Month: Mar 2022
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Portraits of poet Stevie Smith
I was commissioned by Wetherspoon in August last year to paint three portraits of poet Stevie Smith, who lived locally in Palmers Green, North London. They are now at The Alfred Herring pub, down the road from me on Green Lanes. I was asked to do some writing, which appears alongside the paintings. It was…
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Painting 2012–2017
When I started painting in 2012, I’d never painted before. I’d sit down every evening when my daughter was asleep, and produce around three or four works a night. I painted hundreds of landscapes and portraits, they just seemed to stream out of my brush like they’d been waiting to be realised. As I painted…
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Bridges
I love bridges and I’ve painted the Tyne Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge (twice), Brooklyn Bridge and the sun starting to set over London as seen from Waterloo Bridge. This is the Brooklyn Bridge painting from 2013, one of my first paintings. It’s now part of a private collection. I plan to paint the Tyne…
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Self portrait
I remember painting this not long after seeing the Rembrandt: The Late Works exhibition at the National Gallery. I wrote this at the time: “His self portraits are exquisite. I mean, they are heartbreakingly exquisite. His paintings are alive but not in that hyper-real way. It’s like they breathe and vibrate. He uses impasto a…
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Paintings of my daughter
I’ve painted my daughter quite a few times. It used to fascinate me how she would sometimes go very quiet and just stare off into a fixed point. It seemed more intense than daydreaming. This painting was inspired by a photo I took in a McDonalds in Southgate. It’s painted in quite a romantic tradition…
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Portraits of painters
I’ve painted quite a few fellow artists who I also count as friends. This is a portrait which I’m happy with. I think it captures Ruth’s sensitivity as a person (and also as an artist). It was painted very quickly and I think that’s often a recipe for success, or I’ve noticed it seems to…
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Unfinished self portrait
Painting self portraits is really important to me. There’s a simple reason for painting self portraits ― I’m available to study, look at and explore on demand. I remember being told painting self portraits was a form of vanity. To me, vanity doesn’t come into it at all, in fact it’s the opposite. I find…
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Portraits of composer Gunnar Berg
In July 2018, I delivered two paintings of Swiss-born Danish composer Gunnar Berg (1909–1989) to the collection of The Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle. The museum houses the largest collection of portraits in Denmark. I’ve painted three portraits of Gunnar in total, the other now belongs to the collection of Jens Rossel, Gunnar…
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Urban landscapes series
I’m fascinated by the gritty side of the urban landscapes we inhabit. I’m particularly drawn to pylons, bridges, cranes, steelworks, power plants and docklands. I’ve started painting a series of urban landscapes based around Port Talbot’s stunning steelworks and docks. These cranes are so beautiful, I’m enjoying painting them even though I’m not really great…
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Andy Warhol
I’ve been working on this portrait of Andy Warhol on and off since I started painting in 2011. It’s something I’ve had pleasure in returning to, but I think now it’s probably finished. In this portrait I examine his religious faith (he was a practising Catholic) and his possible Asperger’s (many of his biographers think…