Original artwork description:

The painting is based on several drawings in the Blackwall Tunnel area, and studies of people.

I am inspired by people and how they live in the city, I am more intrigued by how people inhabit the public spaces of the city, rather that domestic private space. I am more inspired by how we live as communities rather than how with live out individual lives. I am inspired by London, with its wealth of history, and its abundant regeneration that is both a challenge to communities and a way that amenities and housing are improved for each successive generation. The cityscape is constantly changing this makes the city an exciting visual environment for a visual artist. London is a cultural City, with communities sharing their rules, rituals, traditions and shared realities. I am an Artist of east London, I am also inspired by other city painters, such as L.S. Lowry who created compelling portraits of his city and it’s people.

I get into a creative headspace through storytelling, when I bring together drawings of four or five characters that I have created, and combine them, I start to have something that takes on its own life. Storytelling is not just entertainment. It's a fundamental part of being human. I am interested in what happens between these people I am depicting, almost like I am observing a group of people who don’t know I am watching them. Stories let us share information in a way that creates an emotional connection. They help us to understand that information and each other, and it makes the information memorable. Because stories create an emotional connection, we can gain a deeper understanding of other people's experiences.

Materials used:

oil paint

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