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Forty years later, their paths are certainly individual, with each having separate careers, and developing their own distinct and notable painting styles: Bradford, lush atmospheric scenes, often depicting swimmers in acrylic paint; Martin, glitter, collage, and photographs incorporated into his psychedelic, richly layered paintings that sometimes take years to complete. Yet there is still much to be explored in their approach to making art: one finds a shared impulse toward the canvas; a similar drive to create atmosphere with paint; relishment in light and the cosmos. Their friendship has never wavered; nor has their mutual dedication to pushing the medium of painting forward.

In this intimate exhibition, medium and small-format paintings populate the gallery space: Bradford’s seas and pools illuminated by glowing stars, Martin’s sparkling spacescapes. In one new painting, various figures, planets, and a ship emerge from Bradford’s ethereal, vast oceanscape; in another, Martin creates a swirling, shimmering purple galaxy surrounded by vibrantly coloured sequins. Both nod to the infinite, and relish in the majesty of the beyond. There is an intuitive and unspoken dialogue among the works. Though all of the paintings were created completely separately, the affinity is ever-present between the two artists. Each complements the other: Martin’s sunscapes, nightscapes, and layers of collage vibrate alongside the rich skies, stars, and waters of Bradford. The exhibition also includes older works, including a thickly built up mushroom painting from Martin that seems like a long-lost sibling to one of Bradford’s earlier pancake paintings, likewise thickly layered with oil paint.

In all, Saturn Swimmers is an exhibition about the love of painting, uniting two artists in a joyful exploration of a rich untold history of decades of friendship, studio visits, and mutual support. It showcases two extraordinary painters who have many decades of work under their belts, and many more works to come.