Cityscapes in colour

FROM growing up in Rickmansworth in the 40s, to studying design at Watford College in the 50s, it took Gillian Burrows nearly 30 years before she discovered her heart’s true artistic desires.
Gillian says she was fortunate in that she was able to pursue an artistic career, which included designing bespoke hand-made cards for the likes of Harrods and Fortnum and Mason but it wasn’t until she moved to the docklands area in the 1980s that she really let her artistic talents have free rein. ‘When I moved to Docklands I took a very brave step, it was a new start, away from familiar surroundings but it was also a chance to experiment and try something new,’ says Gillian.
Now a world renowned artist, Gillian’s vibrant cityscapes and murals represent what she believes to be her creative release. She moved away from her traditional pen and watercolour paintings and started to use acrylics to paint representative city images, skylines and iconic landmarks.
Gillian’s work is strong and vibrant and her style clearly defined by her use of colour, which she says is all about balance. ‘If I use a lot of blue then I need to balance this with red or yellow, this makes the colours stand out more,’ she says, ‘but it is also about creating a mood for the painting and the colours I use determine that mood.’
Gillian’s inspirations emerge from her surroundings and although her paintings are impressionistic they are in contrast clearly defined. A lot of her work has been portrayals of the city of London and particularly the Docklands area but she is also a keen traveller and has captured impressions of Egypt, New York, Tokyo and Dubai, among others.
At a recent exhibition at Gallery Rouge in St Albans there was an eclectic mix of city landscapes and buildings, not least Gillian’s portrayal of St Albans Cathedral, but living and working from a studio in the Docklands it is not surprising that the majority of her work comprises her closest surroundings. Gillian recently completed a commission for the Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust which was looking for something bright and pleasing for its reception area.
Gillian has also been involved with the Trinity Buoy Wharf Creators, a team of artists, sculptors and fashion designers keen to promote art in the Trinity Buoy area. She was also a member of the Watford Art Society but one of Gillian’s most recent and interesting pursuits was the production of a series of DVDs about East London and the Docklands. The films paint a picture of East London and are narrated by Gillian. The first edition includes many images of her work as well as other community projects including an interview with Eric Reynolds on the motivation for building accommodation out of old shipping containers, and Richard Gooding OBE, MD of London City Airport, about the improving transport infrastructure in East London. There is also a privileged showing of a Citizenship ceremony at Hackney Town Hall and poet, Sally Flood, reads some of her poems about contemporary life in Whitechapel.
Gillian worked with East End filmmaker, Alan Tucker, to show the London they know, which they describe as an insider’s view of the most exciting area in Britain today. The film is made up of short sections covering diverse topics ranging from art to infrastructure and is being released as a series of editions. Gillian says it was an exciting and very different project to undertake but she is delighted with the end results.
For the rest of 2008 though, Gillian is working on some new ideas, as well as her work at the Trinity Buoy Wharf, and is hoping to do more exhibitions and have more of her work in more galleries.

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