Paul Kenton
Monumental collection makes a bigger impact than ever | 2023

The pieces in Paul Kenton’s new Monumental collection are, quite simply, jaw-dropping in their impact. Their size, combined with Paul’s incredible artistic eye for both cities and nature, mean that Monumental has pieces which will make an incredible impact in your home for years to come. In the collection, Paul has travelled the world to make paintings on aluminium, which makes them glow with the excitement of the cities he loves.

There are two pieces from Dubai in Monumental, ‘Dubai Sunburst’ and ‘Golden Hour in Dubai’. “In the first piece, energetic drips and splats in the sky draw your eye towards the iconic Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world,” explains Paul. “I wanted to capture the awe of Dubai at sunset, when the skyline comes alive with lights and the sun soaks the city in warm tones.

“The epic ’Golden Hour in Dubai’ captures the final hour of sun when the lights begin to turn on in all the buildings and the setting sun scatters light dramatically into the clouds – it’s the perfect time to capture the grandeur of the Dubai skyline.”

Paul has also featured London in all its grandeur in Monumental. ‘Glowing St Paul's’ and ‘The Big Smoke’ show his favourite view of the church and the City of London. “’The Big Smoke’ took my painting to a new level. I painted with a totally spontaneous and impressionistic approach, building up thick paint marks and splashes to create a pleasing composition which draws you into the piece. It was an absolute joy to paint.”

There’s also ‘Last Rays Over Venice’, another favourite city of Paul’s. “You can’t beat a subtle sunset over Venice, when the city and canals are bathed in warm golden light. Alongside a soft tonal palette, I incorporated touches of metallic paint into this painting to emphasise the shimmering quality of the sunset. I wanted to capture a moment of calm in a busy stretch of water taking passengers to and fro.”

And naturally, Paul has created pieces featuring his trademark New York scenes, made more thrilling than ever by their monumental dimensions. “’Chasing the Sun’ is all about capturing the awe of the sunset, which soaks the New York cityscape in intense warm light that bounces between skyscrapers and the city streets. Bright yellow taxis hurtling towards distant red skyscrapers guide the eye into the centre of the painting, which has lots of texture and movement as it has been painted with bold, thick marks and splashes of paint.

“The dramatic contrast in ‘Manhattan Drizzle’ accentuates the lights beaming from taxis whizzing ahead. You can imagine yourself dashing with your umbrella in hand to watch a show at the theatre along this street.” The road close to the Manhattan Bridge is Paul’s favourite New York street to paint, as seen in ‘Manhattan Bridge Reveals’. “The composition is perfect for capturing the distant bridge which is framed by the tunnelling buildings and lights. I incorporated metallic paint into my palette to accentuate the impression of shimmering streets after rainfall.”

Paul has also added two more of his lily pond paintings to this collection, ‘Tranquility’ and ‘Captivating Lilies’. “In these pieces, I love to capture the gentle movement and depth of the pond water, and the way that sunlight dances upon the surface. The finished paintings evoke feeling of calm and serenity.” The new Monumental collection also includes two more abstract pieces, ‘Metropolitan Observations’ and ‘Echoes of the City’, showcasing mesmerising neon lights reflecting on the city’s wet pavements. All Paul Kenton’s latest works show him as a master of light on a grand scale, and a visit to one of our galleries is the only way to truly appreciate these breathtaking, monumental new pieces.