Tony Berkman (b.1950)

Born in North London in 1950, Tony initially embarked on a career in the public service before studying Fine Art at Middlesex University, graduating in 2012 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art.  He started out working in terracotta, creating tangible forms in three dimensions inspired by artists such as Rodin, Gill, Epstein, Hepworth, Moore and Frink.  More recently he has started to explore painting on canvas, often abstracts based on his 3D work.  His main influences for  his paintings are Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Frank Bowling and Gerhard Richter, all of whom Tony says 'made or make art that truly moves me no matter how often I see their work'.

"My paintings are predominately about exploring the colours, movement and atmosphere of urban living and are realised mainly through the use of acrylic combined with different mediums.  I prefer, wherever possible, to make my own canvasses and have recently worked on a series of larger scale paintings.  Combining craft and art in the process of producing a finished work has been a challenging and satisfying experience.

I have continued to work on the theme of urban or city living and am constantly encouraged by the almost limitless range, which this offers as inspiration for my artistic expression" Tony Berkman