Who is Paul Cadden?
I viewed some of the drawings of hyperrealist artist Paul Cadden and cannot help myself but to get-to know better who really is he. Cadden is noted to be using a pencil often to recreate photos in amazing detail. His drawings would look nothing more than standard photographs all in black and white.Cadden was born in 1964 in Glasgow, Scotland. He studied Print Design and Illustration at Glasgow College of Building and Printing in 1982 and Animation and Illustration at James Watt College in 2001.
He is represented in London by Plus One Gallery: Plus One Gallery’s cream of the crop, sixteen of the best hyperrealist artists in the world, bring their first new works of 2012 to Plus One Gallery’s February exhibition Hyperrealism Now!
A spokesman for London's Plus One Gallery, which is featuring Cadden's work in its current hyperrealism exhibition, said: "When you look at a picture of his work, they do look like photographs. But when you see it in a gallery up close, you can tell it's a drawing. The detail is incredible."
Cadden was last year shortlisted for Artist of the Year 2011 for his drawing, "Painted context".
Cadden said: "I’ve been drawing since I was six years old and have wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. Hyperrealism tends to create an emotional, social and cultural impact and differs from photorealism which is far more technical. My inspiration comes from the phrase 'to intensify the normal'."
"I take everyday objects and scenes of people and then create a drawing which carries an emotional impact - it can be quite beautiful. I try to study the internal aspect of the image rather than focusing solely on the external part. I can fall in love with an image - if that doesn’t sound too hippy."
He added: "I like to know the stories behind the faces of people I photograph - they could be a veteran war hero, you just don’t know. What makes me different from other hyperrealist artists is that I predominantly work in pencil, while many others tend to use an airbrush. I have done one painting that measured 60 x 40 inches - but I’ll never do that again, it was a killer! Portraits are my favourite to do - I particularly like the one of a man with water running off his face, called 'After'."
Cadden has several exhibitions scheduled in America this year and is also due to appear on the prime time Japanese TV show called Unbelievable, which focuses on extraordinary people and events.
He said: "I am also visiting Atlanta for a solo exhibition showcasing my portraits of model Naduah Rugley. She appeared on reality TV show ‘America’s Next Top Model’ and is apparently a huge fan of my works. As well I have been invited to the OK Harris Gallery in New York in November as they are interested in my unusual take on Scottish landscapes. This is the most attention I have received to date and I am excited about the potential to widen the range of my exposure."
Allow me to share some of his drawings here.
Smokescreen: Incredible detail has been captured by the hyperrealist artist Paul Cadden,
but his work leaves you wondering whether your eyes have been tricked
Shades of grey: Cadden was shortlisted as Artist of the Year 2011 and can usually
produce about seven works per year which sell at galleries for up to £5,000 each
Art in action: Paul Cadden is seen working on one of his pieces. The artist specialises in hyperrealism - a form of detailed drawing that it so lifelike it could be mistaken for a photograph
Hand-drawn: It takes the artist an average of three to six weeks to
create each piece and they usually come in A1 or A0 size
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