Artists & Illustrators

…about being part of the thriving art world and the September issue of Artists & Illustrators showcases many of them, whether we are introducing you to professional artists and their paintings or giving advice on how to improve your own artwork. As he turns 50, Adebanji Alade, The One Show’s Artist in Residence, shares with us five significant paintings of his career to date. We also catch up with Tom Croft, the artist behind the Portraits for the NHS Heroes movement. He talks about his love of painting portraits whilst showing us his rather unusual paint palette; I don’t think you will have seen one like it! We also speak to two very different, yet equally talented, artists about their art practise. Rory Hancock works with oils to create his realist artwork…

ADEBANJI ALADE A portrait, figurative and landscape painter, Adebanji is also the Vice President of The Royal Institute of Oil Painters. Along with being The One Show’s Artist in Residence, he teaches at the Heatherley School of Fine Art and the Art Academy. He also takes part in talks and demonstration workshops. PENEL KIRK In the 1980s, Penel studied fashion and textiles at St Martins School of Art, then worked as a textile designer. As a fine artist, she hopes her work will help to highlight the plight of thousands of species endangered through poaching, climate change, and the destruction of their habitats. TOM CROFT Tom is a portrait painter from Oxford who initiated Portraits for NHS Heroes. He has produced paintings for a wide range of clients, from Manchester United to Tinie Tempah. Tom…

Suzanne Cooper was a rising star of British Modernism in the 1930s, but with the advent of WW2 she abandoned her artistic ambitions. In recent years her enchanting work has been rediscovered and a new book showcases 50 of her paintings, drawings and sketches, in which she depicts the oddity and charm of life through lively seaside and street scenes. Suzanne Cooper: Paintings From Under The Spare-room Bed by Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Jenny Uglow and Andrew Stewart, £35, The Mainstone Press themainstonepress.com…

Like everything in life, art has constantly reinvented itself and artists throughout the centuries have sought new and unique ways of expressing themselves. But what does the immediate future hold for the art world? According to the world-renowned Eden Gallery, based in Manhattan, here are the Top Ten Art Trends to look out for in 2022: 1 Virtual Art Events – these have become more sophisticated and can reach larger global audiences. 2 3D Motion Graphic Design – technology lets us enjoy more art at home and artists are using it to create digital outdoor exhibits. 3 Crypto Art – last year saw record-breaking sales and increased awareness of NFTs. 4 Street Art – it’s been around for years, but has never been more accessible. 5 Art Outdoors – There’s a broad trend to take…

9 SEPTEMBER Oil artists are invited to submit to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition to be held at the Mall Galleries in November. Mallgalleries.org.uk.call-for-entries 10 SEPTEMBER The Doncaster-based gallery, D31, is inviting entries in any medium for its autumn exhibition. What's more, it's free to enter. D31artgallery.com/autumn-exhibition 18 SEPTEMBER If you’re within five years of graduation, the Ingram Prize is calling for submissions from contemporary artists. Up to two works in any media, free to enter. Ingramprize.artopps.co.uk 30 SEPTEMBER Top prize money totalling € 80,000 is on offer for this annual international art prize from the Luxembourg-based Pinacotheque Museum. Luxembourgartprize.com…

…the chance to show off your eye for detail. The National Brain Appeal is inviting artists to create an artwork on an envelope, as part of A Letter in Mind. This is the NBA’s fundraising exhibition, where all entries will be displayed at an exhibition at Gallery Different in London’s Fitzrovia, in November. In recent years, the exhibition has featured artworks donated by Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin, Sir Antony Gormley and Olafur Eliasson. Sisters Ishbel and Morag Myerscough are regular contributors, as are Chantal Joffe and Mark Entwisle. All entries will be priced at £85 and displayed anonymously from 3rd-6th November, previewing on 2nd November. The identity of the artist is revealed at the end of the exhibition, once the artwork has sold, and proceeds will fund projects at The National Hospital…