Gilvan-Cartwright's style goes in for brilliant colours and (in the large drawings) very delicate gradations of black and grey, and strikes one as more symbolic than truly abstract. If the artist's travels have counted for anything, it would seem to be in their ability to colour his own dream world, rather than in firing an interest in precise topography.
John Russell Taylor The Times 19th January 2000
Gilvan-Cartwright's paintings reveal his fascination with landscape, but they are not a straightforward depiction of the places he has visited. The works in his current show are brilliantly coloured, the large drawings exquisitely black-and-white, the images are highly formalised to the point of abstraction.
The Week 22nd January 2000
Gilvan-Cartwright's striking abstract paintings evoke the power and simplicity of childrens art, while at the same time barring any coyness in the storytelling by dint of their sophistication.
Publishers Weekly 24th July 2000
Christoper Gilvan-Cartwright's black-and-white drawing covers nearly the whole of a room. An array of flying moths and patches of light and dark form a landscape.
The splits and tears contribute to an awareness of the fragility of the paper used and the impermanance of the work. Footprints and scuff marks draw attention to the production process of the piece
His paintings are no less fantastical. These brightly coloured canvases reference 18th-Century romantic paintings and natural history illustrations but with a contemporary twist.
Hattie Gordon The Argus 5th July 2002