THE WYKEHAM GALLERY
14th - 28th September 2024
Michael Alford | Peter Graham | Sophie Walbeoffe
OPENING DRINKS | Saturday 14th September | 12 – 2pm and
EVENING PRIVATE VIEW (sponsored by Aardvark Safaris)
Saturday 14th September | 6 – 8pm
You are more than welcome at either event
The exhibition runs from 14th – 28th September 2024
Monday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
All work can be viewed on our website under Exhibitions/Forthcoming. All work is for sale immediately.
High Street | Stockbridge | Hampshire | SO20 6HE 01264 810364 | enquiries@wykehamgallery.co.uk | www.wykehamgallery.co.uk
MICHAEL ALFORD
Michael Alford was born in Cookham, England and his earliest art training came from his father. As a young man he travelled extensively in South America and the Middle East, keeping detailed sketchbooks to record his experiences. This series of early drawings reveals a talent for the figurative depiction of cities, human figures, and natural scenes, the subjects that form the core of his work to this day.
Returning to the United Kingdom, Michael pursued studies at the Slade School and the Chelsea School of Art before launching a successful painting career. Known for his ability to blend classical technique with a sharp, modern sensibility, his work can be found in public and private collections around the world. He exhibits regularly in the United Kingdom as well as in the United States and continental Europe.
Michael has been awarded several prizes including the Green & Stone Oil Painting Prize, the Agnes Reeve Memorial Prize, the Prima Luce Mural prize and the ROIP’s Stanley Grimm prize. His work has been chosen many times for exhibition by the Royal Society of Oil Painters.
Michael’s body of work is varied, reflecting his interests in many aspects of life as well as his skill in a variety of media. He is best known for masterful cityscapes of contemporary urban centres such as London, New York and Barcelona. His paintings and drawings of people — men and women, clothed and nude — are highly sought-after for their combination of fine draughtsmanship, acute observation and sense of drama.
In 2011 Michael served as official War Artist to the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, accompanying them on their tour of Afghanistan. In 2013 he was appointed as the Official War Artist to 1 Mechanized Brigade, again in Helmand.
Michael Alford lives and works in London.
PETER GRAHAM
Born in 1959, Peter Graham studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1976-80. At first he became a film editor with the BBC and then, spurred on by the emergence of the new generation of Scottish artists, he started to paint professionally.
Well known as being one of Scotland’s most gifted and distinctive Modern Colourists, Peter’s work is highly personal, almost eccentric, for he uses rich greens, Mediterranean blues and fiery reds which are played off against each other in contrasts which bring dynamism to a remarkable maturity of style. His work is related to the Scottish School, but he has a flamboyant form which is very much his own. His broad wide brushwork combines with looser, more fluid strokes to give his paintings a strong design element, although working ‘en plein air’.
Colour has taken the dominant role for Peter as his work develops, and he has recently delved deeper into the still life genre, creating some of his most stunning compositions, still with colour the dominant theme. His painting seems effortless and intuitive, which is the key to his unique style, attempting subjects that other artists would shy away from.
Peter has exhibited widely, both in London and nationally and his work is held in numerous private and corporate collections worldwide. In 1990 he was British Council Artist in Residence at the Nan Yang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. From 1994 to 1996, Peter acted as Advisor for the Visual Arts to the Scottish Arts Council and in 1999 he won the Windsor and Newton Non Member Award at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. In 2000, Peter became a Full Member of the ROI and was subsequently elected a Member of the ROI Council, becoming Vice President from 2004 to 2005.
SOPHIE WALBEOFFE
Sophie Walbeoffe studied at the Wimbledon School of Art under the tutors Maggie Hambling and Prunella Clough. She is a British artist known for her vibrant and expressive paintings. She has travelled extensively, drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and landscapes.
Sophie’s work often captures the essence of the places she visits, whether it’s the bustling markets of the Middle East the vast Savannah’s of Kenya, or the scenic beauty of Italy. Her use of bold colors and dynamic compositions brings her subjects to life, creating a sense of movement and emotion in her pieces.
She has exhibited her work internationally, gaining recognition for her unique artistic style and ability to convey the spirit of her surroundings. Walbeoffe’s paintings are held in private collections around the world, and she continues to explore new horizons in her art, always seeking to capture the beauty and energy of the world around her.
Her next exhibition is in Toronto represented by the Rebecca Hossack gallery in October.
Sophie Walbeoffe
A Donkey’s walk through Shella Village, Lamu watercolour · 30 x 22 in.
Sophie Walbeoffe Peponi Hotel, Lamu Island watercolour · 22 x 30 in.
Kensington
24
The lion of Venice in St
Square watercolour on paper 22 x 30 in.
High Street | Stockbridge | Hampshire | SO20 6HE 01264 810364 | enquiries@wykehamgallery.co.uk www.wykehamgallery.co.uk