Nuts and Bolts on the Barbican Roof Painting

I live and work as an artist in the corner of Frobisher Crescent, Barbican and from my studio/ balcony, I look down onto the roof of the Barbican Arts Centre. This is a tiny detailed painting of a corner of the roof just below me and I call this artwork "nuts and bolts" because unlike many of my other artworks, which seek to capture the vast expanse of air vents on the roof, I focus here only on the small bits at the base of one of the air vents. I spend a lot of time looking at this view below me. In this painting, I wanted to show something of the small, delicate details of Brutalist architecture. There are small details: a ladder, gutters, a small opening into the air vent, interesting and odd details which are obscure, and therefore fascinating to the layperson. I try to capture the textures of the raw materials by using recycled palette papers, charcoal and different applications of acrylic. I deliberately relish the rough edges of the paper because this reminds me of the raw, primitive nature of Brutalist architecture and the texture of the concrete employed here. The charcoal - constantly breaking in my hands- reminds me how the Barbican architects broke with staid conventions. The concrete of the Barbican excites me, as do the forms and tiny design details and I hope this little painting conveys something of this passion. So much of the Barbican is represented in modern posters depicting precise architectural lines. My art is an anti-dote to this traditional perspective. My art has a naive quality to it and one which hopefully shows a different, unique and refreshing perspective of the Barbican. As one of my neighbours put it, "your work makes the Estate look such fun". I hope this artwork brings a smile. There is so much light and colour in the architectural landscape here and this is at odds with the so-called austere, masculine starkness that is often associated with Brutalism. In the distance, beyond the roof, you can see down to St Giles' Terrace where you can see one of the street lamps and a man walking underneath as well as a corner of one of the gravestones preserved and a bench overlooking the lake. Interestingly, my framer calls this painting "Figure under Black Lamp" - a title which draws attention to this aspect of the painting: this Lowry-like scene in the distance. But for me, my primary fascination, is with the Barbican centre roof and this detailed area, just below my balcony, gives me endless pleasure. I hope that the viewer will treasure this tiny scene on the Estate as I do. It shows, in my view, that Brutalist architecture can also be intimate and so I hope the viewer will also draw comfort from this work - as I do. One of these days, I may summon upon the courage to ask the Barbican Estate if they will let me traverse the roof along with their engineers and workmen...

Painting:Acrylic on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:11.8 W x 14.1 H x 1.1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.