Contemporary art inspired by London

Designing for the future

We are always thrilled to explore works which capture our capital city, with each artist brings their own perspective and focus to these familiar scenes. Let’s take a look at four cityscape artists and explore how the city has inspired their work.

Alena Carvalho, who was born and raised in Prague but has lived in the UK for over 20 years, describes her style as “Impressionistic realism, if there is such a style.” She aims for a fairly realistic portrayal, but with some flexibility to ensure she captures the atmosphere, mood and light of the place.

Alena’s pieces often include the double deckers and black cabs which are iconic, not to mention architecture and places we’ll recognise such as Big Ben, St Paul's and the South Bank. Within these scenes, however, she uses the light and weather (with rain playing a prominent role in many of her works) to explore different feelings and tones.

Tom Butler introduces mixed media into his work, using the texture and words within his cuttings to tell stories of places and the people within them.

Tom describes London’s charm and bustle as a place ‘you could never tire of returning to’ Deliberately bringing us back to places we know, such as Piccadilly Circus with its fleet of red buses, we are then drawn into the place to explore the detail within it, such as the ‘Roar’ of the lion in his painting Brolly Good.

We love the narratives Tom shares, creating details and characters in places we love, knowing that each time we return we’ll find something new.

Award-winning artist Jo Quigley says her “inspiration comes from life itself” more recently becoming fascinated with people in an urban environment.

While Jo’s art presents some familiar views, including the London South Bank and Thames; in her paintings, the city is a background for the lives and stories she presents for us to explore. Using colour, light and particularly shadow, we are experiencing the capital alongside her subjects, drawn into their moments.

Like many of our favourite artists, the beauty of Jo’s work is its ability to pull you into a story, encouraging you to take time within the scene and get to know its characters.

Samantha Ellis is an artist from our own home town; born in Northampton she now lives and works in Cambridgeshire but has consistently drawn inspiration from the capital. Having fun with recognisable designs, she uses Big Ben, black cabs and red RouteMaster buses to inspire, and bring her own energy to her pieces.

Developing her paintings of London, Samantha starts with a photograph but the final work takes as much from her own imagination with dribbles, splats and a bold colour palette. While her representation may not be an accurate depiction, there is no doubting the influence of the place.

Samantha’s London cityscapes reflect the design and personality of the capital as well as her own style, they show us a place she loves and bring us some of her effervescent joy.

London art will always be popular, telling timeless stories of a vibrant city. If you would like to explore more of our cityscape paintings please get in touch.