The Face of Homelesssness (Kings Road) finds a new home

The Face of Homelessness at the ROI.


The Face of Homelessness (Kings Road) found a new home last year! It's always great when someone comes along and really falls in love with an artwork and also decides to buy it! Now, that's exactly what happened at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition in December last year. The standards were very very high, I got one painting in, and I was so happy that before the Private View had even kicked off at 3.30pm on the day, a lovely lady came to tap me on the back and simply said, "I am excited to buy your painting, can you come over and take a picture when I put the red dot on it!"-That was a great feeling, also it was the second work to sell at the Exhibition which was very successful!



And the Red Dot is placed....

Later on after Carole had picked up the painting from the Mall Galleries she invited me for a get together with 20 of her friends and we all had a nice evening unveiling the painting, while I also introduced the guy I painted and how I came about sketching and painting him. It was a marvelous evening. It's the third time in my life as an artist that I've got the chance to actually see the new home where my painting would be living for a long while. Most of the time these works are purchased off the gallery wall and that's it-never to be seen again! But this was a night with a difference, thanks Carole!



Adebanji and Carole with Painting at the Mall Galleries.



Adebanji, the sketch and the painting at it's new home



Adebanji with Carole and the painting at it's new home

SPECIAL QUOTE
"A worker or painter should enjoy his work, else the observer will not enjoy it"-Robert Henri, The Art Spirit

Sketches on the tube, train and bus in January II

These are more sketches that I have made on public transport! Going around, almost like a hunter, the sketcher never misses an opportunity to catch a good shot! If it was possible to sketch with ones eyes, I would give it go, because sometimes I see a face that I can't resist sketching but I either cannot reach out for my sketchbook or probably forgotten my pen-it's painful!





















SPECIAL QUOTE
"MY MOTTO IS:All drawing is good, to draw everything better"-Adolf Von Menzel

Rain, Rain and Rush Hour, 24" x 20", Oil on Canvas, 2011(Plus Competition)

Rain, Rain and Rush Hour, 24" x 20", Oil on Canvas, 2011 SOLD

This is one of many paintings I did last year, which I am yet to post. This particular piece has two of my favourite subjects combined-Rain and Rush Hour! Viewing these scenes are almost magical to me, all my senses start ticking and I'm really on edge to get the right shot with my camera- I need an umbrella in one hand and my camera in the other. I can take up to hundreds of shots, just to end up with one that will suit the kind of painting idea I have in mind. Then I bring the picture back to the studio and paint it with the spirit of the scene in mind!

COMPETITION
The First person to know the exact spot of this painting in London, gets a Nice New Years Prize! The prize is not mentioned, you have to trust me to give out something good. Mr Adebanji always has surprises up his sleeves and is willing to post to anywhere in the world! The only rule is that you cannot post the answer twice, you have only one attempt and that's it! Good luck and hope you enjoy! Once the winner emerges-I'll congratulate them on the comments section and announce their prize too! Past winners of my competitions can win again, it's free to all!

SPECIAL QUOTE
"I like to use my imagination when I paint-While the stimulus of painting en plein air is very exciting, I don't want to be a slave to the landscape. I enjoy using a variety of references, be they photographs, sketches or quick oil studies done outdoors, and working them up to larger pieces in my studio."-Peter Wileman from his book, "Painting Light in Oils"

Sketches on the Train, Bus and Tube in January I

These are some back load of sketches from last year which I haven't posted-they show everything I feel when I observe people everyday. I could catch a sleeping man three times, if he keeps changing the pose! I simply love it! I could catch a lady putting on make-up in a rush on the train-this says a lot about London life! Someone could be right there, staring at me and I'll take it on, full and bold-they'll ask if they can have a look and I'll smile and say , Yes!! Then I watch their reactions, always a mixture of shock and excitement! London is the place to be! Hope you enjoy!
















SPECIAL QUOTE
"The sketch is, by everyone's admission, extraordinarily clever and characteristic: it is of course mere dabs and blurs and considerably caricatured, but certainly more like me than I expected anything could(be)"-Veron Lee, in a letter to her mother on Sargent's 3 hour painting of her.

The Spirit of Sketching on Public Transport in London (1999-2011)

This is me and my 6 year old son , Josh! He seems to have seen the value in sketching and on a family trip, my wife took this picture in the heat of the moment as we were sketching a sleeping man opposite us!



This is my first post in the new year! I am using this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful and prosperous new year! To kick off, I'll like to take you on a ride of 13 sketches from 13 different sketchbooks that I have used since 1999. Each sketch is done in a different year from 1999-2011. I have always loved to draw! But sketching became more of a passionate thing for me while in College in Nigeria. I discovered a book on "Sketching by Alywn Crawshaw" with one of my friends at College in 1993 and I haven't looked back ever since then! My passion for sketching on Public Transport also got fired up while in College at Heatherleys when Jeff Stultiens (My Tutor) advised us to take the life model on a trip round The Circle Line, and sketch her. I have loads of sketchbooks that have helped me improve my hand and eye coordination and has also made me see life and people in a totally new way, and this happens everyday, when I start on fresh page of paper in my sketchbook.


1999- 14th of May


2000-19th of March



2001-11th of January



2002-22nd of April



2003- 16th of June



2004- 30th of Novemeber



2005-21st of January



2006-4th of February



2007-10th of January



2008-29th of June



2009-13th of August



2010-23rd of February



2011-10th of October


SPECIAL QUOTE
If you are looking for a good new years resolution as an artist-THIS IS IT-SKETCH SOMETHING FROM LIFE EVERYDAY!
Don't get discouraged or think about the accuracy when you start, JUST DO IT! Do it for fun, do it to past time, do it to understand what interests you, do it to have a record of your progress and moreover just do it because it's the secret to getting better at drawing! Now, get that pad and give it a go!-Adebanji Alade