If you know my work you know I love to draw and paint people. For me, the big appeal in making portraits is the story they tell without actually telling a story. I’m always drawn to the faces in galleries, museums & books and try to work out what they’re thinking, to catch the light or darkness, the emotions, in their eyes.
For this weeks inspiration post I’ld like to introduce you to Gill Button (1973), a painter and illustrator based in London. I first saw her work on Instagram and it was love at first sight.
Her work – oil paintings, ink & watercolour drawings – are done in a playful and bold way. The magic is seen in every stroke, every painterly decision. The paintings with big strokes feel sleek, fluid, and effortless. Tightly cropped, the compositions pull the viewer up close and personal. They are at once confrontational and cool, intimate and vulnerable. Most of the characters are looking right at you, demanding you engage with them.
Gill has been commisioned by numerous high profile clients including Gucci, Vogue, Tatler, Vanity Fair, British Airways, Royal Mail and the United Nations.
In 2016 fashion designer Dries Van Noten saw her work on Instagram and asked her to make a series of paintings portraying Marchesa Luisa Casati to present in his showroom. After this series she hand-painted 1,200 invitations for his Fall 2016 show.
This year she did two projects with De Bijenkorf in Amsterdam: a campaign called “The Art of Overdressing” for the spring summer collections, which is a series of colourful oil paintings that will adorn their window displays etc. In March and April, De Bijenkorf also exhibited and sold a series of ink pieces she created based on Mata Hari during her artist’s residency.
If you like what you see, follow Gill on Instagram, allowing your pupils to be fed with beauty. :)
X, Kathleen.
All images © Gill Button
