My personal ambition...is art
About me...
I have followed my interest and given over a large part of my life to art since retiring from Medicine in 2017. In that time I have:
- begun drawing with a small community group
- completed 3 years of painting courses in figure and portrait at City Lit in Covent Garden (2020-2023)
- and am currently in the second year of a Diploma in Portraiture at the Heatherley School of Fine Art, Lots Road, London SW10 (2023-present-due to finish in July 2025)
I have gained a large amount over time from my various tutors and time spent attending increasing numbers of exhibitions (myself and two friends from City Lit days go to exhibitions on a fortnightly basis). With just under a decade of drawing and painting, and latterly print making, I am now:
- more productive than I have ever been in my painting, both inside and outside of my courses
- confident working on a larger scale than ever before
- happy and self motivated when working independently and
- increasingly finding my own direction in my painting, favouring more expressive and looser working
In addition to painting, in the last 18 months I have taken on print making and have found the cross fertilisation between this and painting stimulating - something that i envisage will increase as i develop further as an artist. I have already taken many of my painting and drawing images into my print making, and envisage using print making increasingly in preparation for paintings. Somewhat to my surprise, printing has allowed me to use abstraction more than I would have envisaged - something i view as a positive development.
When I attended the open day at City and Guilds, I was delighted to see the variety of studios available to expand my horizons....my appetite for all things 'art' has been further whetted...the print room would mean that i could continue to develop myself in this area, and the glass room in particular looked absolutely fascinating.
Having now obtained a solid ground in painting from direct observation at Heatherley's and City Lit, I want to explore the subject of portraiture in a more creative way. With this in mind I am sure that a place on the MA in Fine Art at City and Guilds would be ideal in pushing forward my boundaries as an artist.
As part of my application to City And Guilds, I have included the following photographs of 20 pieces omy work as set put in 3 sections: Painting, Print Making and Drawing.
Thinking with a new hat
Oil on canvas
24x48 inches
January, 2025
On being frail - it's hard work
Oil on canvas
24x48 inches
January, 2025
Listening to guitar music
Oil on bard
30x40 cm
February, 2025
2 men without strings
Oil on canvas
40x60 inches
February, 2025
Portrait of a yellow cushion
Oil on canvas
90x120 cm
January, 2025
Red hot boots
Oli on canvas
40x60 inches
October, 2024
Show More
My barber at work
Oil on prepared paper
40x50 cm
February, 2024
Study of limbs
Oil on gesso board
30x40 cm
February, 2024
Portrait of a woman
Oil on gesso board
30x40 cm
February, 2024
Self portrait 1 - the glow of working online
Oil on prepared paper
30x40 cm
March, 2024
Self portrait 2 - my new beanie
Oil on gesso board
30x40 cm
January, 2025
Self portrait 3 - direct gaze - a work in progress
Oil on canvass
24x48 inches
February, 2025
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Nothing to get up for - homeless man
Monoprint on drypoint
20x30 cm
December, 2024
Jogger on Lordship Rec
Monoprint on drypoint
16x23 cm
December, 2024
A moment of grief
Monoprint on drypoint
15.5x21 cm
February, 2025
Self portrait
Monoprint on drypoint
14.5x21 cm
May 2024
Portrait of a man with direct gaze
Charcoal on paper
30x52 cm
September, 2024
Portrait of a man - 2 light sources
Charcoal on paper
30x52 cm
January, 2025
Life drawing with overlapping figures
Charcoal on paper
59x84 cm
January, 2025
Redrawing of Michaelangelo's Christ being taken down from the cross
Coloured charcoal on paper
118x168 cm (2 pages joined)
January 2025