I am delighted to be working with Bridgeman Editions (part of Bridgeman Images) who have curated a new collection of Fine Art Prints. The collection includes big name artists like Lucian Freud and Ralph Steadman, alongside contemporary and emerging artists.
My Flamingo #3 painting will be released as a Limited Edition Print and my Feathered Friends watercolour of two macaws will be an Open Edition Print.
https://www.bridgemaneditions.com/collections/victoria-heald
It was a wonderfully busy Private View at this year’s Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition! It was lovely to have my friend, Art Critic Tabish Khan, come with me to the opening and bump into so many fellow artists at the event. My Great Green Macaw painting in the Main Gallery at the show.
Me with Art Critic and friend Tabish Khan at the opening of the RBA exhibition 2024.
My Great Green Macaw painting
I was so happy to be invited by special guest curator Jo McLaughlin to create two postcard artworks for the upcoming Art On A Postcard International Women’s Day Auction. 100% of the money raised by the auction is donated to charity.
The total raised by the auction was £43k for charity and I was delighted that my pieces contributed to that total!
I am absolutely delighted to have been selected for the Royal Society of British Artists annual exhibition for the second year in a row. The exhibition will take place at the Mall Galleries this spring with selected artists exhibiting alongside RBA members.
29 Feb - 9 Mar 2024
Mall Galleries, The Mall, St. James's, London SW1Y 5AS
I was thrilled to be selected as one of the finalists for the 10th edition of the Art Gemini Prize at Zari Gallery, Fitzrovia. Despite the rainy weather, the Private View was exceptionally well attended. Here I am standing beside my painting, Hyacinth Macaw with Hummingbirds, alongside art critic Tabish Khan.
My painting, Zebra IV, was recently displayed and awarded a Special Commendation at the 2023 Guildford House Open exhibition, taking place at Guildford House Gallery, Surrey.
We were so happy earlier this year to relocate to beautiful West Sussex! This will be now be our family home and where my studio will be based. I will still be making regularly trips to London for exhibitions, commission meetings and to deliver artwork.
I am thrilled to announce that my new local art space, Oxmarket Contemporary in Chichester, West Sussex, will be selling a selection of my original artworks. Do pop in to see them if you are in the area.
My Tiger II painting is currently showing in the inaugural exhibition at Bankside Hotel's White Box space, in collaboration with Degree Art Gallery. It is lovely to return to Bankside Hotel, where I did my Artist's Residency - this painting was one of the pieces I started during my time there.
I was thrilled that six of my bird paintings were chosen to be exhibited in the annual Art For Youth London exhibition at the Mall Galleries. This year was the 35th anniversary of the fundraising exhibition, which raises money for charity, UK Youth.
Art For Youth London Private View 2023 at Mall Galleries.
I was so happy that my good friend Tabish Khan, art critic at The Londonist, was able to join me at the Private View of the Royal Society of British Artists Bicentennial Exhibition. He even wore a blue and gold shirt to compliment my painting!
We had a lovely evening and Tab shared a picture of us with my Blue and Gold Macaw painting on his Instagram page, newsletter and reviewed the exhibition for FAD Magazine.
I am delighted to have my Blue and Gold Macaw painting (below) selected for the Royal Society of British Artists 200th Anniversary Exhibition, taking place at the Mall Galleries in March. A wonderful start to 2023!
My new series, Birds of Paradise, is a collection of oil paintings celebrating birds from the UK and around the world. Although birds-of-paradise exist as a specific species, this series takes the phrase less literally and focuses on a beautiful array of birds found in the wild. More in this series to come in 2023!
Find artwork details on the Animal Paintings page.
In December 2021, we welcomed our first child into our family. During this time, I took a short break from oil painting, focusing instead on smaller works. Due to its quick-drying nature, I began using watercolours for the first time. When he was having a nap, I would sketch a watercolour for however long he happened to slept and the piece would be finished whenever he woke.
It was a great challenge for me to set such strict time limitations on a painting session. I enjoyed documenting these Nap Paintings on my Instagram account and am grateful for the very positive feedback I received. If you would like to see videos and images of the paintings being made, please visit my Instagram here.
I am currently working on new pieces in my current painting series, Revisiting Rococo, inspired by interactions and conversations seen within traditional Rococo artworks.
Several new paintings in the series have already sold including The Lunch Party and The Chat-Up Line, along with the original Degree Art gallery commission, The Oyster Dinner, which began the series last year.
You can see my current work-in-progress painting below.
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About the Series
Revisiting Rococo references original genre pantings from the 1730s. I reimagine the scenes and compositions by focusing on specific interactions or conversations taking place within the larger piece. These conversations are adapted in the painting process to take on new meanings. The new works are painted using a modern colour palette, giving each piece a contemporary finish.
Work-in-progress oil painting
My painting Hummingbird (2019) was recently featured in an interview with Londonist Art Critic, ArtCan Trustee and 2020 ING Discerning Eye selector, Tabish Khan.
The Jackson’s Painting Prize spoke with Tabish about his favourite artworks from his own collection or from his exhibition highlights of the past year and he chose me as one of his selections (and he also provided some excellent insights into the judging process for art competitions!)
He chose my small Hummingbird painting as one of his favourite pieces, saying: “I come across hundreds of talented contemporary artists both as a critic and when judging prizes and so I’m always looking for artists who bring something unique to their artistic vision.”
Tabish also invited me to exhibit my painting, Tiger #1, in the 2020 ING Discerning Eye Exhibition as one of his personal selections for the show (see post below).
Bridgeman Images have featured my painting, Tiger #1, which is currently showing in the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition, in their ‘must see’ exhibitions of November & December 2020.
I was invited to show in this year’s ING Discerning Eye Exhibition, by Londonist Art Critic, Tabish Khan, as one of his personally invited artists. The exhibition is usually held at the Mall Galleries, London, but this year will take place fully online due to COVID-19. Find more information on the Discerning Eye website, 19 Nov - 31 Dec 2020
I am thrilled to be showing artwork for the second year in a row in the Society of Women Artists’ (SWA) Annual Open Exhibition. This year the selectors chose my painting, Contemplation III, an oil painting of a friend sitting in a pose of contemplation. The piece is part of a wider series celebrating women I know who work in the arts and creative industries.
The Society of Women Artists (SWA) is a British art body with a unique history dedicated to promoting art by women. It was founded as the Society of Female Artists (SFA) in 1855, offering women artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell their works which they had otherwise been denied. The SWA Annual Exhibitions has been held in London since 1857. The Society enjoys royal patronage from HRH Princess Michael of Kent. The exhibition is usually held at the Mall Galleries, London, but this year will take place fully online due to COVID-19.
Find more information on the Society of Women Artists’ website, 22 Sept - 31 Dec 2020
It was wonderful to be invited to show in this year’s ING Discerning Eye Exhibition, by Londonist Art Critic, also known as The People’s Art Critic, Tabish Khan. Each year, The Discerning Eye exhibits small artworks independently selected by six prominent figures from different areas of the art world: two artists, two collectors and two art critics who are able to personally invite a selection of artists to take part.
As one of this year’s six selectors, Tabish invited my to show my painting Tiger #1, as one of his personally invited artists. The exhibition is usually held at the Mall Galleries, London, but this year will take place fully online due to COVID-19. Find more information on the Discerning Eye website, 19 Nov - 31 Dec 2020
This piece was a bespoke commission, to create an artwork inspired by The Oyster Dinner by Jean-François de Troy from the 1730s. Originally commissioned by Louis XV to decorate dining rooms in the Palace of Versailles, the painting includes nineteen figures eating oysters and drinking champagne and was the main artwork I made during the summer lockdown in 2020.
It has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone since COVID-19 hit the world and we all began isolation and lockdown. As with many different occupations, artists have had to be innovative and move the majority of their artwork online. I’ve been very lucky to be part of several really interesting online projects over the past few months, helping to support artists and promote their practices and artwork through various digital platforms.
DegreeArt gallery have put on a new virtual exhibition, Infinity Rooms 2020, hosted at the White Box gallery space in the luxury Bankside Hotel on Southbank, London (the hotel is dedicated to supporting the arts and includes a built-in artist’s studio, where I did my Artist Residency last year). Click here to see the exhibition.
The gallery have also asked me to do an Instagram Takeover of their feed, where I will publish several posts of my artwork and an interview with them over the course of a day in May.
As well as these gallery projects, I have also continued to create new artwork from a home Lockdown Studio, which I am regularly sharing on my own social media channels.
Take care and stay safe! x
