Karl Haglund creates cityscapes with a difference. They don’t necessarily depict a skyline in its realistic form, but instead generate the feeling of a city – its culture, its people, and its personality. The colours and textures are incredible, creating notions of surreal places and imaginary cityscapes. Enjoy!
Your paintings have a very unique, vibrant style. How did this develop?
My goal is to try to capture the energy of a city. The mess. Like seeing trees in a forest, I think seeing a single building in a city is a task. I like things to be free and loose. I’m not a fan of realism, so I don’t try to emulate that at all. I like to think my cityscapes look equally well when one takes their glasses off.
Let’s talk about process. What are the steps you take when creating each piece?
It’s a jumble. I usually start by sketching something out if I am doing a particular city. Then I use modelling paste to add texture to areas. Then paint and more paint followed by charcoal or oil pastel. If I am just making up a city or not painting anything specific I just keep adding colors until it feels right.
What is it that you like about cityscapes?
I grew up in a small rural community. When I would travel through larger cities as a kid I would be in complete awe of them. I used to get excited if I saw a homeless person or a hooker or something. The whole city life, the variety, the culture, the vibe.. It was always inspiring to me. It inspired my imagination early on. When I lived in St Louis that fondness only grew.
What do you hope each piece tells the viewer about the place it’s representing?
I hope that a person would not only recognize a building or two, but would recognize the vibe or the feeling that the painting puts off.
If you could paint any cityscape in the world, where would it be and why?
I love Chicago and St Louis. Love doing those cityscapes or a city painting inspired by them. They are personal cities to me. I need to connect in some way to a city to get excited about it.
Finally, do you have any tips for readers who might want to get into painting whilst they travel?
Painting like anything is a commitment. Anyone can paint. It teaches you about yourself. Buy paint and a canvas and then paint. If you like it, keep doing it.
You can see more of Karl’s paintings on his website.
What do you like about Karl’s cityscapes? And can you guess where the above paintings represent?
