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Love London: Artist Peter Brimelow survives cancer and paints his love of the capital

Several years ago, after 30 years as a successful architect, and following a terminal cancer diagnosis, Peter Brimelow gave up his thriving architecture practice to focus on getting better.

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Wet London street at night lined with neon-lit shops and restaurants, with pedestrians walking among parked cars and glowing storefronts beneath colourful building facades

But during that somewhat challenging time, he discovered a love of art and managed to survive too: "For a number of reasons, including love, sleep, the consumption of industrial quantities of organic fruit and vegetables, and the support of some very special people, I didn’t die, but I did discover painting and a new love for the urban landscape of this wonderful city of London."

The subsequent paintings tell a story of Peter's creative journey where he begins with simple artworks of classic London subjects, such as Battersea Power Station, St Paul's Cathedral or Wandsworth Common, leading to those same views at different times. He then explored adding people to his paintings – bowlers on Wandsworth Common or commuters at Waterloo Station, for example.

He adds: "Although I manipulate perspective, my paintings are an accurate architectural record of the fabric of this great city. For me, they reflect the nature of change that is my life and capture something of my relationship with the spirit, the people and the excitement of the continuous evolution of the place that is my home."

Peter will exhibit the series, aptly named Love London, at The Ground Floor Gallery in London from 23 September until 1 October 2017. To find out more about Peter and his work, visit www.peterbrimelow.co.uk.

A wet London street lined with red buses and black taxis, with St Paul's Cathedral visible in the distance under a soft sky, painted in warm golden tones
Trafalgar Square in London with wet pavements, crowds of people, street lamps and historic buildings under an overcast sky, with Nelson's Column visible in the distance
Four views of Battersea Power Station reflected in water at different times of day, from dawn to dusk, showing the iconic brick building's chimneys in changing light
Four paintings by Peter Brimelow showing St Paul's Cathedral at different times of day and from various urban perspectives in London
Commuters in coloured clothing walking across a modernist plaza with a gridded glass building behind them, painted in muted tones by Peter Brimelow
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