Tobit Roche

Born in Manchester in 1954, Tobit has lived in Hong Kong, Canada and India. After studying at the Ontario College of Art in Canada, and Camberwell School of Art in London, Tobit spent a year living and working with Bloomsbury circle artist Duncan Grant at Charleston in Sussex. Tobit travels frequently to India, where he produces sketches for his iconic paintings of the Himalayas.

His small paintings on board capture a moment in the landscape, not only what is seen but the circumstances of that moment, the weather, light, sky and temperature. These observations are carried through to the 'Imaginary landscapes' and abstract paintings made later in the artist's London studio. Using semi transparent glazes, the paint is manipulated with the hands as well as the brush. As layers of paint are built up on the canvas and worked into, the subject emerges mythically. There is a spiritual quality to this searching.