The Market Paintings


I started making paintings of street markets in London soon after moving to the city in 1999. I was attracted not only by the visual allure of the produce on display, but also by the human interaction of the sellers and shoppers. Since then, I have travelled extensively abroad, including several trips around Latin America, visiting markets in cities which seemed to take me to the heart of the place's daily rhythm, culture and identity.

Markets are intensely evocative places for me. They are great diverse meeting places, representing a whole culture of trade and exchange of basic things -food, clothes and physical stuff we need. Their origins go right back to the source of urban life. In making the paintings, I also saw a connection - which I had originally explored in painting the Wholesale Fruit and Veg paintings - between how goods and produce are displayed on a market stall and the aesthetic activity of structuring a painting. It's the same thing, fundamentally - about making an appeal to the eye and the senses. There's also a drama here - market stalls are like little theatres as the traders seek to capture your attention. And, equally, I was interested in showing the backstage activity going on too, and catching moments when the traders are not "performing".

 
 
Bienvenidos al Mundo de las Frutas, Verduras y Hortalizas (San Juan)
Oil on canvas
95 x 150cm

 
Selling garlic (San Juan)
Oil on board
100 x 122cm

 
 
Fruit stall (San Jose, Costa Rica)
Oil on canvas
100 x 122cm
Private collection

 
 
Market shoppers (Mula, Spain)
Oil on canvas
88 x 122cm

The Krishna Rajendra Market (Bengalaru)
Oil on board
122 x 150cm
Private collection
Selling chillis (Mumbai)
Oil on canvas
70 x 96cm

 
Krishna Rajendra Market (Bengalaru) 1
Oil on board
27.5 x 16cm
Private collection
Krishna Rajendra Market (Bengalaru) 2
Oil on board
19 x 36cm
Private collection
Krishna Rajendra Market (Bengalaru) 3
Oil on board
24.5 x 19cm
Private collection
 
Krishna Rajendra Market (Bengalaru) 4
Oil on board
21 x 29.5cm
Private collection
Krishna Rajendra Market (Bengalaru) 5
Oil on board
21 x 29.5cm
Private collection
Krishna Rajendra Market (Bengalaru) 6
Oil on board
29.5 x 21cm
Private collection
 
Pineapple Trilogy 1 (San Jose, Costa Rica)
Oil on board
67 x 76cm

Pineapple Trilogy 2 (Mexico City)
Oil on board
67 x 76cm

Pineapple Trilogy 3 (Mumbai)
Oil on board
67 x 76cm

 
Meat stall (Mexico City)
Oil on board
29.5 x 36cm

Market cafe (San Jose, Costa Rica)
Oil on board
38 x 43.5cm

Market stall 2 (Mumbai)
Oil on board
29.5 x 36cm

 
 
Cordero Conejo (Mexico City)
Oil on board
100 x 122cm

 
Flower stall (Bogota)
Oil on board
100 x 100cm0cm

 
 
Seafood counter (Paris)
Oil on board
81 x 122cm

 
 
 
Market stall (Quito)
Oil on board
122 x 81cm

 
 
Under the Argentinian sky
Oil on board
100 x 122cm

 
 
Pig to bacon (Bogota)
Oil on board
122 x 81cm

 
 
 
Fruit seller (San Juan, Argentina)
Oil on board
60 x 60cm

 
Victors eggs (Mexico)
Oil on board
60 x 60cm

 
Potato stall (Quito)
Oil on board
60 x 60cm

 
 
Man selling melons (San Juan, Argentina)
Oil on board
60 x 60cm

 
 
Trolley man (San Juan, Argentina)
Oil on board
60 x 60cm
Private collection
 
Three men selling tomatoes (San Juan, Argentina)
Oil on board
60 x 60cm
Private collection
 
 
Market stall (Mumbai)
Oil on board
40 x 43cm
Private collection

 
 
Food stall (Mexico City)
Oil on board
38 x 41cm

Meat stall (Bogota)
Oil Pastel on paper
20 x 30cm

 
 
 
Selling mangos and avocados (Bogota)
Oil on board
40 x 43cm
Private collection
 
Juice stall (Quito)
Oil on board
40 x 43cm
Private collection
 
Crate of fish 1 (Billingsgate, London)
Oil on board
30 x 60cm

 
 
Crate of fish 2 (Billingsgate, London)
Oil on board
30 x 60cm

 
Crate of fish 3 (Billingsgate, London)
Oil on board
30 x 60cm
Private collection
 
Crate of fish 4 (Billingsgate, London)
Oil on board
30 x 60cm

 
 
Market stall (Deptford, London)
Oil on canvas
60 x 72cm

 
 
Shoe stall (London)
Oil on board
62 x 93cm

 
 
Three women shopping, Ridley Road (London)
Oil on canvas
50 x 68cm

 
 
 
Fish stall (London)
Oil on canvas
91 x 110cm

 
 
Groceries (London)
Oil on board
100 x 122cm

 
 
Vegetable stall (London)
Oil on board
100 x 122cm

 
 
 
African and Caribbean food (London)
Oil on board
100 x 122cm

 
Large market stall (London)
Oil on board
100 x 122cm
Private collection
 
Car boot sale (England)
Oil on board
91 x 115cm

 
 
Ridley Road market (London)
Oil on canvas
125 x 200cm

 
 
Market stall (London)
Oil on canvas
140 x 140cm
Private collection
 
Food store (London)
Oil on board
100 x 124cm

 
 
Market crowd (London)
Oil on board
62 x 76cm
Private collection
 
 
Market shoppers (Ridley Road, London)
Oil on canvas
82 x 140cm
Private collection
 
 
Mother and children shopping (London)
Oil on canvas
92 x 100cm