Painter Uses Art Materials to Create Big City Lights

Published: 2010-11-09

Artist Neil Dawson has explained how he uses art materials to create exciting city scenes in his latest work.

Neil Dawson's most recent paintings featured in his first touring exhibition NY:LON, display a number of recognisable urban landscapes in the iconic cities of New York and London.

The Big Apple and England's capital were create through art materials by Dawson because of the famous landmarks associated with the metropolises and the city's reputation as the world's most energetic places to live and visit.

Dawson's painting style has been likened to the pointillism technique of impressionist artist Seurat as vibrant city landscapes are created through art materials in a mixture of strong primary colours which appear to be competing for attention.

He said: "I have always loved cities and find myself constantly drawn to their colour, vibrancy and energy - they are both infectious and consuming."

Most of Dawson's paintings portray New York and London at night time because he claims that the two cities come alive after dark in a spectacular array of contrasting colours accentuated by flashing neon lights, traffic lights and vehicle headlights.

Dawson added: "For me they take on a special atmosphere and excitement at night and I love trying to capture the lights and movement of a city after dark."

The artist claims that the NY:LON series can trigger emotional responses which transport a person to the location they view, especially if they already have a connection with the city in question.

"It is my hope as an artist to capture a part of their unique atmosphere on canvas and to spark memories," he said.

Dawson said that the changing nature of both cities allows him to paint using art materials with an aura of indistinctness that lets the viewer come to their own conclusion after viewing each individual artwork.

He said: "I also try and paint with a sense of ambiguity to allow for individual interpretation and, as cities are always in a state of flux, perceptions of these places will never be indentical."

Neil Dawson claims to have always held a passion for art since childhood but he became disillusioned while studying the subject at college because he did not feel the need to justify his work.

It took a period of extended travelling abroad for Dawson to rediscover his desire to paint because he felt the need to translate his exciting experiences to canvas.