The Cost Of Hope in the Art World
In 2024, the creative industries contributed an estimated £145.8 billion to the UK’s GVA, with the arts subsector accounting for £11.4 billion. Yet much of that value doesn’t arise from straightforward art sales; it also reflects the many services artists are encouraged to purchase in pursuit of visibility, validation, and eventual sales. Artists are not usually the […]
Exhibition News
Five of the concrete head studies, featured in my ‘Sculpture’ gallery on this site, https://www.deborahstanhope.uk/portfolio/sculpture/ can be seen in the ‘Form’ exhibition at the Cupola Gallery, Sheffield. Details below: Cupola Gallery 178 Middlewood Road, HillsboroughSheffield S6 1TD UK Open Monday to Saturday 10 – 6 As with all my work these small, concrete head studies are […]
From the diary: A (VERY) PRIVATE VIEW
Artists are often photographed in their studios, and many of them look fairly normal in their spaces. Alas, not so for me. Consequently, I have put a moratorium on photographs of me in the studio during the winter. I work in a good-sized studio in a draughty barn. I love this room, with its views […]
Beyond the Myth: What It Really Means To Be An Artist
Amongst the questions artists hear on repeat are these: what made you decide to be an artist, what is your routine, and who are your influences. ‘Being an artist’ is very different to the daily business of making art and being deeply involved in sustained practice and process. ‘Being an artist’ comes with set of […]
Reflections on Life Drawing III: Naked or Nude?
While washing my hands in the model’s makeshift “changing room” (really just the toilet), she walked in and started getting dressed. I quickly apologised, saying I’d be out in a moment. Just as she was about to step into her polka-dot knickers, she burst out laughing: “I always find it funny when artists apologise for […]
‘Mark Making’: Art-world Jargon?
I’m with a group of artists looking at a piece of poor-quality artwork that is being critiqued. Someone adds their penn’orth, commenting enthusiastically on the “mark making.” I sigh inwardly – here we go again. This is a classic example of baffling art-speak, used by the sometimes clueless to sound knowledgeable. It’s a phrase I […]
Artistic Influences
Artists are frequently asked about the influences shaping their work. While understanding these influences can enrich the appreciation of an artist’s creations, it may also limit interpretation by anchoring it to specific references. Artistic inspiration is rarely singular; it emerges from a confluence of experiences, ideas, research and impressions. These influences often operate subtly during […]
Camille Claudel: The Unsung Brilliance of A French Sculptor
In the annals of art history, few stories are as compelling and tragic as that of Camille Claudel. A brilliant French sculptor whose talent was largely overlooked during her lifetime, Claudel’s journey is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by women artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a woman in […]
Reflections on Life Drawing II
Actors are taught that a person’s back view speaks volumes. I believe it’s the same for artists, so can’t understand when drawing students complain about the boredom of getting the back view of the model. But it’s not a simple view to draw. What does the back say about the front of the figure, what […]
Reflections on Life Drawing
Life drawing is a difficult skill to learn. Many artists avoid it and when I was at college in the 90’s it was often considered by students as old fashioned and stuffy. Maybe it was because life drawing requires practice and can feel exposing. It is a process of enquiry, taking years of practice to […]
