Two renowned Royal Society of Portrait Painters' member artists, Frances Bell & Andrew Festing, talk about early careers struggles, portrait commissions, challenging sitting sessions, the benefits of painting from life, paintings techniques and much more.

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• About Frances Bell:
Winner of the 2021 William Lock Portrait Prize, Frances was born in Cambridge, England in 1983. Because she has a prime interest in figurative classical style she left England to pursue a classical training in Florence at Charles. H. Cecil Studios in 2001. Her training was for three years but she continued her association with the school by teaching there each year in the summer term from 2005 to 2011.

Frances has participated in many exhibitions including The Not the Turner Prize exhibition, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Society of Women Artists, the BP Portrait Award, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, where she has shown from 2005. And in numerous exhibitions by invitation. In 2009 and 2013 Frances had a solo shows in Bonhams Edinburgh.

• About Andrew Festing:
Festing was born in 1941 he educated at Ampleforth College and RMA Sandhurst. He was commissioned into The Rifle Brigade where he served until 1969.

Festing worked at Sotheby’s in 1969 and was head of the British Pictures Department from 1977-1981, where he became Sotheby’s chief expert for British Pictures, with and extensive knowledge of portrait painting over the last 400 years. He painted many portraits whilst in the army and at Sotheby’s, and took up full time portrait painting in 1981.

Festing became a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (RP) in 1989 and was President from 2002-2008. He was awarded a MBE in 2007 for services to the arts, and holds an Honorary Degree from Northumbria University (2010).

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Filmed by: Phil Wilkinson
Interview by: Frances Bell
Features: Andrew Festing
Follow us: @royalsocietyportraitpainters