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A painting of a tall, futuristic skyscraper leaning precariously in a river. The building is set within a vast mountain valley under a cloudy sky.

Art: The wonders just keep on coming from artist Oliver Jeffers and his surreal painting

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Date
17 September 2013

It’s only been a few months since we last talked about the work of the wonderful Oliver Jeffers. And, well, we couldn’t resist it. He’s back again. This time with an exhibition at Lazarides Rathbone art gallery, London showing off his fantastic collecting of surreal paintings. Slipping reality they play with dreamscapes, matching traditionally painted 18th century landscapes with sinking skyscrapers and aeroplanes as great boats tip over cascading waterfalls; or portraits dipped, frame included, losing half of the image as other paintings appear to have been played with, faces blotted out by recklessly applied paint. Teasing the delicate balance that is the everyday, Jeffers paintings hold onto their mystery and we cannot wait to see where else they might take us.

A painting of a child in an orange dress standing before a large red block against a black background. They reach out to touch concentric white circles drawn on the block's surface. Faint text above reads “THE FUTURE IS NOW”.
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Oliver Jeffers: Hidden Paintings

A painting of a red British post box tilted and sinking into a shallow lake. In the background, jagged mountains rise beneath a pale, cloudy sky, flanked by autumn trees.
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Oliver Jeffers: Disaster Painting

A painting of a person with their hair in a bun, peering over a flat turquoise surface. Only their eyes and forehead are visible against a black background.
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Oliver Jeffers: Dipped Painting

A painting of a person standing against a plain peach background. They wear a dark T-shirt and blue jeans, holding a hammer in one hand and a small red object in the other.
Above

Olivers Jeffers: Uniform & Identity

A painting of a person with their hair in a bun, looking forward. The portrait and its ornate frame are split horizontally, with the top half in gold and the bottom half painted solid black.
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Oliver Jeffers: Dipped Painting

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About the Author

Emily Beber

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