Ever wanted to step into an award-winning artist’s studio, learning from a grandmaster to inspire your artistic abilities, developing new skills and secret techniques?

South-West based Portfolio Art Tours as part of its range of master classes and studio tours, is offering tailor-made painting sessions with outstanding portrait artist Richard Twose, whose work has won critical acclaim and international awards.

This year, Richard’s portrait of the internationally-renowned filmmaker, Ken Loach, has been selected from 2,500 entries to be shortlisted for the prestigious 2017 BP Portrait Awards. His captivating portrait of the groundbreaking film director will be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery before a UK-wide tour.

Richard paints from a studio in a quintessential English hamlet near Bath. To learn from this inspirational artist, Portfolio Art Tours has arranged masterclasses held at his personal studios. Step into the artist’s world and immerse yourself in this privileged experience; sharing in the artist’s expert guidance as you hone your talent.

This significant artist will give private, hands-on demonstrations of his uniquely expressive work, revealing how he interprets and transfers the essence of his subject to the canvas.

For the first time, art lovers and cultural aficionados of all disciplines will be able to immerse themselves in what it takes to create a masterpiece, picking up secret tips, techniques and inspiration, studying alongside this distinguished individual.

For the BP Portrait Awards, the most important portrait prize in the world, Richard’s composition of Ken Loach has been selected from 2,580 entries from artists based in 87 countries around the world. Richard’s profound portrait of Mr Loach can be viewed at the National Portrait Gallery between the 22 June – 24 September 2017.

Critical acclaim has followed closely the work of Richard Twose. The Evening Standard said when reviewing the 2014 BP Portrait Award Exhibition: ”Best of all is Richard Twose’s painting of elegant fashion model, Jean Woods, interrupted by elements of colourful abstraction. It reminds me of the painter Howard Hodgkin’s description of Degas’s great portrait of Helene Rouart in the National Gallery: it has that glancing, slightly dematerialised quality that one does actually see in reality. The poetic elusiveness of Twose’s portrait is otherwise absent in this show.”

Now in its 38th year at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), and 28th year of sponsorship by BP, the Portrait Awards are a monumental highlight of the global art calendar. Following the NPG, the exhibition goes on a UK-wide tour: Exeter City Art Gallery: 4 Oct – 4 Dec 2017, The Scottish National Portrait Gallery: 11 Dec 2017 – 19 March 2018, Sunderland Winter Gardens: 26 March – 11 June 2018.

Portfolio Art Tours director Amanda Dennes said “We’re thrilled Portfolio Art Tours Grandmaster Richard Twose has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2017 BP Portrait Awards and this year will give art lovers of all disciplines the chance to learn alongside him. His repeated success in the major international BP Awards is a testament to the depth of artistic talent that thrives in the West Country.”

To see Richard’s work, find out more about Portfolio’s range of artist masterclasses, make a booking or to arrange a commission, please visit www.portfoliarttours.com