Dan Broughton
Otley, West Yorkshire
Uk based artist making abstract paintings inspired by Brutalist architecture, also interested in life drawing.
Message
Growing up in Otley, West Yorkshire, in an artistic family I was exposed to the arts from a young age. My father taught on both Foundation and Fine Art Degree courses at Bradford College as well as being a regularly published illustrator. After enjoying art through school I went on to Harrogate College to do a diploma in General Art and Design which lead me to a Fine Art degree at the University of Humberside, graduating in 1996. My degree show paintings were selected for that year’s Northern Graduates’ Exhibition and all sold on the opening night at the Royal College of Art.
After university I moved to London and worked as Head Technician at the Francis Kyle Gallery in London’s West End before moving to look after the works going through Christie’s Auctioneers Contemporary Arts Dept.
Leaving London in 2002, myself and my partner settled in Otley where I started my own business as a decorator. Working for myself has allowed me to manage my time more in favour of spending time with our two boys while they were very young, and latterly, spending time in my home studio painting.
Statement
My current works are inspired by a love of mid-century and architecture and begin with photographs taken as I walk around cities. I tend to layer aspects from more than one building, then accentuate planes and lines from each one assembling a new, abstract structure - sometimes one of the original buildings is more evident in the finished piece while other finished paintings are purely abstract. The paintings often change drastically as I concentrate on the abstract image, playing with colours and depth to create a cohesive surface to the work while retaining a feeling of space. I also use pale washes to create ‘veiled’ areas which without detracting from the overall composition subtly reveal the process that the painting has gone through.