Christabel Blackburn (b.1986)

Christabel Blackburn (b.1986)

Then and Now

Signed verso

Oil on panel

30 x 40cm

Christabel Blackburn is an artist who studies and specialises in the human form. After finishing her degree in Classics at Newcastle University she learnt portraiture in Italy. Embracing this traditional foundation in drawing and sculpting techniques, she completed a further two years at the London Atelier of Representational Art.

Influenced by Edward Hopper's realism, photography by Philip-Lorca diCorcia as well David Hockney's architectural traits, Christabel's work has evolved dramatically over the last ten years. Her strong sense of observation has enabled her to refine her technique, paring down detail yet still capturing the very essence of people in their environments and the symbiosis between the two.

Be it a lone figure in a gallery or a child in an urban park, the stillness she portrays in her everyday scenes draws the viewer in and like photography, holds you in that moment in time. The intimacy she creates pulls you closer, giving you a greater sense of the people in the picture, their thoughts and their feelings.

The simplicity of her work often conveys the loneliness and anonymity felt in a crowded city as well as challenging the impact of mental health caused by this digital age. Christabel's scenes transcend the everyday; they are stories about society and how we live our lives.

Christabel won Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2020.