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London Stories
by Paul Hiles

Paul Hiles is bringing his stunning Bird's Eye pencil drawings of London to our Upper Gallery.

Paul's pencil on paper 'Bird's Eye Views' of London, blend views of the Capital and storytelling with personal experiences. They are not in any sense intended as representations of a street plan, but they do include major roads, prominent buildings and often the river Thames. The drawings also include tiny, sometimes partially concealed pictographs (referred to by Paul as mementos) which reference his personal interests, formative influences, local history, folklore, and pop culture together with the iconic individuals (famous and infamous) indelibly associated with that part of London. Predominantly monochrome, the drawings also often feature occasional elements of colour (e.g. red double-decker buses) for contrast and depth enhancement.   

Paul's drawings conjure up the dynamic spirit of an imagined London captured at an intimate moment in time, as we would nostalgically wish it to be and to remain rather than the ever-changing metropolis that we know and love.  

Paul Hiles is an award-winning artist born in Holloway North London and now living in Hertfordshire.  There have been many solo and group exhibitions of his work, including most recently the Royal Academy 2023 Summer Exhibition. This exhibition showcases mainly drawings completed during the last decade. Depending on their size and complexity each drawing takes several months researching, planning, then at least a further six months to complete, often when working on multiple pieces simultaneously. Paul's drawings are held in private collections throughout the world.

To learn more about Paul and his work, please visit his website or check out his Instagram and Facebook accounts.