Battersea Power Station

MY BATTERSEA PRINT:

My original painting of Battersea Power Station began as a commission for a neighbour for her husband’s birthday. He had lived in Battersea as a child, so had many fond memories of the place and was thrilled to bits with his birthday present.
My original painting was an oil on canvas. I thought that the opacity of this medium would be most fitting for the subject as I hoped to create a real feeling of drama, atmosphere and boldness in the image.
I wanted to make something of the sky, so, rather than create a two dimensional architectural watercolour painting with a sober, matt grey or blue background, I chose swirling yellow and violet clouds with streaks of red sunset in order to accentuate the monumental power station silhouetted against it. The Turneresque moodiness of the sky makes the subject all the more impressive with a panoramic view of the station south of the river from Chelsea Embankment – north side of the river.
Much has changed along the south bank since 1998, so people may look back at my representation of Battersea around this time with a degree of nostal- gia.