How it all started…
With the 2020 coronavirus lockdown imposed and my previously-taken-for-granted freedom lost, I found myself at home with a partner deemed “highly vulnerable” to this mysterious new virus.
A letter from the government warned to “stay inside… and open a window if necessary”. So there we were, bound by four walls (albeit bedecked in classy Farrow & Ball tones). But what to do now?
My day job was to promote London and its culture, so I soon discovered the city’s world-class galleries were sharing virtual editions of current exhibitions and videos of previous blockbuster shows.
I’d missed David Hockney’s 2012 show A Bigger Picture, and 82 Portraits and 1 Still-Life from 2016 in person, so I chose the next best thing: culture from the couch. One Saturday morning I settled down to these incredible shows by one of my favourite artists.
Inspired, I hunted for paintbrushes and acrylics bought years before but never touched. Using photographs, I first painted memories of holidays – escapes that I could now only dream of – and then friends, family, cherished places and local spots. See my latest work.
As someone who suffers from depression, which is often bubbling under the surface, painting soon became key to my weekly routine. Grateful to still be in employment in this difficult period, I used painting as a tool to relax at weekends and to lose myself during evenings, a therapy of sorts to keep the black dog away in those worrying times.
A present of a field easel followed that Christmas, and with it came the world as my artistic oyster (after the latest round of stay-at-home restrictions were eased, obviously).
My inspiration is not just drawn from Hockney. I dig Doig, delight in Diebenkorn, go nuts for Nash (John), marvel at Munch and revel in Ravilious (who expertly painted my home county of East Sussex). But not forgetting emerging artists, who are flooding Instagram with their scroll-stopping works.
How it’s going…
In 2023, I entered my work “Still Stream At Furnace Wood” into the prestigious Jackson’s Painting Prize (now called Jackson’s Art Prize). After a rigorous selection process, I made the final shortlist of 71 entries, whittled down from more than 11,000 worldwide entrants – a mix of both professional and amateur artists.
My work was included alongside other finalists in the “Rising Artists” exhibition, held at Bankside Gallery in summer 2023.
Watch my interview from the exhibition.
What’s next?
I’m just at the start of my journey and will continue to learn and evolve. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your feedback.
Please get in touch if you want to commission a painting, buy my work or just want to find out more about the man behind the canvas.
JP Oakley 