Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i The Artist

Email me at theartistletters@tapc.co.uk or visit our website at www.painters-online.co.uk/forum We are delighted to be able to reveal some exciting developments for The Artist, which you will see from the March issue. This will be the first of our bumper magazines containing both our titles – The Artist and our sister publication Leisure Painter – to bring you the ultimate resource for artists of all skill levels. Existing readers have no need to fear, as we will continue to provide you with articles by all your favourite contributors and subjects that you have come to expect from the magazine, but there will also be additional material for you to enjoy, providing an opportunity to learn a new medium or technique from the ground up, for example. Turn to pages 4…

Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2025 Details: The Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2025, celebrates the power of portraiture. Entries are invited from all artists aged 18 and over. A fi rst prize of £35,000 is off ered. A Young Artist Award of £9,000 is also off ered to artists aged between 18 and 30. Exhibition: Selected works will go on show at the National Portrait Gallery, London, from July 10 to October 12. When: Closes for entries on January 14. Contact: Enter online at competitions.ngp.org.uk New English Art Club Details: Artists are invited to submit work for exhibition alongside members of the New English Art Club at the NEAC annual exhibition 2025, showcasing members' works as well as aspiring artists. The exhibition off ers over ten prizes and awards…

Charles Williams is the president of the Royal Watercolour Society and member of the New English Art Club. Since leaving the RA Schools in 1992 he has consistently maintained a studio and exhibited regularly in London, the UK, Europe and the US, making paintings, sculpture and watercolours. Interested in the role of the visual arts in the contemporary world, he has written two books on drawing and painting, and many articles for this magazine, and many others, including open publications with www.susakpress.com. He is currently represented by New Art Projects, London. Scale is a crucial factor in watercolour painting. In a way, watercolour's reputation as an amateur's medium in comparison to oil painting, and the continued uncertainty about acrylic painting – is it as prestigious as oil painting? Is it…

Richard Kitson is a professional artist and tutor based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. He has exhibited in the UK and internationally and was a participant in Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year in 2018. Richard’s work has been featured in selected group exhibitions including the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize, Figurative Art Now and the Cork Street Open. Richard’s work hangs in various public and private collections. For more information on Richard’s workshops, visit richardkitson.co.uk I am honoured to write my first article for The Artist magazine, and hope you find it enjoyable and informative. My practice primarily investigates (but is not confined to) portraiture and the human figure, in particular paintings of my wife, family, friends and self-portraits. I paint naturalistic portraits without idealisation…

MONTH TWO When I introduced myself to you last month, I was on the cusp of becoming a full-time artist. Here's an account of what my first month entailed. My alarm sounded on the first morning of going solo and I was faced with a full day, week, month – lifetime – to fill with being an artist. It was a little daunting to say the least. Having given up full-time employment as a graphic designer, one of my biggest challenges is a lack of routine. For 18 years I had worked on weekly magazine publications that required a highly scheduled timetable to meet tight deadlines. I pretty much knew what each day would bring in terms of workload and had become so tuned to that schedule that at times…

Mike Barr is a Fellow of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts. He has won over 80 awards, including 17 first prizes. You can find more of Mike's work at www.mikebarrfineart.com Ideally, a painting judge will have an appreciation of all media and genres to give a balanced adjudication of a mixed body of work. Of course, they all have their own likes and dislikes, the same as anyone else. However, there are some universal things that they have in common. Paintings with a voice First, a judge looks for artists with a voice. By that, I don't mean they are trying to voice an opinion in paint, whether it be a political or social issue. I'm talking about a painting voice, a style – an individual way of…

Line & Wash in the Urban Landscape Neil Whitehead This addition to the growing range of literature on drawing and painting in towns is welcome due to its concentration on a medium that gets rather less attention. Line & wash is ideally suited to the urban landscape as it allows the hard edges of the built environment to be leavened with both colour infills and a broader brush application that add to the sense of drama, movement and hustle that pervades the populated city. Neil Whitehead provides a complete tutorial with examples and exercises that demonstrate techniques with pens, brushes and felt-tips. There are also good explanations of form, perspective and the way colour works in this context, with generous illustrations and concise captions. Urban art is growing in popularity…

Exhibitions LONDON Bankside Gallery 48 Hopton Street SE1. 020 7928 7521 banksidegallery.com Mini Picture Show; small works by members of the Royal Watercolour Society and Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, until January 26. Courtauld Gallery Somerset House WC2. 020 3947 7777 courtauld.ac.uk Monet and London: Views of the Thames; until January 19. Dulwich Picture Gallery Gallery Road SE21. 020 8693 5254 dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious; until May 26. Mall Galleries The Mall, SW1. 020 7930 6844 mallgalleries.org.uk Pastel Society; annual exhibition, January 22 to February 8. Royal Society of British Artists; February 26 to March 8. National Gallery Trafalgar Square WC2. 020 7747 2885 nationalgallery.org.uk Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers; until January 19. Discover Constable & The Hay Wain; until February 2. Parmigianino: The Vision of Saint Jerome; until March…

Jessica Trotman was born in 1970, and brought up in a small village next to the river Tavy in Tavistock, Devon. She was immersed in nature from a young age. She studied textile design at Falmouth and then at Winchester School of Art, graduating in 1992 with a BA Hons. She currently enjoys producing work for greetings cards and prints as well as paintings. Winner of The Artist prize at the Royal Watercolour Society Open Exhibition 2024, Jessica Trotman's inspiration comes from a love of nature and the garden. Her striking yet subtle designs have been exhibited regularly at the Chelsea Flower Show. She depicts the flowers she grows. 'I love peonies and irises. It definitely helps to have knowledge of the flowers you are painting. I walk every day…

Barry Herniman organises and tutors painting holidays and breaks at home and abroad. He is also available to give workshops, demonstrations and Zoom sessions to art groups and societies. His latest book, Sketching Outdoors is available to purchase at £14.99 with free postage. Visit barryherniman.com for details. To go on his mailing list for future events email: bazherrflick@gmail.com Barry's Cloverleaf Paintbox is available online at cloverleafpaintbox.com Over the years Derwent has always come up with some new and innovative art materials so I was excited to receive this bundle of new products to try out. In the following article I have put them to the test and have been rather pleased with the results. Chromaflow pencils are available in 150 colours, that layer and blend easily. Available individually and in…

Sarah Edmonds is the marketing manager for Pegasus Art, a freelance art marketing consultant and a watercolour painter. Sarah studied a short course at the Slade School of Fine Art followed by a degree in marketing and has worked in the industry ever since. sarahedmonds-marketing.com What do you know about Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn? You will know that he is the most celebrated Dutch painter of all time. You will also know that he painted The Night Watch, the colossal oil painting (3.6m×4.3m) famous for its dramatic use of light and shadow and the jewel in the crown of the Dutch Golden Age. You may not know, however, that Rembrandt (1606 – 1669) was a prolific portrait painter and printmaker, specifically self-portraits. He created approaching 100 works, including 40 paintings,…