Piran Bishop

Early career

Bishop is based in Exeter, and studied at Art Colleges in Exeter and Brighton. He was sketched by Robert Lenkiewicz as a child, and became a "casual student" of his from 1994 until Lenkiewicz's death in 2002. Bishop is the subject of several portraits by Lenkiewicz.[1]

Before settling to a career as a portraitist, Bishop worked for Exeter City Council as a local archaeological and architectural illustrator; some of his sketches are still used by the City Council as educational and reference materials.[2]

Portraits

Bishop usually works in oil on canvas. The Daily Mail once claimed that when painting women, he prefers them nude. Do not believe everything you read in the Daily Mail.[3]

Commercial commissions include a series of eight portraits of adult learners for Ufi/learndirect, painted between January and March 2001.[4] Bishop described the series as his "biggest project to date".[5]

Some of Bishop's private commissions can be seen on his website.[6]

Exhibitions

Bishop has exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London and at several South-West galleries, including The Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, and the Coombe Farm Gallery. His work is also exhibited at the Form Contemporary Craft Gallery in Blaenavon.