Exhibition With Studio Upstairs - South London

I will be showing some of my Croydon inspired art work at the new Studio Upstairs gallery in Croydon, later this month.

On Thursday 29th June, I will be there from 5.30 to 7.30, talking about my work (along with another artist, Sharon Smith). I hear that there will be some live music, too. My work will be on display until 27th July and the show contains some brand new pieces featuring one of London's most talked about boroughs. 

Studio Upstairs

 is a charity that works to help people with emotional or mental difficulties by teaching them art techniques and providing studio spaces to create their work in. They have monthly events with established artists to help draw attention to the organisation and to also provide an exhibition context for the work of some of their members.

Preview night: 17:30 - 19:30, Thursday 29th June, Studio Upstairs, 2-4 Park Street, Croydon, CR0 1YE

Flaming Nora - art for sale

South London inspired art for sale in Crystal Palace retro emporium.

Illustrations of Croydon

Crystal Palace's Flaming Nora are now displaying a whole stack of my painting and ink drawings in their lovely shop at 40 Church Road, SE19 2ET. The art is all inspired by various streets, views and people of South London, but mainly focusses on Croydon. All work is for sale, and is decorating many of the walls of their quirky and well-stocked retro and up-cycled furniture shop throughout December. Pop by for a set of 1950s chairs, and you may end up leaving with one of my pictures too.

Flaming Nora interior

Bad Behaviour Open 2016 Exhibition

Croydon-inspired paintings feature in a new group art show in Brixton.

Bad Behaviour Open 2016

A quartet of my south London-inspired paintings is being exhibited as part of the "Bad Behaviour Open 2016". http://badbehaviour.london/exhibit…/bad-behaviour-open-2016/. The show runs from 14th-19th October at Brixton East 1871 http://www.brixtoneast1871.co.uk/venue-info. The private view was a very lively (and busy affair) and hopefully the crowds will continue whilst the exhibition is up. There is a broad range of disciplines and the space is a lovely restored Victorian building. Worth a visit (but then I would say that, wouldn't I?)

Solo Art Exhibition at The Brook, Wallington, South London

Compact solo exhibition of Croydon-inspired art and illustration by Matt Bannister at The Brook, Wallington.

Art exhibition at The Brook

I currently have a small solo exhibition at The Brook, in Wallington, Surrey. The display contains brand new and familiar art and illustrations of mine, all responding to the sights, characters and architecture of Croydon.

I have created two new acrylic paintings specifically for the exhibition, each featuring a different view of Croydon sprinkled with a few local characters. The people in all the works are inspired by the shoppers, children and commuters I've seen in the town.

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

"Matt Bannister is a Wallington-based illustrator and artist: obsessed with the quirks and shapes of architecture, people, and everyday objects. He creates bold, hand-drawn work full of detail and character. Be they city skylines, streets full of pedestrians or an illustration about the threat of cyber crime, his images are loose and graphic in style. Recent commissions include illustrations for innovation charity Nesta, two large bus sculptures for the TFL bus trails in London, covers for The Croydon Citizen, and branding illustrations for Universal Music. Prints and other products featuring his designs are sold through various outlets, including his own online store. “I take as much inspiration from a trip on a stuffy bus, as I do from a windy walk along the river. From Victorian brickwork and noisy markets to silent museums and sticky poundshops - all will have something that will catch my eye and give me an idea or three.”

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

The Brook is located at 84 Manor Road, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 0AD and is a great little place to relax with a coffee/cocktail/acoustic guitar/vegan meal. The exhibition will be up until the end of October 2016. Extra info about the exhibition can be found on my Twitter and Instagram feeds.

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