Lewis Hazelwood-Horner
GrowingupinahouseofcreativesmeantLewiswas
raised to share his parents’ passion for art. Being a
shychild,hefoundsolaceandconfidenceinart,an
enthusiasmwhichspurredhimontoenrollattheLondon
Atelier of Representational Art (LARA). Here, he developed
hisdrawingskillsandlearntthesight-sizemethodwhich
wastobecomeanintegralpartofhispractice.
Lewis’performanceatLARAearnedhimaninvitation
from the New Generation Festival to capture their four-day
operagalaviaaseriesoflivepaintings.Tobegivenfree
rangetoexplorethefestivalwasadreamcometruefor
theartist,whogrewupplayingtheviolinandsofeelsa
closeaffinitywithorchestrasandclassicalmusic.
In this painting,Garden Gathering,weseetheinterval
ofDon Giovanniin the gardens of the Corsini Palace.
The artist was drawn to the energy of the audience whose
conversationswereemotionallychargedbywhattheyhad
justwitnessed.Lookingbackattheimagenow,Lewissees
similarities with Édouard Manet’s 1862 paintingMusic in
the Tuileries Gardens,thoughheadmitsthiswasn’ta
conscious influence at the time.
Lewispreferstoworkfromlife,withmanyofhispaintings
being themed around pubs where he finds the hive of
activityandenergyoftheroomfeedsintohiswork.Healso
takesinspirationfromJanSteenpaintingsandhasakeen
interest in Velázquez’s drinking scenes. As a self-confessed
sticklerfordetail,helikestoimmersehimselffullyina
scene and become very familiar with his subjects before
beginningapiece.Hestartsbymakinggraphitesketches
before moving on to oil studies made in-situ. Then, if
possible,hehasthemodelsvisithisstudioforsittingsor
otherwise works from photos. He uses hog hair brushes,
reserving synthetic ones for finer detail, and mostly works
inOldHollandandMichaelHardingpaints.
LARA runs full-time and part-time courses, as well as evening
and weekend courses, in drawing and painting in London and
Bristol. Each year, one LARA alumni is invited to act as artist in
residencefortheNewGenerationFestival.Ifyouwouldlikea
chance to take part, visit http://www.drawpaintsculpt.com >Fresh
Paint
Inspiring new artworks, straight off the easel
LEFT Garden
Gathering, oil
on canvas,
109x130cmLEWIS’s
top tiPUse hog hair brushes
to create larger, more
expressive strokes
and turn to synthetic
brushes for detail