“When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.”
– John Ruskin
PROWESS
Is there anything more majestic and imposing than a portrait of a male lion (Panthera Leo)?
Its all in the detail…a flicker of light here, a shadow there. When Paul lived in LA, he was often commissioned by the owners of these magnificent vehicles to reproduce on canvas their pride and joy.
One of Manchester’s landmark hotels, ‘Gotham’ has recently been launched in an iconic former bank building. Inspired by the Roaring Twenties, the hotel was named after New York’s fictional alter ego- Gotham, made famous from the Batman blockbusters.
For over a year I worked with a dance group in Nairobi consisting mainly of dancers with physical disabilities. In Kenya disability is a taboo and the majority of people who are differently-abled are hidden from society. PAMOJA (meaning together in Swahili) is a multi-abled and disabled professional dance group in Nairobi.
Haker’s beautiful depiction of an art nouveau power station, disused and abandoned, in Poland is stunning. A relict from a bygone era, the control room is left in an almost perfect yet tired condition. A cavernous patterned glass ceiling dominates the room, underneath which stand a set of faded green control panels.
This beautiful shot of Bristol Suspension Chain has a sense of mystery as it disappears into the fog. The faint outline of the bridge structure is seen behind the chain, in many ways evoking the style of Berenice Abbot and other iconic early American architectural photographers. Opening in 1864, Bristol Suspension Bridge is an iconic achievement in the history of British engineering.
Known for his use of iPad illustration in a similar vein to David Hockney, Grimwood presents here a bull in profile, its form emerging out of only a few lines. Crafted out of thick black lines, the work is reminiscent of watercolour.
Shot on Prairie Highway, Alberta, this is the stuff of storm chasers. A freshly tarmaced road leading directly towards a sea of lightning and storm clouds. Can you hear the thunder?
Silhouettes of thoroughbred horses charge over Aintree’s iconically high hurdles in this quintessential image of a tradition British sporting event. Almost close enough to touch the horses as they flash past, Mason grants us an exhilarating perspective on the race, almost as if we are galloping alongside them. The only question remains- who is going to win?
Now in his late 50s, Paul Mellia has established a reputation over the last 30 years as a super-realist artist, specialising in detailed illustrations of themes from popular culture – film stars, sports cars and motorbikes, comic book characters and superheroes.