Islands have always held a mystery and fascination in human imagination. Originally perhaps as havens of safety, easily defensible and from where potential danger could easily be seen approaching. They have also been places of isolation, forced in the case of shipwreck, or chosen in the case of hermits or religious communities. They are places, which people dream of escaping to or escaping from; they hold a sense of possibility, of renewal, and of an untouched natural state. The idea of the island has been strong in the minds of artists, writers, and poets as an ideal location for particular events or stories to exist. Actual islands have been discovered, explored, and lost again. Islands have appeared from the oceans and disappeared again due to rising or lowering sea levels or volcanic eruptions. Over the centuries, many have been charted incorrectly and so lost again for hundreds of years. The idea and potential of the island as metaphor for exploration, discovery, mystery, and narrative is what many of the recent works in this exhibition examine. These are visual songs to the idea of the island.

Mistakes of navigation have been the catalysts for the much of my creative development, which examines further the themes of exploration and imagination. These errors of navigation, illusory islands and imaginary discoveries have led to work seeking to examine the limitless possibilities of that which may or may not exist. They represent the journey of discovery that everyone takes through life. The work becomes a vehicle through which I can ponder the possibilities inherent in existence. The paintings also explore experiences associated with time and place. They seek to create an atmosphere in response to the actual forms, colours, and light experienced at sea to create images, which illuminate our notions of meaning.

The paintings are abstract and no one specific meaning can or should be sought. The titles suggest possibilities to the viewer while remaining open to individual interpretation, encouraging an engagement in personal contemplation and creative thought. As many questions are raised, as are answered but the works seek to explore the possibilities of existence and celebrate the richness of life. I hope readers will explore the work for themselves, find their own meanings, and enhance their own voyage of discovery.

Mistakes of navigation are the catalysts for the creative development evident in the large-scale paintings on show, which examine further the themes of exploration and imagination. Examples such as that in 1524 of Giovanni da Verrazzano who set sail in search of the fabled North West Passage and he had found a sea linking the two oceans. Marked on charts and for many years perpetuated as the 'Sea of Verrazzano'. Unfortunately, Verrazzano had not discovered a passage between the two oceans but a deep river estuary, which only led further into land.
Another such error of navigation is The Strait of Anian, reportedly discovered by Lorenzo Ferrer Maldonado in 1588. He described a strait zigzagged between towering cliffs and mountains, how he encountered a ship loaded with precious pearls, silks, gold, and porcelain. He recorded finding temperatures in parts of the Arctic warmer than those in the hottest part of Spain. Maldonado records his voyage in 1609 and included a number of sketch views and maps of the newly discovered strait. Included on charts and globes produced at the time the strait has never been found.

These errors of navigation and imaginary discoveries have led to a series of large-scale oil painting, a selection of which are brought together for this exhibition. They examine the limitless possibilities of that which may or may not exist. Many of the pieces produced here are loosely based on the idea of a voyage searching for Verrazzanos Sea or for the fabled Strait of Anian, yet this is also a metaphor for the journey of discovery that everyone takes through life. The work becomes a vehicle through which I can ponder the possibilities inherent in existence. Ideas and themes such as this have been central to my practice for many years. The paintings also explore experiences associated with time and place. They seek to create an atmosphere in response to the actual forms, colours, and light experienced at sea to create images, which illuminate our notions of meaning.

The paintings are abstract and no one specific meaning can or should be sought. The titles suggest possibilities to the viewer while remaining open to individual interpretation, encouraging an engagement in personal contemplation and creative thought. As many questions are raised, as are answered but the works seek to explore the possibilities of existence and celebrate the richness of life. I hope readers will explore the work for themselves, find their own meanings, and enhance their own voyage of discovery.

A book, 'The Search for Verrazzano's Sea' examining work produced in recent years is available from the artist. This new, hard back, 120 page, full colour book on the work of Adrian Paul Metcalfe was published in 2010. The book includes a new interview with the artist by Alexandra Trowbridge-Matthews

The Strait of Anian is the fabled Northwest Passage, leading from the Pacific Ocean through to the Atlantic. Reputed to be found on the coast of Alaska it was reportedly discovered by Lorenzo Ferrer Maldonado in 1588. Sailing north from Lisbon beyond the Arctic Circle through the known Davies Strait, then southwest for more than 2000 miles he supposedly reached the Pacific through the Strait of Anian. Maldonado described how the strait zigzagged between towering cliffs and mountains for fifteen leagues or more. Near the entrance to the Pacific, he anchored in a natural harbour that he stated was able to hold 500 galleons. Whilst here he encountered a large ship heading for the Baltic Sea loaded with precious pearls, silks, gold, and porcelain. Returning through the strait, he recorded finding temperatures in parts of the Arctic warmer than those in the hottest part of Spain. Maldonado records his voyage in a memorial of 1609 and included a number of sketch views and maps of the newly discovered strait. The strait was included on a number of maps and globes produced at the time and the legend perpetuated over many years.

The strait has never been found; part of the voyage of exploration undertaken by Alejandro Malaspin some 200 years later in 1791 included searching for the strait in Alaska. Discovering a deep inlet gave him some hope, but it led to a dead end where a glacier entered the sea. He named it Puerto del Desengano, Disenchantment Bay, in his disappointment. This strange story of the fictitious Strait of Anian has been the catalyst for this series of new works exploring the idea. Did Maldonado actually believe he had passed through to the Pacific? Where actually was he and did he invent the entire episode in order to further his own standing? These questions form starting-points for the creative development evident in the new work, which examine further the themes of exploration and imagination.

A number of large-scale oil paintings, a series of screen prints and new watercolours are included in the exhibition, none of which have been shown before. The large sculptural interpretation of Verrazzano's ship 'La Dauphine' is also on display after been seen first in 2009 and more recently this year at the Taliesin Gallery in Swansea. Here the ship is presented sailing or emerging from a sea of old books alluding to its origins in written history, exploration, and fiction.

The work I have produced is abstract and no one specific meaning can or should be sought. The titles suggest possibilities to the viewer while remaining open to individual interpretation, encouraging an engagement in personal contemplation and creative thought. As many questions are raised, as are answered but the works seek to explore the possibilities of existence and celebrate the richness of life. I hope readers will explore the work for themselves, find their own meanings, and enhance their own voyage of discovery.

The exhibition also sees the publication of a new book, 'The Search for Verrazzano's Sea' examining work produced in recent years. This new hard back, 120 page, full colour book on the work of Adrian Paul Metcalfe will be published on the 23rd October 2010 to coincide with the Private View of the new exhibition of his work, 'The Strait of Anian'. The book includes a new interview with the artist by Alexandra Trowbridge-Matthews.

In 1524 Giovanni da Verrazzano set sail in his ship La Dauphine in search of the fabled North West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Through his voyage he encountered many unexplored and strange lands, eventually believing he had found a sea linking the two oceans. On his return this sea was marked on new charts and for many years perpetuated as the Sea of Verrazzano. Unfortunately Verrazzano had not discovered a passage between the two oceans but a deep river estuary, which only led further into land. This error of navigation has been a starting point for new works, which explore this imaginary sea, and examines the limitless possibilities of that which may or may not exist.

The work builds on themes that have been central to my practice for many years. The paintings explore experiences associated with time and place. They seek to create an atmosphere through the use of colour, light and form. The pieces produced are based on the idea of a voyage searching for Verrazzano's non-existent sea. Sometimes images relate to specific locations although more frequently are an amalgamation of a number of different times, both real, imagined, creative and chronological. This emphasizes the diversity of sources behind the work, which encompass literature, poetry and music. Many titles are also drawn from maps, charts and descriptions of other voyages. The work does not illustrate these but seeks to reference them as a starting point for the viewer.

The work itself is primarily oil painting, although watercolours, screen prints, acrylics and digital images are also used. The show includes new large-scale oil paintings along with a wide selection of other recent work. A series of hand made, original, artist books will be on display including the recent Dell' Arcano Del Mare and The Sea of Verrazzano which contain versions of much of the work on exhibition. There will also be a chance to sea the large-scale book Mysterious Voyage for the first time since its initial exhibition in 2002. A new limited edition hand printed book of screen prints, The Sea of Verrazzano will be published for the show.

The work is abstract, no one specific meaning can be sought; the titles suggest possibilities while remaining open to individual interpretation, encouraging the viewer to engage in personal contemplation and creative thought. As many questions are raised as are answered, but works seek to engage with the possibilities of existence and celebrate the richness of life. I hope visitors will explore the work for themselves, find their own meanings and enhance their own voyage of discovery.

This exhibition of work builds on themes that have been central to my practice for many years. The paintings explore experiences associated with time and place. They seek to create an atmosphere through the use of colour, light and form. The pieces produced are often based on the idea of a continuous voyage. Sometimes images relate to specific locations although more frequently are an amalgamation of a number of different times, both real, imagined, creative and chronological. The aim is to explore the mysteries and possibilities of existence.

The work itself is primarily oil painting although watercolours, screen prints and acrylics are also used. The show includes two new large scale oil paintings along with a selection of other recent work. The title of the show 'Sub Specie Aternitatis' - Under the mirror of eternity is taken from the title of an atlas. This emphasis's the diversity of sources behind the work, which encompass literature, poetry and music. Many titles are also drawn from maps, charts and descriptions of voyages. The work does not illustrate these but seeks to reference them as a starting point for the viewer's own voyage of discovery. Some individual pieces and a series of recent exhibitions have shown this, the title `Dell' Arcano del Mare' - `The Secret of the Sea' was inspired by the study of old nautical charts and takes its name from a collected atlas of charts published in Florence in1646.

The work is abstract and not specific, it may raise as many questions as it answers, but it seeks to engage with the possibilities of existence and celebrate the richness of life. I hope visitors will explore the work for themselves, find their own meanings and enhance their own voyage of discovery.

This exhibition of new work builds on ideas which have been central to my practice for many years. The paintings explore experiences associated with time and place. They seek to create an atmosphere through the use of colour, light and form. The pieces produced are often based on the theme of the voyage. Sometimes images relate to specific locations although more frequently are an amalgamation of a number of different times, both real, imagined, creative or chronological. The aim is to explore the mysteries and possibilities of life.

The work itself is primarily oil painting although watercolours, screen prints and acrylics are also used. The show includes two new large scale oil paintings along with a selection of other recent work. The show also sees the launch of a new original hand painted book, `Dell' Arcano del Mare' - `The Secret of the Sea'. This book was inspired by the study of old nautical charts and takes its name, as does the exhibition, from a collected atlas of charts published in Florence in1646. The exhibition also sees the launch of a CD version of my watercolour sketch book produced between 2002 and 2003. The CD contains a self executable Power Point presentation for PC, enabling visitors to leaf through the sketch book on computer. The CD is available for purchase and will give an insight into the development of many of my paintings.

The work is abstract and not specific, it may raise as many questions as it answers, but it seeks to engage with the possibilities of existence and celebrate the richness of life. I hope visitors will explore the work for themselves, find their own meanings and enhance their own voyage of discovery.