Works By Alex Echo

With regard to this topic, Echo name checks a number of art movements as having being instrumental in his creative grounding and direction-forming, including diverse and eclectic genres such as Pre-Raphaelite, Impressionism, Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism, Art Nouveau and Pop Art. Echo decrees that his work is both fundamentally unique and original in execution, and that the technique and style template that marks his work out from his peers has never been realised previously, and that he has successfully synthesised the collection of painting schools that he’s closely admired from day one.

Yet discovered at the very heart of Echo’s specific brand of art, and the very aspect that binds together his stylistic influences and approaches is that of the study of and long-held fascination with, nature, and Echo truly believes that England provides a greater source of inspiration in this field (if you excuse the pun) than elsewhere. In fact, Echo goes as far as to declare that he’s deeply in love with the British Isles; his words not ours. In the throes of passion with direct reference to its lush gardens surrounded by endless sea views, sunrises and sunsets he goes on to wax lyrical about, adding that our sea faring island nation provides a ‘constant ballet between light, water, colour and time’ which Echo strives to visually imply in every painting he originates. Indeed, Echo’s paintings are not short on fluidity of movement and capturing every single nuance of fleeting, transient moments caught, as pictorially attested to when observing what appears to be several thousand brushstrokes in each compositional reveal, which Echo captures to project a dance of colour or light reflecting back off a flower, tree, hillside or the sea itself.

Seldom passing up an opportunity to honour the British Isles and what it proffers Echo in terms of an artist and what he sees as a limitless palette and vistas, the popular artist demands that he gives something back to his adopted homeland and this source of infinite inspiration which greets him at every turn. To this end, Echo champions what he calls a green and sustainable work ethic, utilising only the highest quality water based paints, whilst also frequenting non-toxic resin to create his renown ‘liquid effect’ found at the core of his hallmark pieces of art. Echo’s dedication to leaving as small a carbon footprint as is humanely possible as a modern day artist is applaudable, especially when reading that he even collates the excess paint drips that collect on the sides of his artwork as overspill once they’ve dried so as to re-liven and blend in with future painted projects and large scale illustrative undertakings. Literally, not a drop is wasted.

There’s no denying that Echo’s ecological ideologies are commendable, which aside from the underlying reason that his signature paintings are uplifting, evocative and visually gregarious, might go some way to explain why his works find regular favour with A-listers, Hollywood royalty and even royal royalty. That’s right; those already aboard the Alex Echo bandwagon include the likes of prime time American chat show host, Oprah Winfrey, actor, Robert Downey Jnr, former supermodel, Cindy Crawford, former US President Jimmy Carter, HSH Prince Rainer of Monaco and the septuagenarian who resides on his next door farm. And the list doesn’t end there, as Echo’s varying scales of original art are housed in both corporate and private collections around the globe.

The thing with Echo is that he’s all ‘give, give, give’, as we soon discover when being informed of his charitable work. Not that the artist likes it to be called that, preferring instead to class it as more of a ‘working partnership’. Bill it as he wants, Echo has contributed in excess of £300,000 to date through the sale of his artwork for the greater good, seeing funds raised heading for such monumentally worthy causes as the Princess Grace Foundation, The Prince’s Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust, Nordoff Robbins and The Elton John Aids Foundation to name but a small selection. One of Echo’s biggest achievements within his charitable set-up is the successful sale of 10 of his paintings in the London-based Wallace Collection, the proceeds of which helped with the rebuilding of a school in South Western China in the aftermath of the earthquake which devastated the region. Echo himself travelled to the region, one of the most remote in China, to meet up with the inhabitants and seeing how the progress was shaping up. According to the artist, he’s got many more new projects upcoming, including working with the United Nations, the World Food Program and UNICEF in the foreseeable future.

Closer to home, and most recently, Echo was invited by British Men’s Fashion designer (and frock royalty) and master of all things colourfully striped, Sir Paul Smith to collaborate with him on the development of a fabric derivative of one of Echo’s paintings. The piece, entitled, ‘Classic With a Twist’ was then used as a principle print design for the designer’s 2011 Couture Women’s Wear line, which Echo witnessed in the flesh on attending the catwalk show during that year’s London Fashion Week.