H_A_R_D_P_A_I_N_T_I_N_G has been used as a title for an ongoing series of exhibitions (up to this point at Phoenix Art Space, Brighton. UK). The term does not dictate an aesthetic and it does not mean to imply a preference for one process or system of making work over another. It instead concerns itself with the elusive and critical nature of Contemporary Painting today; the complexities, the overlooked simplicities and the ‘wonder’ it can engender’. The H_A_R_D_P_A_I_N_T_I_N_G exhibitions began with four artists Stig Evans, Ian Boutell, Philip Cole and Patrick O’Donnell, who all worked in studios at Phoenix Art Space Brighton. Meeting regularly and talking about their practices, they decided to develop an exhibition which would show their work and that of other artists, who they felt shared similar concerns that resonated with their collective practice.