Paul Kenton
Paul Kenton | Monumental
Like the Impressionist painters before him, Paul evokes moods and emotions with his colours, free shapes and energetic lines. Famed for his dazzling cityscapes, he effortlessly captures the hustle and bustle of the city, and, more recently, the world's landscapes. His expansive portfolio of limited edition prints and original oil and watercolour paintings includes his awe-inspiring Ascension release, which features two panoramic mountainscapes on aluminium.
His 2022 collection Searching Light is a celebration of the artist's fascination with light. From a breathtaking panorama of London that captures bold details and glowing lines, to the electric energy of New York at night, this collection will transform in any space. In August 2022, we were delighted to host Paul at our gallery in Birmingham's prestigious International Convention Centre to showcase a stunning selection of original artworks as part of this collection.
Inspiration
Paul's travels have taken him all over the world, from New York to Paris, London, Vienna, Tokyo and the Alps. The spectacular sights are captured in his dynamic oil paintings, which are created in textured layers on aluminium, copper, wood and canvas. Painting en plein air, he captures the mood and atmosphere of a location through light, block shapes and gestural lines.
He is not inspired by any particular artists, instead evolving his own style over the last 20 years. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at Chase Contemporary in New York for the launch of London/New York in March 2019. Paul adds: “I find it exhilarating to express the furious movement, artificial lights and vibrancy of a busy city centre.”
Experimentation is key to his success, and his recent Monumental release includes a rare selection of coastal and landscape scenes. In recent years, he has also experimented with exposed metal, which projects the changes in light throughout the day and transforms the piece as the viewer walks past.
His stunning Ascension collection includes two spectacular mountainscapes that take inspiration from a summer road trip to Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe. From Chamonix at the base of Mont Blanc, Paul travelled to the top of Aiguille du Midi, which offered spectacular panoramic views of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps.
Paul says: "In most of my paintings I flick paint on, and it does help to create more movement. If you look closely at all of my paintings there is a lot of abstraction within them - it is only when you look from a distance that it all comes together."
Shop Paul's latest limited edition and original artworks here.
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Inside the world of Paul Kenton
Paul's purpose-built studio is housed inside an old gasworks that dates back to 1868 and features stained glass windows, industrial steelwork and original brick walls. However, to capture the true feel of the city, he starts his sketches outside.
He explains: "Shadows move fast and light sources appear and disappear in seconds, giving me moments to record what I see. My head is bursting with ideas for paintings. Whilst going through sketchbooks, I can rekindle the emotions and feelings of a particular scene. I paint in layers to create form until I can sense the atmosphere I want, and the structures start to emerge."
To create texture, Paul manipulates the paint on his chosen surface – including canvas, aluminium and wood. For his original paintings, he adds layers of oil paint, each of which is left to dry before the next layer is added. Over the years, his dripping technique has become more controlled as he has experimented with the application. This has created more refined detail and sharper edges, which elevate the metallic elements and give a contemporary finish.
Speaking about his rare inclusion of figures, he says: "People help to create movement within a piece, but I do not go into any detail with the figures. I just try to hint at the presence of people to capture the feeling of movement, liveliness and busyness."
If you like reading about our artists' studios, don't miss our regular Studio Sessions feature in Fine Art Collector magazine. Catch up on previous issues here.
From the blog
Paul Kenton's Monumental collection makes a bigger impact than ever
Richard Rowan | The Magnificent Beauty of Forever More
Magazines and brochures
Fine Art Collector | Autumn 2019
Showcasing the very best of our artworks, along with behind-the-scenes updates and interviews, the new issue of our Fine Art Collector magazine is a must-read!
Fine Art Collector | Spring 2019
The Spring 2019 issue of Fine Art Collector is brimming with insights and news from the art world, as well as all of your favourite artists.
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