Roy Best
Artist Bio
Roy Best is a visual artist from Manchester now based in Leeds. His work is mostly figurative and is deeply rooted in drawing, his densely rendered inkwork reflecting his past experience as an intaglio printmaker. His themes span explorations of the human form, portraiture, the natural world and urban imagery. In a recent departure from his comfort zone of drawing, Best is currently developing more conceptual work.
Selected Work
Name: Clearly Far Too Much Time on My Hands
‘Time’ is the most used noun in English. This large-scale text piece captures hundreds of idioms and references to time, playfully
inviting viewers to make connections or spot omissions. Scientists say time may not exist— just an abstract construct, like language, used to understand and communicate our world.
The painting/cutout is based on a photo from the 1930s when constructing skyscrapers became a strong drive, and the competition to build the world’s tallest building was fierce. I used this image as a symbol of human desire. I replaced the ridiculous-looking hats in the photo with more recent tall buildings, indicating ongoing development and devastation to our environment, using a lone frog to represent nature.
Medium: Mixed Media/Cutout on board (framed)
Size: 66cm x 86cm framed, (60cm x 80cm unframed)
Year: 2024