About

What makes Yeats's paintings distinctive?

Yeats’s paintings are shaped by an interest in how things relate, shift, and hold together, even as they bend, stretch, or change. While this approach has roots in mathematics—particularly in topology, which understands form through relationships rather than fixed shapes, focusing on how elements connect, flow, and transform while retaining continuity—his way of working is not rigid or formula-driven. It is guided by the moment: by the feel of the paint and by what begins to unfold as the work develops. Some decisions arise instinctively, others through deliberate control, but all are grounded in a physical, sensory engagement with the act of painting. This is what gives the work its sense of life.

At the heart of his practice is what he describes as polyphonic abstraction. Borrowing from music, where different voices sound together, he builds paintings from multiple layers and perspectives that coexist within a single space. Through this, he creates a shifting interplay of light, colour, form, texture, and atmosphere—echoing the changing landscapes and seascapes of the British Isles.

This way of thinking also shapes his mark-making. He uses bold, often spontaneous gestures that transform elements such as coastlines, hills, cliffs, and valleys into forms that are only partly recognisable. What matters is not precise depiction, but the relationships between things: a cliff edge opening into sky, a valley folding into a hill, or colour moving from sea to land. A curved horizon might suggest height or enclosure; a drifting shape might carry a sense of movement or emotional weight. These forms are not carefully mapped out—they emerge through a direct, physical response to the surface, with each mark suggesting the next.

Visually, the space in his paintings is often fluid and unsettled. He sometimes uses movement or even paints with his eyes closed to break down conventional depth, allowing foreground, sky, land, and water to merge or overlap. This creates an open, experiential space in which the viewer can find their own way through the image. The titles act as gentle prompts—poetic points of entry that leave room for different readings.

Although the imagery is somewhat abstracted, the work remains closely tied to how he sees and, more importantly, experiences the world around him. He is interested in capturing passing impressions of light, weather, and geology—moments that are absorbed and then reshaped through painting. By working with shifting relationships rather than fixed forms, he retains a sense of land and sea while allowing it to remain in flux. These paintings are not representations so much as painted, remembered encounters. They emerge through a particular way of seeing, but are ultimately guided by the body, by intuition, and by the unpredictable nature of the process itself.

Alongside his painting, Yeats is also a composer. His music has been performed by ensembles including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Hallé Orchestra, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

He is also a published writer. Books from Vision Edition explore his work in both painting and composition, and his most recent project is a collection of over 230 poems reflecting on his life as an artist.

Yeats's works are available for sale online from this site and can be viewed in person at his studio in Symondsbury, Dorset, as well as a number of galleries around the British Isles. He is represented by the John Davies Gallery, Morton-in Marsh, Gloucestershire,