May sees the opening of an exhibition of still life paintings by Barry Cooper at Gallery 49, High Street, Falmouth.

Despite being a small show of just four pieces, the playful paintings work on many levels. Each one needs a little time to see past the initial impact of colour and subject matter.

Richard Crowe of the gallery explains: “Apart from being depictions of pots, tables and objects, each arrangement of colour, space and viewpoint questions how visual language works.

“The placement of saturated colour draws the viewer in through a series of intensities, simultaneously making all sorts of hints at other still life painters, their palettes and motifs.

“Some of Barry’s paintings are decorative while deliberately confusing depth and viewpoint while in others flatness becomes more Zen-like and the space is more austere but both use colour relationships to suggest altered states of space, form and solidity.”

Barry’s work has spanned 40 years in the visual arts, working in photography, publishing, |community projects, television and film-making, also teaching art, photography and film.

Underlying these disciplines painting and drawing have always been the informing practice for all the work, the way of developing the complex processes of visual thinking.

Barry Cooper’s paintings are on show throughout May. The gallery is open on Tuesday afternoons, and Thursday to Saturday afternoons.

For more information call 07729 394759.