Cidade da Luz

See Gordon Leverton’s work in WTP Vol. VII #1

acrylic on canvas
60” x 72”

“Geometry features prominently in my work. I endeavor to keep the composition orderly and simple, relying on flat areas of color to complement the simple lines. And although people rarely appear in my paintings, I’m always conscious of the impact that these places have on the individual. Hence, the buildings become personified and the paintings become ‘building portraits.’

I use very few colors to achieve the final results. Influences are drawn from colorists like Henri Matisse and Richard Diebenkorn, who, aside from their genius for composition, shape, and color, straddled the line between realism and abstract.”

Gordon Leverton breaks down the city into component parts. Shadows, buildings, and skylines all become part of the same plane and are transformed into pieces of a puzzle. Using acrylic paint and soft pastel mediums, Leverton explores a theme common to the urban experience—how community connects us all.

Leverton is currently creating two new series. Sight Lines uses acrylics to look at the city from a bird’s-eye view, connecting buildings through circuitry in a graphic style. Certain Terms examines our hot real estate market, using wood, plastic, and metal assemblage to form faux house facades. He has exhibited extensively in Ontario, where he lives with his wife and two children.