artists register

Peter Cooper ua


Bettys, Clerkenwell Street

Bettys, Clerkenwell Street

Walking along Clerkenwell Street to visit my son's Graduation Show I noticed this little building. A very hot day in London.

Original
Watercolour on Paper
38cm x 29cm

Statement

I paint Architecture as realism. I love the contrast of architectural styles in pretty-well any British High Street built before1950. There are different periods, colours, textures and histories all cobbled together in a glorious muddle with no two fascias similar. They make a patchwork of design, or singly they stand prominently notable, in bold contrast to their surroundings. To me they suggest the need for the original (possibly Victorian businessman) owner to be different, to stand out, to make a bit  of a presence above the rest. I feel the Buildings form a kind of parade of personalities, at times grandiose, sturdy, pedantic, proud or melodramatic.