Do you know what a portrait is? A portrait is a photo, painting or statue of a person made by an artist. We're going to learn about a famous portrait painter called Neil Shawcross. Neil Shawcross is a painter who was born in Lancashire in England in 1940. He studied at art school in Lancaster.
He used to go on holiday in Northern Ireland. He liked it so much that in 1962 he decided to move over to teach at the Belfast College of Art.
Neil is best known for his paintings of people. He likes to paint people that he thinks are interesting and unusual. He has painted famous people like the Northern Irish poet Seamus Heaney, and he has also painted ordinary people like shopkeepers.
He uses big brush strokes painting at arm's length. He always paints his portraits on a white background, so when we look at them we can focus on the person he's painting.
Neil paints in a loose way. He makes marks on the canvas that show what he feels when he looks at the person rather than trying to paint something that looks realistic.
He likes people to step back and view his paintings from the same distance he painted at, so they can see his point of view! His portraits are very big. Some can be eight foot tall!
Neil has a wall in his studio that is piled high with packaging for food and drink products. He is fascinated with objects and well-designed items like phones, typewriters, or stools. He even paints bottles of tomato sauce and fizzy drinks! In this way, Neil's art is great at helping us see beauty in everyday objects.
Image source, Courtesy of National Museums NI, Ulster Museums CollectionsFacts about Neil Shawcross
Neil is a painter who was born in Lancashire in England on the 15th March 1940.
He moved to Belfast to teach in Belfast School of Art in 1962 and retired in 2004.
Although he still visits Lancashire to see family, he very much sees Northern Ireland as his home.
Image source, Courtesy of National Museums NI, Ulster Museums Collections
Image source, Courtesy of National Museums NI, Ulster Museums CollectionsPortrait painting
Neil is mainly a portrait artist and paints large full-length portraits. A portrait is a painting of a person.
When he is painting Neil stands at arm’s length from the blank canvas and loosely makes marks.
He never paints a background as he feels this will take away from the personality of the person that he is painting.
Useful tools used by painters
Mark making
Neil is really inspired by children and loves to work with them.
Primary children have helped him to develop his style of making marks and being free with the brush.
Neil believes children shouldn't copy other peoples work or try to be neat when making use of the brush.
Instead, he encourages them to be free, to have fun, to play and to splash around with paint!
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