Artist
Jonathan Hooper
Jonathan Hooper is a painter based in Leeds. He grew up in the Chilterns and did his Art Foundation at Bucks College of Higher Education. He gained a BA in Fine Art (Printmaking) from Falmouth School of Art and Design, and an MA in the Social History of Art from the University of Leeds.
His subject is the built landscape of the city of Leeds, and in particular the residential architecture of the suburbs to its north-west: Hyde Park, Burley, Kirkstall, Headingley and Meanwood.
His fundamental aim is to show to the viewer the subject as he sees it, and to find a pictorial equivalent of the physical experience of being in a place. He believes that beauty can be found anywhere, and that familiar surroundings can trigger powerful associations and memories. He is not necessarily trying to communicate particular emotions in individual works, but to create a feeling of a real place, with its own beauty, individuality, atmosphere and history.
"I am not drawn to grand buildings, nor to scenes of urban decay: I want to show directly the beauty and individuality of the landscapes immediately around us, the places where we live. Colour is central to my work: I am looking for an emotional atmosphere that mirrors my experience of a place, rather than imitating its visual appearance."
