Nick Botting British, b. 1963
Nick Botting studied History of Art at the University of Kent before taking up landscape and portrait painting. He has built a hugely successful a career focused on en plein air painting. He has exhibited widely across the world and can often be seen at major sporting events whether that be cricket, football or horse racing, resulting in his most popular pieces. Full of action and spontaneity that those events, by nature, possess.
Over the years Nick has been collected widely, including but not limited to FA Headquarters, London, Lord's Museum at MCC, Melbourne Cricket Ground and Hatfield House. He painted prominent figures such as Ian Hislop and was regularly Shortlisted for the BP Portrait Prize in the National Portrait Gallery.
Nick has an instinctive ability to capture in paint the atmosphere of his subject, from the bars and theatres of London, to the beaches of Norfolk. Direct experience and careful observation are important themes throughout his work. He makes a point of painting directly from the subject rather than depending on references, for this establishes a spontaneity and sense of genuine experience that is often lost in the studio.
Artist Statement
"I work almost entirely from life rather than photos, preferring to spend as much time with the subject as I can. If I am painting a wood I will take my canvas to the wood for as many days as it takes to complete, and as a result I will feel better the sense of the place. I like the rawness and spontaneity that comes with this way of working. When I paint in bars and restaurants, I try wherever possible to take the same approach - I draw a lot and try to catch peoples' individual qualities, and better still, the way in which they interact as groups."
