ABOUT VALERIY Valeriy Gridnev was born in Russia (the Urals) in 1956. 1976-1980 – graduated from Sverdlovsk Art College. 1983-1990 – studied at the St Petersburg Academy of Arts 1990 – Gridnev’s graduation project, an oil painting “The Early Years” won a prestigious prize: The Gold Medal of the USSR Academy of Art. 1990-1994 -…
ABOUT RICHARD Richard Foster was born in 1945 and brought up in Norfolk. He was educated at Harrow School, Studio Simi and the British Institute in Florence, Trinity College Oxford and the City and Guilds of London Art School; not forgetting the influence of his friends and contemporaries! He has been a Member of the…
ABOUT SAM Sam was educated at Harrogate College of Arts and Technology, and Cleveland College of Art and Design. Sam has exhibited in the 2003 BP Portrait Award, was shortlisted for the Bulldog Bursary in 2009, and has exhibited with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters since 2010. Sam was elected as a Member of…
ABOUT SAIED DAI Saied Dai is Persian by birth, born in Tehran in 1958 and came to England at the age of six. He began his seven years of art training at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design and shortly after was awarded a place at the Royal Academy of Arts where he…
ABOUT ANTHONY Anthony Connolly, President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, trained at Goldsmiths. He has work in many public and private collections including the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, West Point Military Academy; and Rhodes House and Campion Hall, both in Oxford. Anthony is also an experienced teacher and runs occasional drawing and…
ABOUT DAVID David has been drawing and painting since early childhood. He trained at Northampton and Liverpool Schools of Art before spending almost 10 years studying and working in Japan. In 1989 he was shortlisted for the BP Portrait Award and elected a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 1997, serving as…
ABOUT DAVID David Caldwell was born in Helensburgh in the West of Scotland in 1977. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art (1994-98) and the Royal Drawing School (2003-05). He has won several awards and residencies for painting including the prestigious Bulldog Bursary from the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and The Founder’s Purchase…
ABOUT PAUL Born in 1952, I spent most of my childhood growing up in a village in the Kent countryside. Drawing was part of my life from a very early age so it was no surprise that I eventually found myself at Camberwell Art School and life as I now know it really began. I…
ABOUT JANE After a 2-year Foundation Course at St. Martin’s School of Art, Jane became an assistant to Edward Delaney, a well known scenic artist. She painted on black cloths for everything from Grand Opera to Bertram Mills’ circus! She continued working in the theatre, finally becoming a designer for Opera, Film, Theatre and Television…
ABOUT ALASTAIR Alastair has been painting portraits since the mid 1990’s and has established a strong reputation internationally as a commissioned portrait artist. His natural and unassuming approach to portraiture has earned him many high-profile commissions including from the National Portrait Gallery to paint Tony Blair for their Primary Collection. After becoming a member of the…
