'Vivace', 2021
(Portobello Road)
Oil on Wood
Drawing inspiration from the vibrant Portobello community – on both sides of lockdown - this series was created to recall the eerily still streets and look ahead to the firework colours of our usual August carnival.
Smouldering in fiery ambers, bright rose, smoky blue and ashy greys, the paintings are snapshots of the strangely empty heatwave of 2020 and anticipations of the electric celebrations to come. The oils on wood describe landscapes of deserted and pale architecture, the sandstone glow of St. Peter’s in evening sunshine, the elegant iron handwriting of ornate lampposts, the solitary figures passing between shadows.
Wandering up from the eclectic Golborne Road, through the vintage markets of Portobello towards the Instagram ice-cream hued Notting Hill homes, the collection maps out a dreamy love letter to the artist’s beloved London home.