Matt Vadis
Matt Vadis is a visual artist based in Kent. After training as an animator at university he turned to fine art to better explore the psychological effects and broader cultural influence of images. His latest work uses portraits as a form of protest against the social ills of our time, questioning the complicity of all those who meet their gaze.
See and learn more on his website - www.mattvadis.com
Jess Blandford
Jess has been a resident artist at the Mansion since 2019. She makes abstract paintings and drawings which celebrate the repetitive, mundane, intimate, messy and often invisible work of family life. Jess studied painting at Camberwell and print-making at The Royal College of Art. She is part of a women’s art collective called Second Shift.
Follow her on Instagram @jessblandford
See more at her website www.jessblandford.com
Marina Nasso-Beard
Marina Nasso-Beard is a multi-media artist, who works primarily in oils and charcoal. As an ex-teacher, Marina draws from a wide range of media.
Born in Milan, she grew up dividing her time between the UK and Italy. She earned her BA Hons in Fine Art from Camberwell College of Art, London in 1997. She is primarily concerned with the interplay between connection and disconnection, focused on the intangible and the transient. Her work aims to invite curiosity and discourse. The basis of her work is an interest in personal history, and how this informs how we navigate and understand the world. The influence of Mansion and surrounding park and skies she sees floating past her studio window can be seen in her work. Her work is in private collections internationally. Notably, she has exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, ING Discerning Eye, and at a Group Show in Venice.
Studio open by appointment. Private lessons available on request.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmiabeard/
Website: https://www.marinanasso-beard.com
Maria Rado
Maria Rado is a fine artist exploring minimalist abstract approaches that aim to evoke specific emotions or a sense of place. Her artwork also examines the natural curves of plants, repetition and mathematics in nature.
Rado obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree from the National Academy of Arts in Bulgaria in 1996. Following her education, she worked in advertising and publishing for 25 years, holding various positions across Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
In 2018, Maria moved to the UK, where she became a resident artist at Beckenham Place Mansion in 2019. Since then, she has focused full time on her painting practice and welcomes studio visits by appointment. Maria is actively participating in London’s art scene with regular shows and her work has been well-received and can be found in private collections in UK, Europe, the USA and Canada.
https://www.facebook.com/mariaradoart
https://www.instagram.com/mariaradoart/
Sophia Lyons
Described by the BBC’s Royal Academy documentary in 2020, as ‘Master of The Undergrowth’, Sophia’s work has evolved during her time at our Mansion Studios, her signature paintings of the undergrowth are inspired by her surroundings at Beckenham Place Park, in particular the Ancient Woodlands.
Sophia has a diverse approach to making art, she explains, “There’s a mix of influences which is evident across my collections. I have lived most of my life in South East London with strong family connections to the South coast and East Sussex, all of which are absorbed in my work. I love to have the freedom of expression and colour and often cross the boundaries of genre and medium. Also, there are times when I turn to figurative work for narrative and questions from the soul.”
Sophia works mostly on large canvas and is a popular go-to for interior designers, she says, “Working with design and creating art solutions for interior surroundings is also very relevant to today's living. I take great pleasure in producing work that focuses on aesthetics as much as story telling and believe it is possible to have ‘interior design art with heart!”
Look out for our Open Studio Days, when you can visit Sophia’s studio and those of our other Artists. You can also visit Sophia’s studio by appointment by contacting her directly.
Website - www.sophialyonsart.com
Instagram - www.instagram.com/sophialyonsart
Facebook - www.facebook.com/sophialyonsart