Nicholas Alfrey – Nottingham University and Bluecoat Galleries 1981 Exhibition Catalogue

Of ‘Chine’ (1980 6’x3′ oil on canvas , bought by Nottingham University 1981) Nicholas wrote……..
“Inspite of the increase in scale, the surface continues to be built up by the slow accumulation of small elements; in places the individual strokes are threaded together as if to suggest a discontinuous mesh, but the organisation of the picture surface is established by the overall tonality, with its contrasting areas of darkness and luminosity. The capacity of a densely-woven surface of pigment to generate passages of light and space , together with the portentous door-like format, gives ‘Chine’ a mysterious quality.”