South London Art and Illustration Exhibition

The first solo exhibition of south London inspired art and illustration by Matt Bannister at Cafe Adagio, Croydon.

Matt Bannister's South London art exhibition poster

I'm pleased to say that I currently have a solo exhibition, called 'Rounded Corners', on the outskirts of Croydon, at Café Adagio. The display contains new and older art and illustrations of mine, all responding to the sights, characters and architecture of south London.

I created six new acrylic paintings (and some pen and ink illustrations) specifically for the exhibition, each featuring a different view of Croydon sprinkled with a few local characters. The people in the works are inspired by the shoppers, children and commuters I've seen nearby, so you may even recognise someone if you live in the area! The other pieces are influenced by a diverse range of south London places: brutalist architecture in Southwark, hungry shoppers in Borough Market, Victorian arches in Crystal Palace and brand new shiny tower blocks on Wellesley Road, Croydon.

Some of the framed Borough Market illustrations in the show have featured before on this blog, when I completed them back in September 2013. I still go there to ogle all the food.

Here's the bio blurb that I wrote to go alongside the paintings, drawings and lithography:

"Matt Bannister is an illustrator and artist obsessed with architecture and people. He creates bold and hand-drawn imagery full of character and is regularly inspired by the urban landscapes of South London. After studying fine art at university, he worked for the BBC for 13 years but has recently picked up the pen/brush/pixel and returned to creating his own work. Recent successes of his include two large bus sculptures for the TFL bus trail in Croydon, covers for The Croydon Citizen, and illustrations for Nesta and Universal Music. His imagery inspired by Crystal Palace is a popular favourite in the SE19 area too."

There are pieces inspired by Southwark, Crystal Palace and Croydon to be seen (and purchased). In addition to the framed originals on sale in the café, limited edition digital prints of some of the new Croydon work are available to buy here.

Café Adagio is located at 227 Lower Addiscombe Road, Croydon, CR06RB and is a great little place to relax with a coffee. The exhibition will be up until at least 29th July (but may be extended). More info about the exhibition can be found on my Twitter and Instagram feeds or by using these links:

cafeadagio.uk

facebook.com/cafeadagiouk

instagram.com/cafeadagio

Colouring in the Streets

I was flicking through some photos I'd taken this year, whilst walking about in London, and decided to do some drawing inspired by them. It started off as an exercise to keep the art muscles loosened up, but after being quite pleased with the results, I added some colour (and MOVEMENT) in Photoshop later. Here are the completed coloured versions, followed by the pencil sketches they sprang from.

illustration of Hopton Street SE1

Illustration of Hopton Street SE1

#pencil #drawingoftheday #London #FoxAndKnotStreet #EC1 #architecture #drawing

A photo posted by Matt Bannister (@bannister_images) on Oct 14, 2015 at 7:20am PDT

#pencil #drawingoftheday #London #se1 #HoptonStreet #architecture #drawing A photo posted by Matt Bannister (@bannister_images) on Oct 6, 2015 at 1:37am PDT

#pencil #drawingoftheday #London #se1 #HoptonStreet #architecture #drawing One of the other side of the street.

A photo posted by Matt Bannister (@bannister_images) on Oct 7, 2015 at 4:58am PDT

London Bridge in Ink

Here are a couple of pen and ink drawings that I made recently.

Drawn from photographs that I've snapped at various times in and around the London Bridge area, and pulled together in a montage/collage style.

drawing of people eating

I'm working up to a bigger piece that will encompass the Borough High Street (and occupants), so these are indirect preparation for that, I think.

Something For Everyone

Seeing as I've been slack on posting here, recently, here's a jumble of bits and bobs. There's no particular way of grouping these finds and images: it's just a digital pile of goodies to rummage through. In an effort to garner some more viewers, though, this will be arranged into Buzzfeed-esque numbered list.

drawing of a Mermaid Court, London

Mermaid Court, London SE1. Inspired by a photo I took on my phone, I created a little birthday card for someone. She liked it, but was desperate to find a meaning in the arrangement of people, bollards and road markings. Any interpretations welcome. 

The Past on Glass (i). I've recently started doing some volunteer work with the archives department at Sutton Library, to help digitise their collection of glass negatives. Here are four images of Edwardian ladies that I thought looked intriguing (and quite modern).

illustration of man drawing

Expression Through Drawing. In an effort to show what is inside my head, and how drawing helps it come out, here's a new illustration. Oil, pencil and photoshop.

pastel drawing of a nude woman

A Return To Life Drawing. I found a new untutored session in Croydon at Matthews Yard. I've only been once, but it's good to be back.

illustration of Balham High Road

Balham High Road. I started this image last summer, but have only managed to complete it recently. I think the day that I shared it on Twitter, I was asked by Mimi's Artworks (81 Balham High Road, London SW12 9AP) if they could sell it in their gallery as prints. The lesson I've learnt is: finish every piece of work. You never know.

Look what's just arrived signed prints by #Mattbannister next stage framing and displaying @magbanno@MrsCarlieWelchpic.twitter.com/Rff9EZZbNH

— Mimi's Artworks (@mimivanger) April 17, 2015

Here it is again pride of place in the front of the window @magbanno@NPBalham@balhamdotcom@Balham_Life#artpic.twitter.com/Yw4w4MwIai — Mimi's Artworks (@mimivanger) April 21, 2015

Horses Delivering Beer

Horse and cart outside a pub

I found this great image the other day, whilst leafing through an old copy of National Geographic Magazine. Taken in 1972, it shows a horse-drawn delivery of beer to the George Inn, Borough High Street. It suppose it may have been a special occasion, but I suspect that even if it was an everyday occurrence, the days of deliveries by horse and cart must have been numbered.