BIOGRAPHY
A pivotal moment in the young Paul Kenton’s life was a move from his birthplace in Derby to the West Country when he was eight years old. Paul showed an interest in painting from an early age; while others wanted to be doctors or pilots he clearly remembers telling a friend that he wanted to be an artist. This was cemented when, at the tender age of twelve, he won a national colouring competition - winning a prized set of paints. He continued to draw and paint all through school, becoming proficient in watercolour, but was disappointed not to be awarded a place at art college due to his English grades. In 1995, supported by a grant from the Prince’s Youth Business Trust, he took the plunge and started to paint full-time and began exhibiting. Working in acrylic and oils he took inspiration from his worldwide travels; the cityscapes, cafes, harbours, bridges and seascapes. Like the Impressionist paintings before him, Paul strives for his paintings to create a mood, evoke a feeling or reflect myriad emotions; with free shapes, mixed media, dripped lines and colour. Citing the early work of Monet as a great influence in his art, Paul focuses on the accurate depiction of light in his work, often painting similar scenes at different times of the day, from an early dawn to a balmy dusk. Exploring moods and feelings is the backbone of Paul’s creations, very often painting places he has visited throughout his life; he tries to relive his feelings and memories of those cities, portraying them on canvas. Paul’s technique is extremely free and unplanned, forgoing sketching and planning in favour of the immediacy of diving into the heart of the painting. Like the vast, sprawling metropolises depicted in his paintings, Paul’s style is constantly evolving yet its unique character − abuzz with a rich and satisfying tapestry of city life − is unmistakable. When Paul is not painting he is surfing around the world and off the rugged north coast of Devon where he lives. It’s a passion that has given him his unique viewpoint of the world: “The ocean fascinates me and has many moods. I’m intrigued by the way the water and light interact at the end of the day. Perhaps it seems strange then that the man-made spaces of my city are the subjects of my paintings and yet there is a real communion between the sea and the city – with the recurring themes of reflection and light.”
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