Following recent elections at the ROI AGM we have the great pleasure to announce the following new full members of the ROI:

• Amanda Coleman ROI
• Benjamin Hope ROI

We are also delighted that we have four newly elected Associate members.

• Frances Bell AROI
• Tom Marsh AROI
• Adam Ralston AROI
• Sarah Spackman AROI

Well done to all!

Amanda Coleman ROI

‘I am absolutely thrilled to become a full member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. My paintings are as much about the application of oil paint and the purpose of every brush mark as they are about the subject, so to be part of a society producing such varied, beautiful paintings with a common thread of painterly curiosity and a bursting enthusiasm for oil paint is very special indeed. I am really looking forward to painting alongside other Members and Friends of the ROI.

 

A massive thank you to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters for the continued support and encouragement. It is such wonderful news.’

Benjamin Hope ROI

This year marked a decade since Benjamin became a full-time painter. In that time he has been committed to working directly from the subject, whether it’s outdoors or in the studio.

‘Nothing matches working in this way in terms of achieving fast and reactive marks that capture what it feels like to be with the subject. As I said when I became an associate, artists from the ROI have been an inspiration to me ever since childhood so I feel very honoured and delighted to be elected a full member’.

Frances Bell AROI

‘The themes of my work largely revolve around what I observe in life and find captivating, ranging from formal portraits to farm life and landscapes of many kinds. The main nugget of interest is often a transcendent moment of atmosphere, whether the light over a field, or the tilt of a head. I think I attempt to pursue what seems to convey most about our environment and human nature in the simple subjects that surround us.

I’m delighted to have been elected to be an AROI, as it’s always been a society that has appealed to me, with its breadth of interest and varied styles. I very much look forward to partaking in the society going forward.’

Tom Marsh AROI

‘My name is Tom Marsh, I’m a Sussex based plein-air artist drawn to my local landscape, London and the coast. I chase the light and this is typically the starting point for my compositions.

My medium is oil, my parents gave me my first oil colour set aged seven and I have never looked back. I am delighted to discover that I have been elected an associate member to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.

Painting on the whole is a fairly solitary existence so it’s a heart warming to receive the ultimate vote from your peers and painting heroes. Thank you to the members of the ROI and I very much look forward to being part of the Society and it’s events’

Adam Ralston AROI

‘It’s very exciting to be made an associate member of the ROI. I always thought my painting style and subject matter might’ve been a bit too quirky, and not traditional enough to be accepted. It’s reassuring to know, and great to see all the different ways it’s members use oil paint. I remember the first time I entered work for their annual exhibition in 2015, and they all got rejected. Annoying as it was at the time, it fired me up and I was determined to try again. I entered the following year and was fortunate to get 3 accepted and won an award! I’d say my enthusiasm for oil paint and painting from life comes from my foundation years at Blackpool art college. A memorable place and a great time for me, learning how to see and paint. I very much lost my way after that doing bar work, labouring and gardening jobs whilst spending too much time playing guitar! So it wasn’t a straight forward journey on the way to being an artist, but I couldn’t stop thinking about wanting to paint again. That opportunity came about 10 years ago when I slowly dropped everything, and got back into it. I’ve now been a full time painter since 2014. I look forward to being involved in the society, and continuing to learn from it’s varied and highly talented members.’

Sarah Spackman AROI