Page 2 | Artist Interviews

Artists

Read artist interviews featuring some of the most exciting established and emerging figures in the art world. Our conversations with contemporary artists get to the heart of what makes them tick, exploring the development of their style, their inspirations and the stories behind their recent work. Discover our artist interviews to get to know the people whose works that you can browse and buy in our online store.

Our top artist interviews

One of our most popular recent interviews was a talk with Nelson Makamo, a South African painter and winner of 2018’s Rise Art Prize known for his expressive portraits. Our conversation with Kelvin Okafor, who creates intricate photorealistic pencil portraits, dove into his unique fusion of the technical and the conceptual. You may also enjoy our interview with Fred Ingrams, in which he discusses both his technical process and what drew him to start painting the Fens.

Interviews you won’t want to miss

Among our contemporary artist interviews, you will find our Q&A with Philip Vaughan, author of the landmark 48ft-tall Light Tower which graced the London skyline from 1972 to 2008. You can read about the machinations and motivations driving rising star Anna Sofie Jesperson. Our interview with Mark Chadwick may also be of interest, where the colour master shines a light on the inspiration behind his vibrant abstract paintings.

5 Artists on the Rise

Rise Art’s mission is to share the stories and perspectives of outstanding artists with the world. All of the artists on our global roster have been hand-selected by our team of Curators, based on their commitment to their practice and the quality of their work. Below you can discover five new artists to the platform, each of whom are engaged in questioning and changing our perceptions.

By Cécile Martet | 24 Aug 2023

db Waterman: Beauty From Decay

Dutch artist db Waterman uses a variety of techniques and materials to create fictive settings that are woven together by nostalgic melancholy. Juxtaposing these landscapes with figures emanating positivity and hope makes for puzzling layers with a story that is both yours and hers to tell.

By Cécile Martet | 22 Aug 2023

Marleen Pauwels: leaning into quiet

“My focus is on silence and solitude,” Marleen Pauwels tells me with a luminescent smile. This is not usually the expression that comes with discussing solitude, I point out, as Pauwels presents me with one of her signature elongated figures, alone in a secluded scene of what can only be described, at first glance, as emptiness.

By Sophie Heatley | 08 Aug 2023

Daniel Freaker: Fantastical, Relatable, Material

I’m particularly drawn to evocative spaces, landscapes and architecture where the space somehow echoes a human experience,” he tells me of the settings he chooses for his paintings. He sometimes places characters or signs of human activity against these backgrounds, suggesting that they might be the settings for untold stories, but not always. Sometimes the infrastructure itself is enough to capture the viewer’s imagination.

By Phin Jennings | 24 Jul 2023

“It becomes timeless”: Dave White’s category-defying animal portraits

By committing to capturing his subject faithfully, deferring the questions and claims about art that so many others are preoccupied with, he allows himself to develop constantly as an artist. “I’m just trying to make beautiful things,” he tells me, “and I see beauty in everything.”

By Phin Jennings | 11 Jul 2023

Interview with Viet Ha Tran: Photographing Dreamscape

"I try to draw pictures of my own inner dreams, feelings and intimacy, or reflect these emotions onto my photographs of landscapes and nature."

By Rise Art | 30 Jun 2023

“Try to look steadily”: experiencing oxymoron with Patrick Hughes

I visited Hughes’ Shoreditch studio on a sunny June afternoon. I am there to see some new paintings that distil the Reverspective idea into singular objects. “I’m making new shapes,” he tells me as he ascends the stairs from the basement, striking a series of poses with arms and legs outstretched...

By Phin Jennings | 29 Jun 2023