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With his vivid Grand Prix studies, James Stevens has become a true master of portraits, even when the star subject is limited to a pair of eyes peering out from a full-face helmet. Visitors to his sta

There is that brief moment, each time we approach a blank canvas or a fresh page in our sketchbook, when things go quiet and we feel a pause. The bustle of thought softens, the hand hovering over the

Most paintings are based on an idea which is reduced to a pattern of lines, filled in with colours. Each element is dependent on the others, but because we see the real world in colour, the pigments w

The transient effect of mist is a challenge to paint. This wonderful and atmospheric light effect has inspired artists for years and I’m no exception. I spend a lot of time in many different landscape

During my recent visit to London, a sudden downpour completely transformed the energy of Piccadilly Circus. While others hurried for cover, I stood mesmerised by how the rain softened the city’s sharp

Nothing is as joyful or as transformative as paint, says Joa Studholme, the creative genius behind some of Farrow & Ball’s most cherished colours. From a scarlet door to a bedroom dunked in a soothing oatmeal shade, the Colour Curator reveals how she turns a lick of paint into a ‘moment’