Lucille Smithson Art

LONDON, United Kingdom — On a warm Thursday evening in June, I packed my art bag, kissed the family goodbye, and headed to the Hampstead School of Art. I was so excited I almost ran to my destination. I was about to paint alongside the British artist Tim Benson. Tim is a superb painter and his method of building the form transformed how I work from life. Getting to paint with him and watch him work, even briefly, is a privilege. And then there was our model for the evening Su

Artist Clara Drummond standing with her painting 'Girl in a Liberty Dress'. Winner of the BP Portrait Award 2016 LONDON, United Kingdom - After what must have been a nail biting few weeks for the three shortlisted artists, last night Clara Drummond was announced winner of the BP Portrait Award 2016. According to the National Portrait Gallery, 'The judges, including artist Jenny Saville and writer Alan Hollinghurst, were impressed by the portrait's skilful execution and it's s

Girl in a Liberty Dress by Clara Drummond (c) Clara Drummond. Shortlisted for the BP Portrait Award 2016 As a writer I spend a lot of time gathering information and waiting. Waiting to hear back from people, verifying facts, ensuring I have rights for the images I want to use, and then organising all of this into something that will hopefully read as an interesting and cohesive article. Plus if I am writing for a publication, I have an editor who dictates the word count and