Paul Kenton | London New York

INTERVIEW NEW YORK, NEW YORK… What’s your routine when you’re in the city? Staying central is key for me as it makes exploring much easier. My preference is always to walk or get a taxi rather than going on the subway, so that I can view the city from as many different perspectives as possible. Walking is without doubt my first choice (weather permitting!) because it’s all too easy to miss details and vertical views in a car. Also, I can soak up the atmosphere and navigating the city on foot also means I find the best places to eat; sushi is my favourite, but I’ve also discovered some fantastic diners and coffee shops over the years. Can you remember your first visit as a working artist? It was in 1995, I travelled over with my easel, sketch book and paints to get reference imagery with the specific goal in mind to capture the energy of the city. Funnily enough, I can’t remember

the exact locations I sketched, I think I was far too overwhelmed by the whole experience.

What keeps you coming back? The grandeur of it all. The height of the buildings is so unusual, you just don’t find things on that scale and compacted into such a densely populated area anywhere else. You can get an amazing view from any spot, just literally stop and look around you. The perspectives that appealed most to me during my last visit were the views as seen from above, looking down from a higher vantage point, like the time I spent capturing material from the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn. The skyline is ever-changing, you could walk the same streets 365 days a year and still find something new, a fresh angle or a new perspective on something in New York: it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

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