Nick Goss Channels Eel Pie Island's Bohemian Past in New Paintings

Nick Goss, a painter from the Anglo-Dutch tradition, showcases his latest exhibition, 'Eel Pie Hotel,' at the Josh Lilley Gallery in London. This collection comprises eleven artworks influenced by Eel Pie Island, a nine-acre marshy area on the Thames in Twickenham known for its bohemian past. The island was home to the Eel Pie Hotel, a rock hub in the 1960s for bands like The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Pink Floyd, before becoming a hippie commune and ultimately burning down in 1972. Goss's paintings merge memory, imagination, and history, drawing from various sources, including images of a Greenwich pub and the Chelsea Hotel in New York. His creative process begins with charcoal sketches, followed by distemper, silkscreens, and oil paint, using minerals like fuchsite for his own paint. Notable works include 'Room 126,' 'Cortège,' and 'Viking Jupiter.' The exhibition is open until 23 May, and Eel Pie Island, while private, can be explored during open studio days in July and December, with its history preserved at the Eel Pie Island Museum in Richmond.