Jake Attree British, b. 1950

Jake Attree is a British artist born in York in 1950. He is known for his paintings of landscapes, cityscapes, and abstract scenes, often inspired by northern England and parts of Europe. He studied at York School of Art, Liverpool College of Art, and the Royal Academy , London, from 1974 until 1977, being awarded the Creswick Landscape Prize, The Landseer Figurative Prize and the Bronze Turner Medal. Attree paints mainly in oils, using a square-brush technique to create textured surfaces. His influences include artists like Pieter Bruegel, Paul Klee, Cezanne, and Rembrandt. He lives in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, and works from his studio at Dean Clough in Halifax. Jake’s work has toured with the British Arts Council and is held in numerous prestigious private and public collections in the UK and abroad, including in the UK , Hartlepool Museums and Heritage Service, Winchester College, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, University of Sheffield, Mercer Art Gallery Harrogate.

Jake Attree was born in York in 1950 and has stayed closely connected to northern England throughout his life. He now lives in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, and works from a studio in Halifax. York, his birthplace, has been an important subject in his paintings, where he captures its historic character using textured oil paint. In Bradford, he has been active in the local art scene and his work is part of collections in Bradford, York, and Leeds. Although strongly linked to the north, Attree’s influences go beyond it, drawing from a wide range of global art traditions.

Jake Attree’s work is known for its expressive brushwork and strong sense of atmosphere, which give his paintings a feeling of energy and depth. He uses oil paint to create richly textured surfaces, often working with a square-brush technique that builds up layers of colour and form. His paintings cover a wide range, from bold, abstract compositions to more detailed views of cities and landscapes. Whether capturing the spirit of a place or exploring more abstract ideas, Attree’s work always shows a strong connection to light, structure, and the natural world. Jake said "Painting is poetry, not documentary. It’s the art of suggestion.

Jake Attree works mainly with oil paint and pastel, using these materials to create richly layered and expressive pieces. His oil paintings often feature thick, textured surfaces, while his pastel works show a more delicate handling of colour and line. Alongside these, he has produced many drawings and mixed media works, exploring different ways to capture light, form, and atmosphere. Whether working on canvas, paper, or board, Attree’s interest in texture and structure remains central, giving his art a distinctive, physical quality that invites close looking.

Jake Attree finds much of his inspiration in the architecture of historic cities, the changing seasons, and the natural beauty of the English countryside. " I was initially, and still am, deeply influenced by the art of Northern Europe, principally because, I suppose, I am northern European. The light Rubens responded to in seventeenth-century Flanders later influenced Constable in nineteenth-century Suffolk, and later still, Constable opened my eyes to the light of the flat, water meadow-surrounded city of York. As I developed and dug deeper, and began to look wider, at the magnificent bronze sculpture of Benin, for example; at Iznik tiles and the beauty woven into Persian carpets, it slowly began to dawn on me that this is one culture; an artist from one country recognising the gift offered by another (or appropriated from it, depending on one’s point of view). I recognised in this diverse range of expression one voice that speaks of the need to assert our equality of achievement and purpose, our need to assert a common humanity".

Jake Attree’s work has been shown at Contemporary Six and selected galleries across the UK , as well as in exhibitions abroad. His paintings have appeared in both solo and group shows, with venues ranging from major city galleries to more specialised art spaces. Many of his pieces are now held in private collections, where they are valued for their strong sense of place and expressive technique. His work is regularly featured in exhibitions at select galleries, often highlighting his connection to northern landscapes, historic cities, and broader European influences.