I spent most of my childhood drawing fighter jets, the Japanese bullet train traveling past Mount Fuji, battleships, and most of all, cars. I grew up in the ’80s, so a lot of my matchbox cars were 1970’s American muscle cars classic Ferrari’s, I also grew up with the cannonball run films, smokey and the bandit, etc and obviously, knight rider. 1960’s and ‘70s American muscle cars and Italian sports cars have always been something I have loved for as long as I can remember, I think, one of the things I love about them now is that they are almost an antithesis to the way we look at transport today, in today’s world of eco-friendliness and sustainability, they are basically all about a raw automotive experience, not just about moving from one place to another.
My love of cars and motorbikes growing up and drawing and painting led me into car design, before going back to painting.
Cars still remain one of my main loves in life, most of the goals I like to set myself are basically just the cars I’d like to own.
As much as I love driving, what draws me to them, is how a well-designed car can look just as good 20 years down the line as to when new, obviously as with anything else, trends and technology change, but one of my favourite cars, the Shelby GT500 Mustang, is 50 years old and still looks amazing today, I love the timelessness of a good design.
Gifted cityscape artist Kris Hardy grew up in Nottingham, and his day-to-day city life ensured that he was always surrounded by interesting architecture. He remembers witnessing the demolition of some council flats; even though they were unsightly and uninhabitable 1960s buildings, the bold, geometric graphic they created against the skyline intrigued him even at the age of eight.
He has always been interested in the juxtaposition of soft, romantic and flowing elements of a cityscape or landscape and the harsh, sometimes monolithic scale and stature of buildings. His work echoes the combination of bold, strong lines and blocks of tone with softer foliage or organic architecture. Amongst other things, he is influenced by urban art and graffiti, paintings and artists from the renaissance period, contemporary culture, illustration, expressionism and photography.
Painting in oil, watercolour and acrylic on canvas, Kris’s work consists of soft pastel tones combined with sharp, bold nearly blacks and deep purples. He has always found cityscapes and iconic landscapes and landmarks fascinating, from busy urban environments like New York to such romantic locations as Paris.
After studying photography, Kris graduated with a 1st class honours degree in Vehicle Design in 2000, then went on to study at the Royal College of Art where he gained his masters. After working for Lotus he became a professional artist in 2003 and his work is gaining popularity across the UK. He has fulfilled commissions for Boris Johnson and the CEOs of companies including British Gas and Bonnier in Chelsea.
Red 5 Standing By
by Kris Hardy
£1,950.00
Submerged II
by Kris Hardy
£2,150.00
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