Strata: Upcoming solo exhibition delves into the colourful work of painter Nick Grindrod

Running from 22 September through until the 29th, Strata is a vibrant celebration of Nick Grindrod's colourful work. Having quickly gained a loyal crowd of growing collectors and enthusiasts and selling out collections and print releases, Nick's paintings are so popular in part due to how he painstakingly builds up and removes layer upon layer of colour. Hence the exhibition's name, which takes its title from layers of naturally formed material.

"I work mainly on plywood, just because it can take so much battering," he explains. "It's like a reversal of my old job as a decorator. So you go into a period property, say, and it's got twenty years of wallpaper and paint on the walls. You're stripping it back and getting to the bare plaster that's two hundred years old, and you're looking at the patina and what it's been through. That part of the process is still evident, I hope."

He adds: "I like colour to be bright. I like it to stand out. People get a certain elevation out of it. It has an emotive connection, colour, to how people view things. I think it's the most important part of a practice. It's the play element. That they're the kind of magical element of creating the work."

As well as colour, Nick likes to experiment with form. The paintings on display at Strata feature a brand-new body of abstract paintings, which draw from the rich industrial past of his Sheffield hometown and speak to his love of architectural form. "When you live somewhere, everyone takes things in from the peripheries," he reveals. "There are all sorts of things that go on in your head that you're unaware of.

"And the decision making, the work, again, is the same scenario. It comes from somewhere else. The structure and the form are definitely mammalian architecture. It's quite nostalgic, I think, in a way. I like that element of it. The kind of worn element to it. Slightly organic, because it's like nature takes over places that are left very quickly."

Nick is said to attend to his paintings like an archaeologist, carefully removing layer upon layer of paint to reveal past stories. And while he admits his paintings are inspired by the likes of John Hoyland, Lee Krasner and Harland Miller, to name a few, there's also a generous amount of play which goes into making these images.

"When you're in the full flow, it's just play. It's very organic and childlike in a way," says Nick. "I have fun when I'm working. When you go out and do something that you like doing, like going on a bike ride, it's not work, is it? It's hard to get to the top of the hill, but if you love it, it will be a great ride down."

So if you're a fan of Nick's work or an intrigued newbie, be sure to put Strata in your diary now. His sought-after paintings will be presented at varying scales across plywood and canvas. There will also be a small number of his rarer works on paper, including original drawings. Exclusive limited-edition exhibition prints and posters will also be available to purchase during the show.