This is about some of the artists whose paintings are included in the BP Portrait Award Exhibition which opened to the public today at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The purpose of this post is to provide
- an insight into the age, education and experience of the artist and something of the story behind the painting. Not all artists are experienced and/or professional - a number are enthusiastic amateurs, others are starting out on their careers and some have been working as portrait painters for some time.
- an idea of the size of portraits selected for the exhibition - by including the portrait painter next to their painting!
You can see all the paintings selected for the exhibition online on
the webpage dedicated to the BP Portrait Award Exhibitors
You can see them all in person while they are being displayed at the following venues during 2018/19:
NEXT! My next blog post will include a video interview with the winner of the BP Portrait Award 2018
Artists with their Paintings
The artists whose photographs are included below are most of those present at the Press View yesterday morning - who had their label on view!
(I tend to assume you are staff if you don't have a visible label.)
My photographs are some of the fastest portraits I create each year given the time available to meet, greet and take a photo and learn something of their painting!
The painters in this post are from Europe and the USA with the following countries being represented: England, Scotland, France, Germany, Poland and the USA although interestingly the artists include two artists born in Italy and one born in Australia!
I'm still trying to work out how come Brighton University got so many of its graduates into this year's exhibition - starting with the winner!
You can read more about the artists selected for the exhibition in
Selected Artists and statistics - BP Portrait Award 2018
The photographs of the main prizewinners with their portraits are contained in
Miriam Escofet wins BP Portrait Award 2018
UK and Europe
UK - England
Alastair Adams b.1969
 |
Bruce Robinson, Writer and Director
oil on board
© Alastair Adam | |
Alastair Adams is a Past President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (the youngest in the history of the RP). He was previously selected for this exhibition in 1995.
He studied at Hugh Baird College, Bootle and Leicester Polytechnic and started painting portraits in the mid 90s and became a member of the RP in 2002. He now works as a full time professional portrait painter working to commission rather than exhibitions e.g.
Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to paint a portrait of Tony Blair. His work is held in numerous collections and has been seen in the exhibitions of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters(1996 - 2018).
His portrait is of Bruce Robinson, an English director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed the loosely autobiographical cult classic '
Withnail and I' and wrote the screenplay for The Killing Fields. Adams met Robinson at an event in 2017 to mark the 30th anniversary of the release of his film
Withnail and I and asked if he would sit for a portrait. The sittings to make initial studies and reference photographs took place over two days at Robinson’s home.
Oliver Bedeman (b.1985)
 |
Tom Bedeman
reverse oil on glass
© Oliver Bedeman |
Oliver Bedeman is a figurative painter who is
based in Oxfordshire. He has previously been selected for The Threadneedle Prize in 2016 and
2018.
He graduated from Brighton University in 2007 with a degree in Fine Art Painting. He then did the Postgraduate Drawing Year at the Royal Drawing School (where he won the Lady Rothermere Award) and the following year (2007-8) he was then the Artist-in-Residence, Royal Drawing School.
The portrait is of the artist’s brother, Tom - and
he works in REVERSE in oil on GLASS! Oliver says:
‘Tom is my older brother and I have sought to capture our relationship: ever evolving and complicated. The technique of reverse oil painting on glass means you have to work in reverse, beginning with the highlights and eyelashes. The oil dries quickly on glass, so the face has to be painted in one sitting and with only small adjustments later'
In October, he has a solo exhibition"
Silhouettes" at The Fine Art Society, London.
[Note: The little known technique Oliver used for his painting is also called Reverse Glass Painting (also known as Verre Églomisé or 'Hinterglasmalerei'. The shadow is created by the paint on the glass and the gap between the glass and the backboard. The painting is also affected by the colour of the glass]
by Pamela Robertson and Philip Long.
