In our weekly instalment of Newport's Upmarket gallery artists, Steven Jones meets Andrew Nawroski.

The work of Andrew Nawroski is a fanciful feast for the eye, where attention to detail and keen craftsmanship invite the viewer to decode multiple narratives within a broadly psychedelic setting.

“My work seeks to transcend mere surface by offering multiple perspectives. Sometimes this is akin to automatic drawing or other processes that offer no definitive outcome, yet control remains at the heart of the execution,” Andrew said.

Andrew’s collages are an excellent example of this approach, where careful deliberation and selection belie a startling complexity and delicacy. Experimentation too plays a large part in Andrew’s work and he acknowledges the works often finish themselves.

He said: “Art should offer an opportunity to compare what is seen with what is in the mind. I hope viewers leave my work enlightened and informed, find recognisable elements bustling next to unexpected and formative moments.”

As well as collage, Andrew also paints, draws and executes large scale installations. Whatever his chosen media, there is a dense yet playful dynamism that leads both eye and mind through his works’ labyrinthine narratives. It feels like a dance of the senses possibly connected to the artist’s experiments in music where, beneath the surface harmony, the viewer must seek a top-line melody.

Andrew said: “There is a mystique in art that is fundamental in offering security to the artist’s need to process. My work seeks equilibrium and balance, and while I may flirt with chance elements, control is essential.”

Andrew is a founder member and director of the Artopsy group who coordinate the Upmarket Galleries and his works have proved exceptionally popular with visitors since the project’s inception.

He said: “The market folk are tradesmen and merchants, great friendly people.

“The market is their realm and we are all very fortunate and grateful to be sharing their space with them.”