Inhoudsopgave van June 2026 - Leisure Painter

Growing up surrounded by the wildlife of rural Devon, Annie Drew developed an instinctive bond with the natural world long before she called herself an artist. Today, that connection sits at the heart of her work - paintings that feel both intimate and powerful, where every detail serves a greater sense of presence. Working primarily from photography but guided by intuition, she captures animals not in action, but in a fleeting pause, a moment of awareness that invites the viewer in. In this interview, she reflects on her process, the balance between artistic passion and practicality, and why realism, for her, is less about perfection and more about truth What first drew you to painting animals, and how has that interest evolved over the course of your artistic career? I…

Mistake 1: Fur direction and length Here’s our ‘mistake kitty’. He’s drawn with 5 pencils. Can you already see the mistakes? Real fur doesn’t grow randomly or in regimented rows. It flows over the body, often radiating from the eyes or nose and sweeping up over the head. Drawing fur with the correct fur-length as well as including those subtle changes in direction helps us describe the ‘form’ of the animal more accurately. By drawing fur that’s going in the wrong direction, or many directions, you lose that natural flow, and your drawing can look flat and cartoony, especially if you’re also pressing too hard, without building layers. Fix Before you start drawing, study the reference and ensure you can see and understand the fur directions and different fur lengths…

Rebecca Grant’s artistic career began after a life-changing event at 16, when she survived a near-fatal asthma attack and coma. Encouraged by her mother, she entered a national competition for The Prince’s Trust. “I channelled my perspective on 21st Century Britain into a ‘yellow brick road’ painting that captured the chaotic pace of modern life,” she recalls. Winning the Young Artist Award, which was presented by King Charles III, was a significant milestone: “I was honoured with The Young Artist Award by our current king and spent an unforgettable evening exhibiting my work alongside then-Prince Charles.” “Every new painting is ‘curtain up’ – and who knows how the show will go today?” Following this early success, Rebecca explored Technical Illustration and then Cubism, inspired by works she’d seen in her…

Rowena Comrie was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex and trained in Fine Art at Reading University, graduating with honours in 1982. The painting school at Reading was in the hands of Sir Terry Frost until 1981, and her abstract aesthetic has its roots in his department. She came to Scotland and Aberdeen in 1988 and moved to Glasgow in 2009 and now works from Glasgow studios. She has exhibited widely across the UK. Her last major exhibition was in 2024 at Inverness Creative Academy. Injecting energy into a piece with her very speedy mark making, Rowena Comrie is reliant upon spontaneity and chance. Her emotional input is the strongest force, and this can be unpredictable. With large expanses of spiritually uplifting colour, impact is intensified by the relationships made between shapes,…

After painting outside - absorbed in bracing wind and shifting skies - returning to the studio can feel like entering a kind of void. The world feels narrower in comparison, yet this space with its easel and tabletop stage embodies its own vastness. In the arrangement of a few chosen objects, a drama reveals itself: light, shadow, silence, memory. Where the landscape opens outward, the still life turns inward. But both are acts of presence. I don’t always see still life as merely an exercise in observation. It has often felt, to me, like a way of listening. You sit with an object long enough, and it begins to tell you things, not in words, but in weight, reflection, posture. The still life is not still at all. It is…

The project launches with a giant 40 square metre recreation of Henri Rousseau’s electrifying jungle scene, Surprised! (Tiger in a Tropical Storm, 1891). Located on Jamestown Road in Camden, London – a site with 1.8 million monthly footfall and just a stone’s throw from London Zoo – it will be the first in a series of striking, large-scale murals set to appear in towns and cities nationwide. Spanning more than 700 years of painting, works from across the Gallery’s collection will be reimagined at extraordinary scale, bringing timeless masterpieces out of Trafalgar Square and into the public realm. By placing these paintings in new contexts, the project forges fresh connections between people and paintings. Created by Global Street Art’s team of contemporary artists, the murals celebrate a powerful dialogue between…

At the heart of Joy Jewell’s art is a deep appreciation for the emotional bond between people and their pets. Joy has built a distinctive practice around creating exquisitely detailed, digital hand-drawn portraits that capture not just the likeness of each animal, but their personality and spirit. Working primarily from client photographs, she transforms cherished memories into timeless works of art, often commissioned as meaningful gifts or memorial pieces. With a focus on craftsmanship, storytelling, and connection, Joy’s work elevates pet portraiture into something far more intimate, a lasting tribute to the animals who shape our lives. Congrats on your win! What drew you to the Sketch for Survival initiative specifically? When I entered Sketch for Survival it had been about 10 months since I first started drawing again and…

There’s an immediacy to Sarah paintings. Her animals don’t just look back at you - they meet you, with eyes that feel alive and compositions that pulse with energy. Blending realism with spontaneous splashes of colour and intricate, almost subconscious pattern, her paintings, created using acrylic ink, soft body and acrylic gouache, strike a rare balance between control and freedom. In this interview, she shares how she captures that connection, the role of instinct in her process, and why sometimes the most powerful creative decision is to let go. Your animal paintings are instantly recognisable vibrant, energetic and full of personality. How would you describe your signature style to someone who hasn’t seen your work before? This is a great question, and one I think about often! Bold and expressive…

James McNeill Whistler Tate Britain, London, 21 May to 27 September 2026 This summer, Tate Britain presents the largest retrospective of James McNeill Whistler in three decades, bringing together 150 works across painting, drawing, printmaking and design. Spanning his career, the exhibition explores his experimental approach, from early studies and iconic portraits to atmospheric nocturnes and radical interiors. Reconstructing his studio and showcasing rarely seen sketchbooks, it reveals Whistler as a pioneering, cosmopolitan artist whose innovations challenged Victorian society and anticipated modern art and redefined aesthetic harmony through colour, line, and mood. Visit tate.org.uk for more information. LAST CHANCE Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse National Gallery, London, until 31 May 26 Step into the world of George Stubbs, the visionary British painter and marvel at his monumental portrait of a…

Coastal scenery offers the landscape painter a wide range of very different and challenging subject matter. British artists have always been attracted to painting the coast as illustrated by the numerous works, by noted painters, throughout our history. Painters such as Turner, Constable and more recently Edward Seago, Edward Wesson, David Curtis and Trevor Chamberlain continue to paint coastal scenery of the highest quality. We are fortunate in the UK to have an extremely diverse coastline, from the relatively flat beaches and creeks of the south-east to the dramatic, rocky coastlines and secluded beaches of Cornwall and Scotland. When travelling overseas the choice of subject matter is drastically expanded, offering more exotic locations, different light effects and different weather conditions, the possibilities are almost endless. Beaches, in particular, have always…

Tate shares plans for first garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show Tate has announced the full details of its first show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The Tate Britain Garden will present a bold new vision for how art, nature and community interact. Designed by nine-time RHS Chelsea gold medal winner Tom Stuart-Smith, the garden will highlight the role of museums in providing public spaces where contemplation and relaxation go hand in hand with creativity and learning. Art on the rise More than 4.2 million people experienced the National Gallery in person in 2025, with 4,213,845 total visits across all locations. Of these, 4,147,544 visits were to Trafalgar Square, a 29% increase from 3.2 million in 2024. Exhibitions drew 872,662 visits, while the new Roden Centre welcomed 81,299,…

I’m always looking for something a little different and I love the colours that you can see in the fur of animals. For this piece I will be painting my foxy Labrador, Luca. When working from a photograph, it’s better to try to take it in natural light. Flash photography tends to lose the shadows and doesn’t make for a good, finished painting. I like to first of all break my subject into light and dark shapes. If you need a little confidence with your image, draw with pencil or pastel first - I’ve used a sharpie here so you can see my drawing. I’ve also manipulated the image to create a black and white version. This will help to show the tones more clearly. Demonstration You will need Surface:…

While I have enjoyed being self-employed since 1992, which has given me a freedom that suits my independent nature, the downside is that from time-to-time, I do miss the built-in social structure, daily camaraderie and banter of working alongside others. This is why many artists, including myself, join clubs, societies and pleinair groups, to meet like-minded people and gain a sense of belonging within the art community. I must have been about 16 years of age when I joined my first art society, the Nottingham Society of Artists (NSA), who were founded in 1880 and whose past presidents include Sir Arnesby Brown, Harold Knight, Arthur Spooner and Edward Seago. I was encouraged to join by my dad, Michael O’Brien who had joined at the age of 15, back in 1953,…

Artist Charlotte Strawbridge’s work is rooted in a quiet, contemplative engagement with the natural world. Known for her expressive oil paintings of British wildlife, she captures animals not simply as subjects, but as presences - imbued with character, stillness, and a subtle sense of emotion. Her intuitive approach, shaped by close observation and a deepening personal connection to nature, allows each piece to feel both grounded and atmospheric. In this interview, Charlotte, daughter of TV presenter Dick Strawbridge and bee advocate and author Brigit Strawbridge, reflects on how animals became central to her practice, her evolving techniques and the balance she strikes between realism and expression. From palette knife textures to the importance of capturing a gaze, she offers insight into a process that is as much about feeling as…