Innehållsförteckning för September 2025 från Artists & Illustrators

ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS Phone: +44 (0)1858 438789 Email: artists@subscriptions.co.uk Online: artistsandillustrators.co.uk Post: Artists & Illustrators, CDS Global, Tower House, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, LE16 9EF Manage your subscription: account.chelseamagazines.com Back issues: chelseamagazines.com/shop Annual subscriptionrRates: 13 issues a year UK/ROW:£78, Europe: €92, US: $105 BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! Our fabulous website for showcasing and selling your art GO TO BRITISHARTCLUB.CO.UK…

Editor’s pick… The work of acclaimed watercolour master, Alvaro Castagnet, is on display at the 56th annual exhibition of the Singapore Watercolour Society, the title of which, Colourful Splashes, could not be more appropriate for this flamboyant artist, whose work is a powerful interpretation of light and mood. "A painting only exists when you capture the deepest facet of the subject," he says. It’s on from 24-29 September at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. Alvaro is also on the judging panel for British Art Prize 2025. See his interview on page 36 about the competition and why you should enter! watercolour.org.sg/exhibition FRAGMENTS OF DEVOTION Explore an online exhibition showcasing medieval illuminated manuscript cuttings from the Barber Institute and the V&A. Curated by University of Birmingham students, it reveals the art,…

LUBAINA HIMID WITH MAGDA STAWARSKA Until 2 November 2025 A leading figure in the British Black Art movement, Lubaina Himid is known for her bold, narrative-driven canvases that amplify marginalised histories. In this new exhibition at Kettle’s Yard, she collaborates with artist Magda Stawarska to explore absence, memory, and the gaps in life stories – asking who gets remembered and who is left out. A powerful meditation on voice, visibility, and the politics of storytelling. Kettle’s Yard, Castle Street, Cambridge, CB3 0AQ, UK. kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk BIRDS: THE ART OF CORNWALL’S BIRDLIFE Until 4 October 2025 This exhibition explores the connection between Cornwall’s rich birdlife and its artistic heritage. Spanning works from the 1870s to the present, it features paintings by Charles Simpson, Frank Heath and Kurt Jackson, alongside Victorian engravings, taxidermy,…

SO MANY TALENTED ARTISTS were put off art at an early age, and Nisha Sehjpal is a prime example; she vividly remembers a high school teacher once telling her she had no business being anywhere near paints. “That stuck with me longer than I care to admit,” she says. “It convinced me that perhaps creativity was a gift only a few were born with – and I wasn’t one of them.” Having been dissuaded from pursuing a career in art, Nisha did an engineering degree and spent many years working in IT, which left her feeling unfulfilled and disconnected from herself. It wasn’t until 2014, during a trip to Paris, that something shifted. “I found myself inside Musée de l’Orangerie, surrounded by Monet’s Water Lilies,” she remembers. “Sitting there, I…

BACK IN 2014, I EMBARKED ON A CREATIVE JOURNEY, taking some introductory classes on Prismacolor pencols and also charcoal. However, life happened, and I found myself taking a hiatus from serious drawing until 2020. Consequently, my artwork has resulted in personal trial and error. I share this to provide context, as my approach might seem a little unconventional. For me, the most challenging part of the creative process is always the genesis of an idea. Once inspiration strikes though, I cannot rest until I’ve translated it onto paper. This particular piece is my interpretation of the quintessential summer flavour: the classic Pimm’s. I chose to primarily celebrate the garnishes, as they elevate the Pimm’s experience and deserve their moment in the spotlight. There’s something about this lively and colourful piece…

…die hard watercolourist, a pastel enthusiast or an avid fan of acrylic, but you’re curious about mixing it up and trying something new. You’ve come to the right place. As well as a tantalising array of subjects – including holiday scenes, landscapes, still life, pets and flowers – we have artists working in pretty much every medium who share their guidance, ideas and techniques to help you on your way. Inspired by her father’s beekeeping hobby, Emily Ponsonby uses the wax from the bees with her oil paintings to create textures through scraping and carving; the effect is truly unique. In exhibition news, we see how Jean-François Millet dabbled in oil and chalk whilst German artist Anselm Kiefer (a van Gogh devotee) uses everything from emulsion, oil, ash, acrylic, gold…

26 AUGUST Prizes of up to £1,000 for the London Group Open, to be held at the Copeland Gallery. Entries in any medium from UK-based artists over 18. thelondongroup.com 31 AUGUST Submissions invited from contemporary artists working in all mediums to the Hunt Museum Open Submission Exhibition 2025, held in Limerick. €15 entry. huntmuseum.com 1 SEPTEMBER Submit representational or abstract art depicting natural scenery and landforms to Landscapes 2025, run by Fusion Art. Open to international artists, $25 entry. fushionartps.com 15 SEPTEMBER 2025 Enter the Ingram Prize, a leading award for emerging UK artists with mentoring, acquisitions as well as solo exhibition opportunities. ingramcollection.com…

THIS DRAWING WAS A COMMISSION I did of a tabby that I decided to name “curious cat” because of the look on its face. I really liked the contrast and all the details, such as the fur, that make the drawing quite realistic. The eyes appealed to me too, being very interesting to draw with different shades of grey. I also liked the fact that the shadow underneath it makes the cat stand out more, against the contrast of the white fur. This was one of my older commissions, a bit different to my style today, where I draw people in scenes in the city, usually in public spaces, interested by the interaction amongst the people. However, this is a great drawing to start with before going onto portraits of…

RUTH RYDER Ruthie’s vibrant ink, watercolour and digital illustrations blend colour, nostalgia and charm. With a unique eye for detail, she captures the beauty of architecture and buildings nestled within the rhythm of everyday life. Her work celebrates the places and the stories that cities quietly tell. CRAIG ALLAN LEE ARSMA Craig is an oil painter drawn to British coastal scenes, landscapes, cityscapes and the stories within. Elected an Associate Member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, he’s exhibited alongside the Royal Institute of Oil Painters for the past eight years at Mall Galleries. KATIE JACOBSEN Originally from Australia’s Whitsundays and now residing in Southern California, Katie is a self-taught artist with only a few rudimentary classes under her belt. Fuelled by a zest for life and global exploration,…

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JEAN-FRANÇOIS MILLET ONCE SAID, “I am a peasant amongst peasants.” It summarised the French painter’s empathy with rural communities working on the land. They became the subjects of his remarkable drawings and paintings produced in the region of Normandy and the Barbizon near Paris, in mid 19th-century France. Millet depicted the rural peasant poor, the agricultural labourers, the sowers and gleaners, the woodcutters and faggot gatherers. He portrayed the female young and old workers, shepherdesses and goose-girls, milkmaids and the water-drawers at wells. Predominantly his subjects were workers who went unnoticed – seen perhaps across fields or on a country lane – until featured in Millet’s low-key perceptive observation of how some of the poorest people in France existed, on the land. 2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the death…

Standing beneath its grand glass roof, with the light filtering through ironwork that’s stood for over a century, you can’t help but feel the wonder – of time. Built 125 years ago, the arcade is more than just a beautiful Victorian building in Southport. It’s a living memory. Generations have passed through its doors – shoppers, dreamers, lovers, locals, travellers – each leaving behind something unseen but deeply felt. As an artist with a studio inside the arcade, I experience that magic daily. Walking in each morning, I’m always struck by the same thought: how many others have walked this path before me? It’s not nostalgia, exactly. It’s something deeper; a sense of belonging to a buiulding that remembers. That’s what inspired me to illustrate it – to honour its…