Fanny Rush, born into a family of highly regarded artists and writers, is one of Britain’s leading portrait painters. Based in London she
works internationally.
Her portrait subjects include: -
• Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse, President of The Royal Society, London.
• Sir William Castell, Chairman of The Wellcome Trust, Executive Director of B.P. and of General Electric, USA.
• Sunil Mittal, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel Group, India.
• Lord Mervyn Davies, formerly UK Trade Minister and Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank.
• John Studzinski CBE, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Blackstone Group, New York.
• Oliver Stocken, Chairman of Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's and of The Natural History Museum, London.
• Praful Patel, Aviation Minister, India.
• Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman of HCC Group, India.
• GM Rao, Chairman of GM Rao Group, India.
• Kevin Ching, C.E.O. of Sotheby’s Asia, Hong Kong.
• Shane Warne, commissioned by MCC for the Long Room at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London.
Thoughts on Portraiture
I am passionate about my work and I always give it my all, it must have real substance and depth to ring true with a feeling of weight of limbs and of a skeleton beneath the flesh. I feel that my purpose is to interpret and represent my subject as the individual they are, not only with a spot-on facial likeness, but also to capture the ‘very person’ with the intrinsic gestures they make and the stances they hold which are enormously contributory to our recognizable individuality.
I have always had a deep love and understanding of humanity and I think it is this instinct that enables me able to capture individual personalities by exercising a very intense but un-wordy thought process as I paint. As I work, I feel as if the person is simply being given to me, as if I am being used as a tool in the same way that I am using my brushes and pallet.
Queen Mother sculpted in paper
by Peter Rush
It is from the example shown to me by my family that I have had the courage to follow my own path.
My father is Peter Rush whose paper parodies of politicians, royalty and English eccentrics are well known and whose landscape oil paintings are beautiful (peterrushart.co.uk). My mother, Caroline Lucas, makes very sensitive sculptures of animals in Raku ceramics (appledorecraftscompany.co.uk); my brother Joe Rush is the renowned Mutoid Waste sculptor, known mostly for his big shows of huge works at the Glastonbury Rock Festival and the Mount Fuji Rock Festival in Japan every year (joerush.com). While my grandmother was the writer Mary Norton, best known for her children’s classics 'The Borrowers', which won both of The Carnegie Medal and The Lewis Carol Shelf Award and 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' both of which were made into feature films.
Raku Hare by Caroline Lucas
Bird Sculpture in found metals
by Joe Rush
Mary Norton photographed
by Angus McBean
Mentors
Perhaps not having had any formal art training has stood me in good stead. I could have been too susceptible to influences as to who’s work I should be admiring and instead I have been free to make my own choices.
I love the painters who are governed by light…for me it is all about light, the way it falls, what it illuminates and how it throws back colour. If I have ever really studied anything I have studied light and colour and it was my experience of living in Brazil that taught me to be brave with it. Shape and balance are fundamentally important in my work and this aspect I leave entirely to the instinct of what feels right.
I adore Rembrandt; the pages of my Rembrandt books are stuck together with paint as I grab these books when painting to get some understanding of how the master saw it. I love the colours of flesh that Freud uses and knowing one or two of his subjects personally I am astounded by the way he captures them so acutely, the hidden part of them that would be impossible to describe. Degas is my favourite designer, I think we ‘see’ in a similar way. I can add Velazquez; Titian; Van Dyck; Whistler; Matisse; Picasso; Wyeth; Sargent; Sickert; Spear; Hambling; Schiele and loads more, but you get the picture.
"Portrait of the Artist" - Rembrant Van Rijn c1663
Technique
Works are made using oil paint on linen canvas.
Using big brushes, I work with wet paint directly onto wet paint, which makes the paint sit beautifully on itself.
Actual size detail from the portrait of Bill Cash MP
Portrait Procedure
Shane Warne and Fanny
in the Studio
The process is fun and undemanding for the portrait subject. These are substantial works and the painting of a portrait to this standard takes weeks or even months, so I take reference photographs and make drawings. Working from these, I require only two or three short live sittings with my subject to check that I am on track.
Link to a short film showing Michael Buerk's portrait in progress in the studio.
International Commissions
I love travelling and international commissions delight me. Often my international subjects are visiting London and we can do the one or two short sittings I require at my studio in Chelsea, or if they are not to be here, I roll up the portrait in progress and jump on a plane to do the sittings with the subject at their location. This works well.
Pricing
I am always delighted to discuss all aspects of my work, so please do not hesitate to ring me on my mobile +44 (0) 7973 326 508 for a chat.
The Old Laboratory Studios
Chelsea Gasworks, 2 Michael Road
London, SW6 2AD
Tel: +44 (0)207 610 6156
Mob: +44 (0)7973 326 508