are shown. Its has firstly been struck by lightning and caught fire on the inside. This has however not killed the oak entirely. The tree has endured this blasting and lived on. There is great hope in the branches of the tree and its tormented forms take on new character and offer as a metaphysical symbol of hope in our own life, no matter what may come to pass we will always strive to endure and live on. Scars define our own unique character and become the spirit of our natural personality.

This painting explores notions of identity in the technological future of now. The image of the legendary Greco-Egyptian sage, Hermes was first described in writing by the artist. This descriptor was based on his own read interpretations of Hermetic literature within the Nag Hamadi library. (A collection of apocryphal lost gospels which was found in Egypt in 1945.) The descriptor prose was then fed into AI image generation technology and returned back as a digital image. This image was then painted by the artist as a digital and alchemical experiment. The self reflecting nature of the way this image was generated comments on our current notions of authorship and pushes boundaries to challenge where authenticity resides as we embrace image making using large language models. The notion of as above so below, as within so without, is ascribed to the writings of Hermes Trismegistus. This metaphysical ontology is a world view which attests to the cosmos being holographically present within every small part of matter, and that the structure of reality itself is fractal, thus self-similarity spirals outwards and inwards in all directions. As an archetype, Hermes reminds us of the crucial interrelationships between all living conscious entities. As a messenger of the divine his symbolic image of self known wisdom and welcoming fraternity is fitting for this time of great change we are all living through.

51 cm by 41cm

2024, oil on linen.

Oil on linen 2024

26cm by 31cm

Oil on Linen, 25cm by 25cm by 2cm.

A dolmen or cromlech is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more vertical megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". They can be found throughout northern Europe and are evocative of the mythic past. The northern lights in this small study symbolise spirits rising to the heavens. A dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more vertical megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (4000–3000 BCE) and were sometimes covered with earth or smaller stones to form a tumulus. Small pad-stones may be wedged between the cap and supporting stones to achieve a level appearance. In many instances, the covering has weathered away, leaving only the stone "skeleton" of the mound intact. It remains unclear when, why and by whom the earliest dolmens were made. The oldest known are found in Western Europe, dating from c 7,000 years ago.

Painting
Size: 107 H x 71 W x 4 cm

This work is a response to the sub culture of fetish and sadomasochism. A horned raven is seen to morph with a human form. This could be an alter ego, disguise or fantasy. There is deliberate ambiguity as the wether the creature is feeding on its prey or devouring in an act of mating. The work was inspired by costumes and collages of images from magazines. The viewer is invited to take a fascinated look at the slick surfaces that the glossy and matt paint evoke and suggest.

Original Painting: Oil on Linen.

This work comments on feelings anxiety and fear currently in western society. Space its self seems to be being torn apart and the space is entirely surrounded by gnarled tree roots commenting on the complicated structure of consciousness. Two ravens circle a figure dressed in a black fetish jacket. The central figure's identity is deliberately ambiguous commenting on perceived notions of "others" or "outsiders" in society. The work was inspired by costumes and collages of images from magazines. The viewer is invited to take a fascinated look at the slick surfaces that the glossy and matt paint evoke and suggest.

Original Painting: Oil on Linen.

The work is a response to the sub culture of fetish and sadomasochism. A Valkyrie stands before a triskelion. The three legs are known in Manx as ny tree cassyn ("the three legs"). The triskelion is an ancient symbol, used by the Mycenaeans and the Lycians. This could be an alter ego, disguise or fantasy. The work was inspired by costumes and collages of images from magazines. The viewer is invited to take a fascinated look at the slick surfaces that the glossy and matt paint evoke and suggest.

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live. Selecting half of those who die in battle, the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr). There, the deceased warriors become einherjar (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"). When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens and sometimes connected to swans or horses.

Size: 76 H x 86 W x 2 cm

This painting is juxtaposition of rubbish bags, rubber gloves, and shamanic patterns with the Himalayas across the centre. The painting is a comment on the littered quality of some pristine environments. Although the waste could be deemed ugly it serves to remind us of the utility of mans desire to overcome all terrain, but at what costs?