Acrylic Painting
Kurt Engledow
Australian based international painter exploring themes of nostalgia, alienation, sexuality and masculinity through mid- century photographs.
Artist Profile
Kurt Engledow is an award winning Perth based artist currently exploring themes of nostalgia, alienation, sexuality and masculinity through found and discarded photographs. Although relatively disinterested in publicity, his work has been exhibited in London, UK and Perth, Australia.
Kurt has been painting since he was a child. He would spend hours watching his father paint in his studio and was in awe of the detail he would include in his work. His father taught him how to draw and use oil paint when he was still very young.
As a teenager, he discovered that he could get out of Physical Education at school by finishing off his paintings in the back of the art room whilst the teacher taught another class.
Kurt is influenced by a wide variety of artists including Alex Katz, Edward Hopper, Felix Vallotton and Richie Fahey. Like those artists, he prefers to use a limited colour palette with each colour and tone being carefully considered to create emotion and atmosphere whilst referencing mid- century flavours.
Artist Interview
What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?
I was trained to paint in oils but made the switch to acrylic a few years back. I love the speed that acrylics forces the painter to adopt. However, they can be frustrating at times when the colour dries to a completely different one to the one mixed. I occasionally dust off the oils and will maybe return to them one day.
How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?
I spend hours sifting through library archives in search of thought provoking images. I then will spend time considering the images, usually over weeks, before I decide whether to keep or discard them. I will then explore the palette and composition before commencing a final piece. This is usually when I decide what to omit from the original image. The palette is very important to me as I only use a small selection of carefully considered colours to keep the image balanced.
Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?
Weather permitting, I usually paint outside in the garden. I believe it's best to paint in natural light whenever possible.
Career Highlights
- Exhibiting installation, '… and they all seemed very friendly', in London, 2004
- Winning Packing Room Prize, Cairns Tropical Pride Art Exhibition, 2024
