Roger Conlon
City Life
New Gallery Exhibition, RWA
These paintings are based on my experience of Bristol, snatches of life observed from walking or cycling through the city or special days like snow in the park or the kite festival. Most have been completed in the last year and reflect the changes of weather and light and local events.
My approach is fairly traditional and, I suppose, a form of ‘realism’ - I enjoy painting directly from observation on a small scale and planning larger pictures from these works. Some of the more populated images are assembled from many quick observational drawings of people as they move about their everyday lives.
Recently I have become more interested in working from memory . This may be what creates the slightly ‘birdseye ‘ viewpoint in some of the paintings such as the large snow and kite scenes. Memory of past images is also important - I have enjoyed looking back through older drawings I have kept of ‘city life’. The children paddling is a memory of a pool in St Andrew’s park based on a sketchbook of children from years ago when my son was very young.
My other paintings are often of people , ‘family life ‘ rather than ‘city life’ so I have been interested in how figures have crept in to these paintings too. I enjoy the relation of people to the transient settings they create and experience in Bristol– graffiti, snow, shadows and shopfronts – a city full of ever changing images.
City Life
New Gallery Exhibition, RWA
These paintings are based on my experience of Bristol, snatches of life observed from walking or cycling through the city or special days like snow in the park or the kite festival. Most have been completed in the last year and reflect the changes of weather and light and local events.
My approach is fairly traditional and, I suppose, a form of ‘realism’ - I enjoy painting directly from observation on a small scale and planning larger pictures from these works. Some of the more populated images are assembled from many quick observational drawings of people as they move about their everyday lives.
Recently I have become more interested in working from memory . This may be what creates the slightly ‘birdseye ‘ viewpoint in some of the paintings such as the large snow and kite scenes. Memory of past images is also important - I have enjoyed looking back through older drawings I have kept of ‘city life’. The children paddling is a memory of a pool in St Andrew’s park based on a sketchbook of children from years ago when my son was very young.
My other paintings are often of people , ‘family life ‘ rather than ‘city life’ so I have been interested in how figures have crept in to these paintings too. I enjoy the relation of people to the transient settings they create and experience in Bristol– graffiti, snow, shadows and shopfronts – a city full of ever changing images.
