Born in 1943 in London, Bill Jacklin RA initially studied and worked in graphic design before a move to study painting at the Royal College of Art. Initially abstract, his work moved towards figuration in the mid-1970s, at which point he also became preoccupied with the effects of light and movement, twin strands that have characterised his work ever since. Since his move to New York in 1985, he has concentrated on painting portraits of the city in all its guises, from largescale compositions of crowds in flux to Seurat-like etchings depicting more intimate urban moments.

Jacklin enjoys making monotypes, whose fusion of printmaking and painting techniques is particularly well suited to his subject-matter. Painted on a polished, non-absorbent surface, these images are unique, and no reusable element, such as an etching plate, woodblock or stencil, is employed in their creation. This handsome new book reproduces a wide range of Jacklins exuberant monotypes and contains an informative account of them by the poet Nancy Campbell.