Jai Llewellyn’s paintings investigate the process of mark-making and the history of the line, approached through an abstract lens that looks toward the future. His work explores the tensions between old and new, growth and decay, construction and deconstruction.
Recently, Llewellyn has focused on small-scale works rooted in personal experience. His process is one of ongoing negotiation—a search for truth through a medium in flux. Paintings are worked and reworked over time, often heavily layered, yet aiming to retain a sense of freshness and immediacy. There is no planning or rehearsal; mistakes and traces of the journey are integral to the final work.
For Llewellyn, painting is a physical act. He builds a connection through the material—canvas, paint, and colour—until the work becomes an extension of himself. Each finished piece holds part of that physical and emotional investment, a record of presence and process.
Llewellyn studied at Camberwell College of Arts, graduating with a BA (Hons) in Visual Arts (Drawing) in 2003. He now lives and works in Edinburgh from his home studio.