Michael Whittlesea, British painter and illustrator known for his fluid representation of figures, landscapes, and still-lifes in oils, watercolours, and charcoal. Born in London and trained at the Harrow School of Art. He established a successful career as an illustrator during the 1960s and 70s creating book covers for Heinemann, Newnes, Young World, Macdonald, and Oxford University Press. Additionally he contributed his work to magazines amongst others World of Wonder and Speed and Power, including science-fiction themed works for the Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov stories in the mid 1970s.
In 1985 he debuted at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, was elected to the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour (RWS) and the New English Art Club (NEAC), and won a Painter-Stainers London livery company award. In 1989 he was Ken Howard's ( NEAC president) "Artist of Choice" at the Arts Club, London and in 1991 was NEAC president, Tom Coates' "Choice" at the Mall Galleries for the NEAC annual exhibition. He was a prize-winner in the 1991 Singer/Friedland/Sunday Times Watercolour Exhibition. In 2002 he was awarded the Jans Ondaatje Rolls Award for Drawing.
Whittlesea's style is a mix of traditional technique, spontaneity and narrative, influenced by his earlier illustration career and later fine‑art practice. Whittlesea paints generally in oil and watercolour, and draws in pastel and charcoal on canvas or high-quality paper.
Whittlesea has described the unpredictability he feels when starting a new painting as he prefers to start a work with no predetermined vision allowing it to evolve organically.
Stylistically he is open and flowing, forsaking a single recognisable "style," preferring each piece to develop its own aesthetic. This enables him to cross genres without constraint. Whittlesea shows expertise in draughtsmanship, achieved throughout his career as a commercial artist.
Whittlesea has exhibited widely throughout his fine art career:-
- the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, NEAC Annual Shows, Bankside Gallery, Mall Galleries, Royal West of England Academy, and international group shows. He has received notable commissions including from Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship in 1998. Additionally, his works are held in many highly regarded collections including Bury Museum and Art Gallery and the Royal Watercolour Society archives. He has published two books on drawing and watercolour painting, both printed multiple times in the 1980s and 90s.
He is recognised as a technically highly skilled artist who has managed to establish two successful careers crossing commercial illustration and fine art. Being recognised by the NEAC, RWS,and Royal Academy along with the multiple awards he has received underscores his respected standing amongst contemporary British figurative artists.