We welcome Matthew Ellwood to Land of Oak & Iron, known for his ‘tower’ illustrations that present UK cities in a new way.
About the Artist
Matthew Ellwood is an artist born in Durham and has been painting from being a young boy, encouraged by his grandfather. After going to university studying furniture design, his first foray into exhibiting his work made him realise it wasn’t what he wanted for a full time career. Originally upping sticks and moving to Yorkshire, he soon found he wanted to sell his own art, starting with the idea of creating his own ‘Tower of Babel’. This idea evolved into his signature ‘tower’ paintings, showcasing the landmarks of English cities, both further afield and in his own familiar surroundings of Yorkshire and the North East.
About the Art
“I wanted to give people something to really look out. For tourists to the area I wanted the towers to be little maps of places to seek out and, for locals, I wanted to show that I had really got under the skin of the place.” – Matthew Ellwood
Matthew’s work always starts with research. First comes a preliminary wander of the place he’s about the draw, making sure to pop into tourist information centres and local libraries. Then comes consultation with locals – figuring out what landmarks are important to the community rather than just being your top ten things-to-see. Finally comes pouring over physical and online maps and figuring out the technicalities of the drawing. The tower now has to literally be built, through wire-drawing and sketching before the real illustration phase can begin. Using fine liner inking and watercolour, he injects the final ingredient to his artwork – life.
His illustrations have evolved over the years, but the colours bring out a warmth that feels familiar and nostalgic, tying together his work with a notion that his tower is part of an ecosystem. His Newcastle tower, for example, shows people in antlike proportion starting the Great North Run on the Tyne Bridge, setting up their teeny stalls on the Quayside Market, and drawing in all the trains, Metros and cars that bring in all those in the surrounding areas. These paintings could be moving with how authentically Ellwood has brought together the iconic, the everyday and the beloved.
Find Out More
If you would like to find out more about our exhibition, please visit our event page
You can find out more about Matthew through his social media:
All of the work on display at the Inside Out Gallery will be available for purchase. Please visit us to enquire about taking home your own piece and supporting a fantastic local artist.
