Category: Uncategorized
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Open exhibitions, on The Road
At the beginning of my painting journey, it seemed to me that to get accepted into open exhibitions was a real measure of success. I entered quite a few calls for entries and, in 2016-2017, I was in exhibitions at the Royal Society of British Artists (Mall Galleries), the National Open Art competition, the Royal…
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Green eyes
Donated to Art on a Postcard and sold in aid of the Hepatitis C Trust, October 2016: ‘Art on a Postcard work with the world’s leading artists to raise money for the Hepatitis C Trust. In 2014 Art on a Postcard was intended to be a one off secret postcard auction, but it went so…
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Portrait of Lucy
Portrait commissions are daunting, for obvious reasons. How can you depict the whole of a person in one painting? Obviously, you can’t, but there has to be an essence of the subject captured for the painting to be in some way successful. It can’t just be about likeness — I’m not a fan of the…
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Two children
This painting was inspired by a photograph belonging to my friend, the artist and writer Albina von Klix, of herself and her sister Luda when they were young. I hoped to capture some of the intensity of expression that children have. They don’t guard their feelings and their faces, as a result, are often tidal…
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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…
Fionn Wilson 