Bromley Picturehouse - Imogen Hawgood
Bromley Picturehouse - Imogen Hawgood
20 x 25cm
Oil on paper
Artist Statement
I am a UK based artist, trained in illustration at Norwich University of the Arts. I live and work in the English countryside, however it was a visit to Los Angeles which has had the most influence on my work. I became fascinated by the dramatic neon marquees of movie theatres and huge outlandish signs which adorn the building facades along Hollywood Boulevard. I think it is perhaps because there is nothing remotely similar in the UK, that I have been painting the landscapes of Los Angeles ever since.
Recently I have been painting scenes from closer to home, finding a lot of interest in depicting the classic British festival experience; mud, rain and all. I think there is something comforting and deeply nostalgic about the glow of a coffee van across a dimly lit muddy field, and I hope I have translated some of that emotional response into these pieces. While there is a foundation of realism within my work, I am most interested in creating an image which seems like a moment in time, highlighting the quiet beauty of the scenes which I depict.
I have exhibited across the UK, as well as the USA. This includes exhibitions with the New Light art prize at Scarborough Art Gallery, the Society of Women Artists and ING Discerning Eye exhibitions at the Mall Galleries in London, Gallagher and Turner Gallery in Newcastle and a duo-show with artist and musician Horace Panter at According to McGee Gallery in York.