Rob Wilson
The landscape always comes first.
I was always
making things.
I’ve never really stopped drawing.
Before I knew what an artist was, I spent hours drawing, building, painting and making things with whatever I could find.
Growing up in Cheshire, I was always outdoors too. Walks became opportunities to look closely, notice interesting trees, collect ideas and return home with something new to draw.
Looking back, the materials have changed and the paintings have grown, but the curiosity behind them is much the same.
Learning to
see differently.
Studying Graphic Design and Illustration changed the way I looked at the world.
At the University of Bradford I became fascinated by the relationship between graphic design, texture and storytelling. The city's industrial heritage and textile traditions still echo through my work today.
Vintage papers, stitching, collage and layers of paint gradually became part of my own visual language. What began as experimentation slowly evolved into the mixed-media process that continues to shape every painting.
Looking back, those years weren't about finding a style. They were about learning to observe, simplify and build pictures that felt personal.
When everything
came together.
It took time for the different strands of my work to become a language of their own.
After university I continued drawing, painting and experimenting, gradually bringing together collage, stitching, print and layers of paint.
A study of crowds leaving Buxton Opera House received a commendation at the Derbyshire Open, but painting Manchester’s Cornerhouse felt like the real turning point.
For the first time, architecture, atmosphere, texture and graphic form all worked together in a way that felt completely natural. That painting helped establish the mixed-media approach that still shapes my work today.
As exhibitions and commissions followed, my cityscapes and landscapes began finding homes across Britain and further afield.
Painting places
that matter.
Some commissions begin with a landmark. Others begin with a memory.
Alongside private commissions, I’ve been fortunate to create work for organisations including Westminster Abbey, the National Trust, Lancashire County Cricket Club, Transport for London and Manchester United.
Each project brings its own history, atmosphere and sense of place. Before painting begins, I spend time looking closely, gathering references and understanding what makes the subject meaningful.
Whether it is a nationally recognised building or a landscape known only to one family, the aim is always the same—to create something personal, distinctive and lasting.
Discover commissions →Back where every
painting begins.
The landscape still comes first.
Today I work from my studio on the edge of the Peak District, surrounded by the hills, reservoirs and changing skies that continue to shape my work.
Most paintings begin outside rather than at the easel. Walking familiar paths, watching the weather change and returning to the same places through different seasons allows each landscape to slowly reveal something new.
Back in the studio, those observations become layers of drawing, collage, texture and paint before the finished work eventually finds its place on the wall.
Discover recent work →A few milestones
along the journey.
Graduated in Graphic Design & Illustration
University of Bradford
Derbyshire Open Commendation
Best Artist Award, Buxton Festival Fringe
Official Artist for The Ashes Series
Old Trafford Cricket Ground
Artwork exhibited for
Transport for London's Year of the Bus
Winner
Buxton Spa Art Prize
Commissioned by Westminster Abbey
Presented artwork to HRH Princess Anne
Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year – Wildcard Artist
Commissioned by the National Trust
Winner
Art Battle Manchester
Commissioned by the National Trust
Hardwick Hall