Austin Cole (British b. 1957)

Austin Cole is an artist working in a traditional medium that of the etcher and printmaker. The techniques he uses have changed little since the days of Rembrandt, Goya and Toulouse Lautrec. His etchings of New York are created on metal plates (mostly zinc) using a hard ground and an etching needle to draw the design as Rembrandt would have done. Then to add the tone he uses an aquatint in just the same way that Goya would have used to create his images. His lithographs are created on stone with litho crayons and touché just as they would have been done a hundred years ago when Lautrec and Bonnard created their lithographs.

His influences are many from the artists mentioned above to the work of modern artists/printmakers such as Christopher Le Brun, Paula Rego, Celia Paul, David Hockney as well as many others though he works in a traditional medium, he is resolutely a contemporary artist working in the now. Just as Rembrandt would have drawn the landscapes and cityscapes of his day, Cole is fascinated by the architecture and urban landscapes of the modern city. How the buildings of the city show the effects of pollution, of the weather and how the architecture has been adapted over the years. The brownstone buildings of Manhattan with the fire escapes bolted onto the brickwork or the neon of modern advertising hoarding on the side of a Victorian Building.

Art Education
BA (Hons) Fine Art (1995-9) London Guildhall University
MA Fine Art (2000-2001) London Guildhall University

Selected Exhibitions
Gallery 47, Bloomsbury
Candid Arts Trust Gallery Islington
A&D Gallery, London 2001
The Mall Galleries ‘Art for Youth’ 2002,2003
ArtHouse 2002
The Menier Galllery, London 2002
The National Print Exhibition, The Mall Galleries 2003
‘Enigma’ The Printworks Gallery,London 2003
The Brighton Arts Festival 2003
The Rivington Gallery, London (Solo Exhibition) 2003
The Royal College of Art ‘Secrets’ Exhibition 2003
Living for the City Exhibition Blue Wing Gallery Kew 2004
The Mall Galleries UK Youth 2004 show
Morley College Print Exhibition St Brides Institute Exhibition 2004
The Royal College of Art ‘Secrets’ Exhibitions 2004
The Landing Gallery Morley College 2004
Originals 05 Show 2005
Affordable Art Fair (March) 2005
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2005
Wills Art Warehouse Living in the City Group exhibition
The Royal College of Art ‘Secrets Exhibition 2005
Originals 06 2006
Living in the City exhibition Collyer & Bristow 2006Forth Coming shows
Art for Youth (Oct 2006)
Ballie Gallery (corporate show September 2006)
Painting the Nude Chambers Gallery (October 2006)

Prizes
Artichoke Studio Best Student Print 2005.