Paul Kenton
Searching Light | 2023

Featured art: Autumn Leaves by Paul Kenton. Limited edition, £1,750.

Paul Kenton in the city...

Paul’s thrilling cityscapes are hugely popular with collectors and it’s not difficult to see why. Their metallic backgrounds pulse with the excitement of his subjects, in this case, London and New York. ‘Energetic Skyline’ shows the ever-changing city of London, where Paul has painted flecks of warm sunset light dispersing across the London skyline, catching the edges of the mighty skyscrapers and contrasting with the cool shadows they cast. Lots of aluminium is left exposed to create a dynamic surface that appears to flicker and gleam as it reflects movements and light. Paul describes it as a “warm, mellow” piece.

New York’s subway is seen in ‘All Aboard’, with a train leaving the city against the ever-changing New York skyline. “I love observing how the cityscape comes alive with illuminations at night, from the headlights of streaming traffic to the glow from inside skyscrapers,” Paul explains. “By using a warm palette alongside cool complementary colours, I accentuate the luminosity of lights within the urban landscape.”

...and in the country

Paul lives in north Devon, and despite being a master of cityscapes, he still describes himself as “a country bumpkin”! ‘Sunset Bliss’ is a painting of a subject he returns to again and again; his local beach. “It’s both tranquil and full of life,” Paul explains. Vivid light radiates from the sun and scatters across the scene, creating a powerful energy which draws you into the piece. Thick visible brushstrokes create the impression rolling waves, whilst paint pulled across the canvas in the foreground gives the sense of the tide moving in and out, with a thin layer of water over the top.

‘Autumn Leaves’ is a deeply textural work which captures the wonder of an autumn woodland, when the landscape is transformed into a riot of vibrant ambers, deep reds and golden yellows. Dynamic splats, daubs and flicks of paint are built up layer upon layer to create depth and a highly textured surface, emulating the many textures you would see in reality. Hints of shimmering metallic paint emphasise the light filtering down through the tangled canopy of branches above.