London Cityscapes and Dystopian Skylines…

Tom Flint’s London paintings present a dark, moody, almost dystopian vision of the city, with the River Thames often serving as a backdrop. His “acidic colour palette” reimagines the city's familiar scenes, infusing them with vibrant, gritty tones, transforming the ordinary urban landscape. 

This elevated viewpoint allows one to see London as a vast, functioning organism, its intricate workings visible from above but experienced from a distance. Flint's paintings, offer a compelling exploration of the city's depth and complexity, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in its mysterious essence while maintaining a detached observation.

What sets Flint’s work apart is the perspective from which the city is viewed. Observing London from a high, almost voyeuristic vantage point, the viewer remains separate from the bustling city, yet intimately connected to its rhythms.

His skies, integral to each composition, animated with dark shades of colour and extreme undertones, framing the cityscape and adding a dynamic, ethereal quality. 

The use of colourful greys, which progressively darken, merges into deep, sombre hues, while sporadic bursts of electric light from buildings and from the heavens introduce a contrasting vibrancy that illuminates areas of the canvas.

Trinity Church, by The Stray…

Tom Flint paints Trinity Church

I'm currently working on a painting of Trinity Church by The Stray. It's an exciting project because I've chosen a unique viewpoint that offers a perspective no one typically sees. The painting captures Trinity Church from above, situated on an island before a road. A key aspect of this painting is trying to capture the monumentality of Trinity Church, emphasising its grandeur and imposing presence.

Process of a work in progress…

Like my other paintings around Harrogate, I start by using vibrant acidic yellows, pinks, and greens to lay the foundation. From there, I experiment with chiaroscuro effects, playing with light and shadow to enhance the sense of scale and drama. Additionally, I'm aiming to capture the transient nature of the experience when being around this type of architecture. The unpredictable nature of the process adds an element of mysticism and awe, resulting in a final piece that feels fresh and new.

Harrogate - paintings by Tom Flint

In my recent series of paintings based on my experiences in Harrogate, I seek to capture my personal connection to the town that transcends mere visual representation. Harrogate is not only a cherished place where my brother lives but also a town that I visited in my formative years as an art student at Leeds. This unique bond influences my artistic approach, imbuing my work with a profound appreciation for the town's intricate Victorian architecture and its atmospheric qualities.

Harrogate’s Victorian architecture, with its dark stone facades, serves as the primary inspiration for my paintings. These structures, strong and imposing, possess a narrative quality, their surfaces etched with the passage of time. I am particularly captivated by how these buildings project a bold presence through their intricate designs and the interplay of light and shadow across their surfaces. The cold, grey weather typical of Yorkshire adds to this effect, casting the architecture in a sombre, moody light that reveals hidden hues and textures. Within these muted tones, I find vibrant colours—pinks, lilacs, and lime greens—that subtly permeate the scene, transforming the ostensibly bleak into something alive and dynamic.

Harrogate’s architecture tells stories beyond its physical form. The mysterious quality inherent in these Victorian buildings is a central theme in my work. I am drawn to the hidden histories and the silent echoes of past lives that these structures embody. Walking around its environs or observing the grand houses that line Harrogate’s streets, I sense a spectral presence, a ghostly aura that speaks of bygone eras and hidden histories. My paintings aim to reflect this mysticism, capturing the sense of a place steeped in history while also resonating with the contemporary viewer.

In translating my vision of Harrogate into paint, I employ a distinctive colour palette that juxtaposes the town's inherent coldness with acidic tones. This contrast is deliberate, creating a visual tension that enhances the atmospheric quality of the scenes I depict. The acidic colours act as a counterpoint to the damp, wintry greys, injecting a vibrancy that burns through the gloom and brings a unique perspective to the urban landscape. This interplay of colours aims to reflect the complex character of Harrogate, where the mundane meets the magnificent, and the ordinary streets are infused with an extraordinary light.

My paintings are urbanscapes that celebrate the architectural and environmental essence of Harrogate. They focus not just on the grand public buildings but also on the private houses and the everyday spaces that collectively shape the town’s identity. There is a quiet beauty in the early morning light, in the reflections of rain-soaked streets, and in the solitude of empty roads leading to the Harrogatian homes. These scenes of sometimes abandonment and lostness convey a poignant sense of history—one that is both past and ever-present. It is this duality, the interplay between the visible and the hidden, the historical and the contemporary, that I strive to capture in my work.

In conclusion, my paintings of Harrogate are more than representations of its architectural beauty. They are explorations of the town’s atmospheric depths, its historical mysteries, and its vibrant contradictions. Through my art, I hope to offer viewers a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Harrogate, inviting them to see beyond the surface and engage with the profound sense of place that Harrogate embodies for me.