Michael Leonard
Michael creates refined and meticulous compositions, cropped to emphasise the relationship between the subject and its containing edge. They are images of great intensity. Although figurative, they are also powerful abstract arrangements of form. Michael began his career as an illustrator, not exhibiting as a painter until he was nearly forty. His work has been shown in group and solo exhibitions in the UK and US and is represented in the National Portrait Gallery, the National Galleries of Scotland and the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

Cathy Lomax
Cathy is an artist, writer and curator. She runs Transition Gallery in east London and edits and publishes two art and culture magazines, Arty and Garageland. Cathy completed her MA in Fine Art at Central St Martins in 2003 and her recent exhibitions include The Image Duplicator at Contemporary Art Projects, The Golden Record at Collective Gallery, Edinburgh and The Collection, Lincoln, Remember My Name, Sartorial, London, New London School at Mark Moore Gallery, LA, USA and Vignettes at Rosy Wilde, London.

Jock McFadyen
Jock became well known as a figurative artist for his paintings based around the East End of London. In 1981 he was artist in residence at The National Gallery. Later his landscapes started to reveal a darker London and early in the 1990’s the figure began to fall away altogether. Since then, his work has been dominated by full blown, sometimes monumental urban landscapes. His work is represented in The National Gallery, Tate Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum and British Museum.

Nina Murdoch
Nina’s luminous urban landscapes are a powerful emotional response to her native streets of South London. The winner of last year’s Threadneedle Prize, she aims to capture the fundamentals and essence of a landscape that others see as unprepossessing or even ominous. She uses a technique fashioned in the early renaissance, working in egg on gesso panels. Nina has been winning awards since 1983 and has exhibited in several solo and group shows. She now exhibits at the Fine Art Society in London.

Desmond Shawe-Taylor
Desmond was appointed Surveyor of The Queen’s Pictures in 2005. As a senior member of the Royal Collection, one of the largest and most important art collections in the world, he has overall curatorial responsibility for some 7,000 oil paintings and 3,000 miniatures. Desmond was previously Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery where he oversaw a major refurbishment of the Gallery. He has written on a wide range of subjects, including Georgian portraiture, the paintings collection at Dulwich and for numerous exhibition catalogues.

Daphne Todd O.B.E.
Daphne is a leading figurative artist who’s been a major force in promoting portraiture in this country. Painting entirely from life, her portraits strike at the heart of her sitter’s character. Influenced by Sir William Coldstream at the Slade and an association with Euan Uglow, she has won numerous national awards, including the prestigious Ondaatje Prize and Gold Medal. Her portraits of Dame Janet Baker, Spike Milligan, Sir Christopher Ondaatje and Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover are in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.