Grant Wood’s 1930 masterpiece American Gothic is one of the most famous – and debated – images in American art. Depending on who you ask, it is either an affectionate tribute to Midwestern grit or a quiet satire of provincial narrow-mindedness. Wood himself maintained that it was meant as an homage to…
A recent piece in The Guardian has been playing, like an old cassette tape on loop. It explores something unsettling: a quiet erosion of imagination, especially in childhood. Not through lack of time, but through over-structure. Over-feed. Over-control. A world where even daydreaming feels like it’s been optimised out. It made me think…
A contemporary British Artist, George Shaw paints bleak views of the UK… George is a realist painter who’s not afraid to paint the real UK, rather than the tourist advert – he said that he gets perturbed by people who have meaningful epiphanies in expensive places – who go to India, Goa,…
Johannes Vermeer painted this iconic painting in 1665, almost 400 years ago, and yet it remains an iconoclastic image of modernity – adorning everything from lunch boxes to tea towels. What was it that grabbed me about this specific painting? This painting is so intimate. It grabs you from the moment you…
Pete “The Street” Brown, is a local legend and national treasure. He paints plein air all year round and is so prolific it blows my small mind – probably 3-5 paintings a week. Rain, wind, snow and sun – nothing deters Peter from getting out onto the streets and painting. His usual…
Sometimes in life you get genuine moments where you have to pinch yourself and ask, “is this really happening?!”. For me, this was definitely the case on Thursday 9th May 2024, a day that I’ll never forget and one that I will eternally be grateful for. From the moment I arrived and…
On June 20th 2023 I had one of the best experiences of my life at Hever Castle, Kent. I was a contestant (a Wildcard) Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year – my favourite TV show! I arrived early in the day (we had to be there for 7am) and there was…
Mark’s work is, put simply, f*cking cool! This painting in particular has so much attitude and an edgy narrative that gives you the middle finger. What was it that grabbed me? Mark’s paintings take you to your youth and that time in life when you partied the night away. Bare in mind…
What’s great about the art world is how accessible it is. Artists aren’t stuffy, or aloof (well a couple are). They share a passion for art, so are often really accommodating to people interested in their art and approach Sally Hastings is someone I came across on Reddit and subsequently Instagram. She’s…
In 1993 I visited Paris with my school art class. We had the (unrealised at the time) privilege of visiting many of the art museums in the city. We saw Monets, Van Goghs, Da Vincis, and more, but the painting that made me go “wow”, was a painting by an artist who…
