Some four years ago shop-owner Adrian Hill turned 40 and, like many celebrating a milestone birthday, questioned what he wanted to do next. The answer presented itself one evening while watching television. ‘I saw an episode of Sky Portrait Artist of the Year and thought: I can do that! Surely it’s easy to paint a portrait.’
What’s Around the Corner?, oil on canvas, 271⁄2x231⁄2in. (70x60cm) winner of the Leisure Painter Award in our TALP Open 2018
Unsurprisingly, he struggled in his early attempts at portraiture and turned to painting cityscapes around his hometown of Pontefract. They proved successful, but Adrian didn’t gain a lot of pleasure from the process. ‘I love painting portraits,’ he says. ‘They are the most natural subjects for me to paint.’