Jon Mewett-Mayer is a charcoal artist whose works are inspired by the seemingly mundane and innocuous environments which envelop our everyday lives. He produces eerie and emotional responses to the space in which he lives – which is a predominantly social housing area, perched on the South Downs. Jon looks for the beauty and mystery of moments in these spaces that are ignored or forgotten by most of those who live in them. He takes moments to pause and consider how the space, lighting and design of these areas make him feel and how they affect him.

Taking teachings from traditional landscape drawing and painting techniques, he plays with stark light contrasts and soft lines to reflect the harshness of the estate design against nature. Which, in itself is calming, beautiful and wild. The impact of nature plays an important part in his work, representing the unknown darkness encroaching on our lives. His work strives to explore the tension between the overgrown natural forms pushing back against the hardlines created by humanity, alluding to the conflict of an individual in the world and how they see themselves within it.