Nigel Cooke sees the city a little differently.
Nigel takes the familiar -- the streets, skylines and landmarks of places we know and love -- and gives them a completely fresh sense of life. His signature style is exuberant, expressive and full of movement, bringing together bold colour, texture and layers of his distinctive linework to create cityscapes that feel both recognisable and entirely his own.
At Watson Gallery, we particularly love seeing Nigel’s take on our home city of Edinburgh, alongside his interpretations of other well known cityscapes, landmarks and vistas from around the world. His work has a real sense of personality: sophisticated enough to make a statement, but full of character, warmth and a sense of fun.
Nigel took an unusual route to becoming a full-time artist, starting his career as a resident caricaturist and entertainer for Butlins holiday camp. This expanded to his opening caricature concessions at venues including Blackpool’s Central Pier, the Trafford Centre and Alton Towers; Nigel later worked as a a character designer in Hong Kong and spent years travelling the world as a caricature artist.
Drawing on these experiences, Nigel later turned his unique illustrative style towards cityscapes, developing the dynamic, layered and highly recognisable paintings that have earned him an international following.
At Watson Gallery, we particularly love seeing Nigel’s take on our home city of Edinburgh, alongside his interpretations of other well known cityscapes, landmarks and vistas from around the world. His work has a real sense of personality: sophisticated enough to make a statement, but full of character, warmth and a sense of fun.
Having been fortunate enough to host Nigel in person at Watson we know this is entirely accurate to the focus and fun he brings to every conversation about his work. These qualities shine through in particular when one of our clients requests a commission from Nigel. From a favourite far-flung city, to a much-loved family home, or a special place associated with a treasured memory, a commissioned scene gives Nigel the opportunity to take something deeply meaningful and reinterpret it through his unique visual language.
The changing seasons of Spring and Autumn often bring Nigel's work into focus for our visitors, particularly his newer, layered styles that capture beautifully breezy cascades of falling blossom or ruddy autumn leaves. We have a superb selection of works by Nigel in our current collection, and we look forward to sharing them with our visitors online and in person.