Bruce Atherton

My name is Bruce Atherton and I’m a highly experienced artist, specialized in several fields. My primary practice has always been that of being a fine artist. Along the way, I have worked in many artistic sectors and covered a lot of ground technically. I did a Foundation course at St Martins, but I came out realizing that I would have to find my own way to what I was seeking. For several years, I was working as a commercial artist, specifically in advertising and illustration. It was here that I began working with an airbrush, and consequently making airbrush paintings for many large brand clients.In my mid-twenties, I took the bold step of leaving London and heading off to Rome to dedicate myself to my fine art. I won a place at the advanced life painting school in Rome, La Scuola Libera del Nudo, where I worked from life models 6 hours a day, 4 days a week for 2 years. I then went on to set up my own life drawing group, which I ran for a couple of years. During that period, my paintings and my skills began to develop greatly. In all, I spent a decade in Rome and during that time I achieved several very important milestones. I began collaborating with high-end galleries and exhibiting internationally, and I won international recognition.The most incredible thing that happened to me was when I came to the attention of the Vatican, through a portrait commission I had undertaken of an Italian minister. They asked me if I would be interested in painting official portraits of dignitaries and Saints. I, of course, agreed and I went on to complete many official commissions over a period of 4 years.In the early 2000s, I returned to London and completed a Master's degree in Digital Arts at UAL Camberwell, and went on to work for the research department at UAL. It was then that I was approached by a large production company based in Spain who asked me if I would be interested in starting a specialist airbrush company to assist in the production of hyper-realist airbrush works for the high-end fine art market. I spent nearly a decade working with airbrushes and training other artists on how to use them.I moved on from the production work to return again to my own painting practice and once again began a series of collaborations with other galleries. Recently, I have been exploring other fields of expression and I have been collaborating with prop makers and animators where once again my airbrush skills have been extensively used. I am currently in a phase where I am looking to share my knowledge and experience, and I find myself called to teaching many of the things I have learned over the years.