Visual Artist (painting) UK
About
Paul Brotherton is an internationally exhibited Visual Artist (painting) and a former graphic designer and art lecturer from Manchester UK. Themed sets of his original, contemporary, acrylic paintings on canvass from his 'Fusion' and 'Abstract Expressionist Design' series have been installed in curated art-gallery exhibitions in Manchester, Cheshire, Liverpool, Wolverhampton & London (UK), Galway (Ireland), Berlin (Germany), Paphos (Cyprus), Chelsea (Manhattan, NYC USA) and Vico del Gargano & Bologna (Italy).
Following foundation studies at Sheffield School of Art, Paul qualified with a B.A.(Honours) degree in graphic design from the Wolverhampton School of Art. Due to the UK economic turmoil of the 1970's, he initially had difficulty establishing a career in art and design. After working for a hotel group and travelling the world working for British Airways, Paul then enjoyed a successful fifteen-year career as a freelance graphic artist, graphic designer and corporate design & business consultant.
In January 2000 he re-focussed his studio-practice towards contemporary painting and drawing. Exhibiting since 2001, Paul's original abstract, semi-abstract and figurative artworks have been installed in more than 50 solo, group and mixed art-gallery exhibitions. Paul's work has been extensively published on-line and in print. His original artworks have been acquired for numerous private collections.
In 2005 - 2006, Paul commuted to London to study part-time at the IOE UCL (Bloomsbury, University of London), reading postgraduate 'Art and Design in Education'. Paul has also been awarded with City & Guilds 7407/1 and ASET Post-16 teaching certificates.
Paul also worked as a freelance post-16 Art Lecturer and drawing & painting teacher, tutor and facilitator from 2002 to 2022. His teaching, talks and lecturing and for inclusive educational programmes and initiatives include projects for: Castle Park Arts Centre (Cheshire); Turnpike Gallery (Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust); Rochdale Art Gallery (Touchstones); Start Arts Project (Manchester); Arc (Stockport); Whitworth Art Gallery (University of Manchester); Cornaro Institute (Larnaca); Cyprus College of Art (Lempa); and Manchester Art Gallery.
Artist's Statement:
"Contrasting the chaos and calm observed within natural and urban environments, themes in my work also explore human interaction, introspection and connectivity, set within the contexts of globalisation and technological development. Referencing my earlier design training and the Pop-art movement, my studio-based research includes ongoing semiotic investigations through drawing and design projects. These inform the inclusion of symbolic, graphic motifs, within my contemporary abstract paintings, creating a fusion of colour, mood and style."
(Copyright Paul Brotherton: 26th August 2016 - Artist Statement published in TIA 'Little Treasures' printed catalogue; Bologna, Italy; 26th November 2016).
Agora Gallery catalogue statement about Paul's 2012 International Collective Exhibition in New York USA;
'The artists whose works appear in Degrees of Abstraction show a masterly ability to combine aesthetic considerations with conceptual concerns, never allowing either element to outshine the other but rather ensuring that each supports and enriches the whole, with thrilling results.'
(Quotation: Agora Gallery, 530 West 25th Street, Chelsea, New York, USA; 'Degrees of Abstraction' International Collective Exhibition printed catalogue; July 31 - August 21, 2012)
