Phillip Dutton White

British artist Phillip Dutton-White captures a century of Bentley motoring history in evocative watercolour, blending automotive precision with genuine artistic soul.

It's no easy matter to show 100 years of Bentley cars. It's harder still to show them in context, in scale, and in a way that captures their essential character. It's a task that's as much about spirit as it is about precision.

British-born artist Phillip Dutton-White has the rare ability to make you feel as though you could step inside the image, open the car door and breathe in that unmistakable blend of old engine oil and patinated leather. Working as an artist rather than an illustrator, Dutton-White aims to capture not just the detail of an automobile, but a sense of the people who created it.

A Master of the Royal Society of Artists and Designers, Dutton-White has produced a compelling series of watercolour illustrations tracing the evolution of Bentley, from the original 3 Litre through to today's Continental GT Convertible. His portraits of a century of Bentley motoring are both technically accurate and deeply evocative; in his work, light seems to caress the lines of every model. Bentley's own design team counts among his admirers.

Communication was the mainstay of Dutton-White's design career, and his art grew naturally from it, as another way of expressing a personal view of the people, machines and moments that have inspired him throughout his life. His work is built around a single idea: excellence. He sets out to capture the skill, talent, mastery and passion, the very soul, of his subjects on canvas and paper.

His subjects extend beyond Bentley to the people and machines that have pushed the boundaries of their fields throughout history: racing drivers and their cars, Michelin-starred chefs, sportsmen and women who became icons and legends in their own lifetimes, and who continue to inspire others to do the same.