About Page
Welcome to Sophie Huddlestone’s full Artist website. A Leicestershire artist specialising in watercolours and expanding into oil paintings and mixed media.
introduction
Painting really is my true passion
Artist Sophie: An interest in art began at 11 years of age with unusual drawing themes that were not your typical house, tree and rainbow. Embarrassed by these artworks they were bottled away and instead a path was journeyed towards contemporary animals and flower paintings. Happily creating and selling over 1,300 original paintings worldwide from 2011 to early 2018 as Artist Sophie Appleton. In March 2018 I decided to open up that bottle and include the unusual paintings, plus changing to my married name of Sophie Huddlestone. Paintings signed with Sophie H or SH.
I paint when ever possible between looking after the kids, dogs, fish and Hubby, and it’s usually in that order. Painting helps with my health and is a career suited to my dyslexia and Irlen syndrome. I’m very thankful to all the lovely customers that have made it possible for me to paint for a living and hope you will continue with me on the journey towards portraiture.
“If the unspoken rules of how a painting should look were contained in a bottle, then I’m going to shake it, twist the lid, and let creativity burst out of my swirly brain regardless of the consequences” Artist Sophie Huddlestone.
Watercolours: whimsical animal paintings are a pleasure to paint, and I hope they make you smile too. In the past couple of years I have noticed that the market is saturated with brightly coloured animals unlike my beginnings almost a decade ago.
Secret Smile: Look very closely at the contemporary animal and flower paintings eventually you may find a small smile face :-) mixed in among all the swirls of the pen work. It is only a couple of mm in size.
Oil Paintings: My first set of oil paints arrived in the post in April 2018. Being used to watercolours it was a bit like painting with butter. This first oil painting looked quite traditional until you notice the UFO under the tree branches. Each painting has at least six months of drying time before it can be varnished and up for sale.
Portraits: Inspired by watching ‘Sky Arts Portrait Artist Of The Year’ programs in 2018 I decided to have a go at painting portraits. I have not had any training in portraiture, the challenge of improving and adding narratives has become a blissful obsession. It would be my dream career to paint people for a living as it combines my love of psychology with painting. Sometimes the pigments in the paint itself creates the narratives while sploshing it on, almost like how you see shapes in the clouds, other times I plan the reason behind the portrait. Hopefully creating conversations and encourage curiosity as the act of questioning helps to keep a mind healthy.
Composite Art: The fine art style (weird looking) artworks and portraits. My current interests and narratives are based on the complexity of hidden human emotions and adding messages within the art, or adding aspects which will be very different in hundreds of years to come. If a painting speaks to you and draws you in for a longer gaze, perhaps your subconscious has already deciphered a connection with it.
Artists app: called ‘Swirly Soph Art‘ available for free on the App Store and Google Play. It is for displaying my NEW ART feed for the new & returning customers, plus bargains, competitions, live chat, app users art etc.
Social media: please do pop onto my social media and join in with a chin wag.