JAMES MURCH
Torre Abbey Series
A body of work developed during the artist’s residency at Torre Abbey, Torquay — a former Premonstratensian monastery. Painted from life in the Abbey’s historic rooms and gardens.
Paintings from the Residency
A series of smaller works painted directly from life in the Abbey’s interiors and gardens. Each study captures the light, texture, and atmosphere of the site and helped inform the larger paintings created later in the project.
Dining Hall, Torre Abbey Oil on board, 30 × 33 cm
Old Lobby, Torre Abbey Oil on board, 30 × 33 cm
Hot House, Torre Abbey Oil on board, 26 × 38 cm
Paulownia Tomentosa Tree, Torre Abbey Oil on board, 26 × 38 cm
Dahlias, Torre Abbey Oil on board, 26 × 38 cm
Torre Abbey Sands I Oil on board, 30 X 33 cm
Torre Abbey Sands II Sold
‘Foretelling’ & ‘Manifestation’
Created as the culmination of James’s residency at Torre Abbey, these two large paintings were originally displayed back-to-back in the Abbey’s lift shaft gallery. Together they explored the relationship between the site’s architecture and its surrounding gardens, imagining a future where nature has reclaimed the historic spaces.Foretelling
The first painting depicts the Abbey’s dining hall, where mirrors reflect a vision of nature beginning to spill into the room — a quiet tension between order and overgrowth, history and renewal.Manifestation
The companion piece takes the viewer fully into that imagined future. Architectural details and a monastic window are now surrounded by dense tropical growth, suggesting the Abbey’s transformation as time and nature intertwine. Manifestation remains available from the artist’s studio.
James with Foretelling and Manifestation at Torre Abbey.
James with Foretelling Photographed in the dining hall at Torre Abbey, the space that inspired the painting.
Manifestation Oil on linen, 180 × 90 cm Available from the artist’s studio.
For purchase or enquiries, please click the images to see more information and prices or contact the artist directly.