About Page
About Sophie Huddlestone
Sophie Huddlestone is based in a village called Burbage, Leicestershire and enjoys painting daily in her art studio as a full time artist. Sophie has over a decade of experience painting pet commissions and is only just beginning to branch out into abstract portraits and contemporary landscapes. This artist’s newly evolving direction is certainly one to keep your eye on. Being fortunate enough to have dyslexic thinking (dyslexia and irlen syndrome) there are plenty of creative ideas bursting into fruition.
Sky Arts Landscape Artist Of The Year Television Show
In June 2023 Sophie went to Liverpool to be filmed for the next series of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of The Year television show, it will be aired in Jan / Feb 2024 (on everyone’s TV on channel 11 / Sky Arts channel). New to landscape painting it was a wonderful opportunity to experience painting outside, and great fun including the giant blown up octopus into the painting. Thousands applied all over England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland so it was a real achievement to be included as one of the 50 wildcard painters.
Where To Buy:
Current available paintings, in a variety of sizes and prices, are on Sophie’s gallery blog at swirlysoph.com Buy them online, or call into her art studio to buy in person (at a discounted price).
Some artworks are displayed in Sophie’s art studio window in Burbage, near to Love Lane, take a look the next time you are passing by.
Being An Artist
Beginnings
An interest in art began at eleven years of age with complex themes that were not your typical house, tree and rainbow. Sophie was in ore of Salvador Dali and would daydream in his pictures for hours. A career that started from sixfootsophie beginnings as a single unemployed mum with dyslexia read more …….
Painting Is Oxygen
Creating paintings is like a deep breath of oxygen for the soul. For over a decade Sophie has had an endless fascination with painting, the patterns that form in each individual artwork never cease to amaze her.
Read about Sophie’s painting career from 2011 to the present day read more …….
Techniques
The paintings page has a few examples of painting techniques explored, including watercolour texture paste.
Portraits
Portraits are developed from spontaneous painting techniques with textural patterns created in the portrait and abstract elements.
Portraits are painted in oil paints, watercolours or mixed media. More examples are on the portraits page.
Portraits on Sky TV
In April 2020 Sky Arts ‘Portrait Artist Of The Week’ television show became live during the lock down. Thousands worldwide join in each week painting the celebrity sitter on line from their own homes, selecting some to be shown in the following episode.
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Sophie was thrilled when she spotted her portrait painting of Rankin which had been selected as one of the portraits to be displayed on the floating wall gallery of Sky Arts Portrait Artist Of The Week, Series one episode three with Robert Rinder.
Then again, Sophie’s portrait painting of Noel Fielding and also a pen sketch was displayed on the floating wall gallery of Sky Arts Portrait Artist Of The Week. Series one episode six with Clare Balding.
Celebrity Pet Commissions
Above is a painting Sophie created of ‘Reggie’ a dog belonging to Matt Goss (from the U.K. music band Bross). View the original post on Sophie’s @creativemrsh Instagram and view the comment from Matt Goss.
Pet Commissions
Below are four examples of the pet commission painting process, a more careful and slower painting technique is used when creating pet portraits. It is always a joy capturing the personality with each individual brush stroke.
Get Your Bespoke Commission Painting Started
Contact Sophie
Sophie tends to switch off her phone while working, please send a text or leave a message.
Text or Phone: 07932 606867
All other contact methods are on the contact page.
Celebrity Portrait Commission
Sophie often paints animal, bird and flower commissions but was a little nervous when asked to create her first portrait commission in March 2019.
It was for Russell Osman – he acted in the film Escape to Victory, Indian Super league football expert, TV Co-commentator, former footballer for England etc. The finished commission portrait can be viewed on his Instagram @russosman and his Twitter @RussellOs5
Given free rein to create the portrait with any theme Sophie decided to combine his past film as the background, the England colours in the shirt he wore for the film and painting him as he looks today, plus some of her signature style swirly patterns. To her relief he thought it was wonderful.
Google Arts And Culture
Google Arts and Culture – Paintings in Hospitals
The commission portrait painting above is an NHS oil portrait which Sophie created as part of the wonderful initiative instigated by Tom Croft. It is a portrait of ‘Hayley ICU nurse’ which was then selected to be included in the permanent record of ‘Portraits for NHS Heroes’ which is an online exhibition by Google Arts & Culture with Paintings in Hospitals.
Artist Authentication
Each artwork will include a certificate of authenticity, which can remain along with the painting for generations to come
Soph’s Social Media
@creativemrsh
/SwirlySophArt
Facebook page ‘Artist Sophie Appleton Huddlestone’ with Facebook messenger @SwirlySophArt
@CreativeMrsH
Sophie Huddlestone is now on TikTok as @swirlysoph
Keep the comments coming on social media, otherwise Sophie’s next post will not show up in your feed !!!
Bio
Sophie Huddlestone specializes in watercolour, oil and mixed media paintings. The majority of collectors being from the U.S. and U.K. Having a decade of experience painting pet portraits Sophie is only just beginning to branch out into portraits and landscapes.
From school years having a degree with honors for industrial ceramics (Staffordshire University) and working with Wedgwood as a student, Sophie went on to sell pattern designs to Staffordshire Tableware. It was when she won the university’s Stuttgart surface pattern competition that the love and enthusiasm for creating swirly artworks took over the ceramics. Focusing on family life painting was on hold until her mid 30’s. The blue tinted glasses that Sophie wears are for Irlen Syndrome and dyslexia which was diagnosed in her late 30’s
Past exhibitions from 2011 were at galleries in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire until 2013 when having her second child the online sites became more convenient with child care. Currently Sophie’s whimsical animal artworks remain on display in all the corridors of Vision House in Leicestershire.
Sophie has created paintings for a few well known celebrities such as Matt Goss (from music band Bross), Author Lynda Page and England Footballer / sports commentator Russell Osman, Graham Rowntree former England Rugby union player and coach.
In 2020 during the lock down a couple of Sophie’s portraits were on the floating gallery wall on Sky Arts portrait artist of the week television show among other talented artists portraits.
August 2020 Sophie’s NHS commissioned Portrait of Hayley ICU Nurse was selected for the ‘Portraits for NHS Heroes’ online exhibition by Google Arts & Culture with Paintings in Hospitals. A permanent historical record via paintings.
2023 With her children growing up fast Sophie now has less demands from family life and is looking into returning to galleries. Sophie is also gaining the confidence to apply for a variety of Art competitions (such as the Sky Arts Artist of The Year and the Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize).
March 2023 Sophie became a member of ‘The Hinckley & District Society of Arts’.
April 29th to July 8th 2023 exhibition. Sophie won a ‘highly commended’ award and also came 3rd in the peoples choice (a public vote from all the gallery visitors), for a self portrait painting called “Dyslexic thinking, Irlen syndrome glasses” which was exhibited in the Ten2 gallery in Leicestershire as part of the “My Special Item” exhibition’. A photograph of this painting is at the top of this Bio section.
2024 Jan/Feb Sophie will be on the television program ‘Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the year” series 9, plein air landscape painting at Liverpool with 50 wildcard artists and an inflatable pink octopus!
In loving memory of my dad
Above is a kingfisher watercolour which I painted in a more realistic style. I painted it as an early birthday gift for my dad Norman Appleton. He inspired me to paint and draw from such a young age and I will always treasure memories of his eyes lighting up when seeing my paintings (he sadly passed away mid March 2020 with cancer, just as the corona virus made changes to society’s way of living).
Thanks for viewing the about page.