Michael Alford (artist)

Michael Alford (born 15 September 1958 in Cookham, Berkshire, England) is a British figurative painter whose work includes landscapes, cityscapes, figures, portraits, nudes and murals.[1]

Michael Alford in his London studio

Biography

Alford was born in Cookham, England, and grew up in England and Germany. He attended the Dragon School and later Rugby School. His first art training came from his father, an officer in the Royal Engineers, who taught him how to draw in perspective at an early age. After a period in the Royal Marines, he attended Durham University (St John's College) where he took a degree in Spanish and Arabic.[2][3] Later he traveled extensively in South America and the Middle East, documenting his trips in a series of detailed sketchbooks. He received further art training at the Slade and Chelsea schools of art before beginning his career as a muralist and fine arts painter, exhibiting widely in the UK, the US and Europe. Michael Alford lives in London but travels widely seeking new subjects.

Career

Alford exhibits work in group and solo shows in galleries including Wimbledon Fine Arts[4];Panter and Hall Galleries;[5] Chloe Gallery, San Francisco,[6] Mall Galleries with the Royal Institute of Oil Painters[7] and Duncan Campbell Fine Art.[8]

Alford has been an official War Artist to the British Military on three occasions. In 2010 he accompanied the Grenadier Guards to Afghanistan where he created a series of watercolors based on his experience in the field. He donated the collection to the Colonel's Fund, the Grenadier Guards' charity for wounded Guards, their families, and the families of Guards killed in action[9] His painting, Patrol at Pan Kalay Police Station, 2016, was acquired by the National Army Museum.[10]

Alford's works are in corporate holdings including Berkeley Square Gallery; Hill & Knowlton; Sheraton Hotel, Amsterdam; Claridges; and Trust House Forte.[2]

Michael was a council member of the Chelsea Art Society from 2011 to 2017.[11] In 2017 he was a semi-finalist in Sky Arts Landscape artist of the year.[12]

He is the recipient of the ROI Stanley Grimm Prize (2016),[13] the Agnes Reeve Memorial Prize (2000) and the Primaluce International Trompe L'Oeil Festival Third Place Prize (2003).[2]

References
  1. Artists in Britain Since 1945, Volume Artists "A", David Buckman, Sansome and Co. London, 2006
  2. David Buckman, "Alford, Michael", Artists in Britain Since 1945, Vol. "Artists A", page 27. Goldmark Gallery Archived 2013-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Results of Final Examinations held in June 1980". Durham University Gazette. 25: 38. 1981. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  4. Wimbledon Fine Art Artist Page
  5. Panter and Hall
  6. Chloe Gallery Artists Page
  7. ROI
  8. Michael Alford: War Paint, and interview with Michael Alford by Tony Kane, Wimbledon Time & Leisure Magazine, 26 December 2012
  9. The Colonel's Fund website
  10. National Army Museum Collections
  11. Chelsea Art Society Webpage
  12. Landscape Artist of the Year Webpage.
  13. "ROI Prizewinners". Royal Institute of Oil Painters.
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