Max Naylor

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Emerging Artist

Max produces semi-surreal imagery of cityscapes and skylines drawn from memory.

Max packs his illustrations with otherworldly shapes and explosive colours, blending controlled compositions with dynamic doodling.

Max has received global recognition, enjoying residencies in Los Angeles, Tuscany, Delhi and Scotland.

Bristol-based artist Max Naylor creates mixed-media paintings and ink drawings on paper. Max Naylor's landscape paintings are particularly well known for their semi-surreal imagery of cityscapes and skylines, which are often drawn from memory. Naylor currently resides and works in London and teaches at the Royal Drawing School on The Drawing Clubs and at Drawing School Central.

MAX NAYLOR'S EARLY CAREER AND PRACTICE

Max Naylor trained at Falmouth College of Art and the Royal Drawing School before beginning his career in mixed media painting. The British artist balances scrupulous detail and controlled compositions with dynamic doodling and instinctive creative direction. Max densely packs his dreamlike illustrations with shapes and colours, scrambling for page space.

By cleverly braiding together elements of Art Deco and Expressionism, his landscapes studies are heightened with character and imagination. This cross-pollination of styles makes for a visually stimulating experience with every observation. Naylor's recent work uses ink on paper to illustrate spaces that have been dissected, which are then portrayed through the dreamlike lens of memory.

Lively and abstract, Max Naylor’s coastal paintings are a collusion between place, self and medium. Max Naylor investigates the territory between the familiar and the surreal. What he portrays is a parallel universe where unlikely colour palettes and otherworldly lighting collide with instantly-recognizable silhouettes. In these nature-filled worlds, it can be night and day at the same time, and contemplation reigns supreme.

RESIDENCIES AND AWARDS

Max Naylor's artistic journey is marked by numerous accolades and recognitions. He has enjoyed residencies in Los Angeles, Tuscany, Delhi and Scotland, and his modern British art has been showcased in numerous group and solo exhibitions across the UK. Max was the 2017 winner of the Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary and the 2016 winner of the Jackson's Open Art Prize. He has recently completed the Royal Drawing School's International Teaching and Art Residency in India.