Angie Spencer

Angie was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire in 1959 and now lives and has her studio in Stroud. Her paintings explore the beauty of the landscape, and she has a particular love of painting the moving water in rivers, as well as trees and woodland. She works mostly in oils ‘en plein air’. If work is developed in the studio, it always begins with plein air drawings rather than with photographs. Painting is, for her, a dialogue with Nature.

“I find that there is no substitute for direct observation, and rather like the romantic painters and the impressionists I find that I paint best when I am immersed in the landscape which I am painting. There are colours and subtleties in nature that are difficult to imagine in the studio. The direct effects of light and atmosphere can only ever be hinted at in a painting but there is much more chance of capturing it if one is carefully observing it from life.”

Angie prides herself on her technical ability and, perhaps because she is also a classical violinist and Leader of the Stroud Symphony Orchestra, she knows the benefit of solid technique and repeated disciplined practice. To paint something which is convincing as well as emotionally appealing it is important to have a good skill set, and it makes the painting process much easier! Angie has benefitted from residential residencies at the Old Parcels Office, Scarborough, Cill Rialaig Arts Centre in Co. Kerry and at Hawkwood College in Stroud. These fully funded residencies give an artist an opportunity to fully immerse in their practice with no day-to-day distractions and Angie has used them to progress areas of painting which needed concentrated problem solving.

Angie has a BA in Fine Art from the University of Gloucestershire, and her work has been exhibited at Hadfield Fine Art and Little Buckland Gallery. As Angie draws all her inspiration from nature, she always donates 10% of her sales of originals to charities which help protect the environment. A full list is available on her website.