Artist Lhouette hits the big time

Pop artist Lhouette - Ciaran Robinson - with one of his works

It’s at Surrey’s biggest contemporary gallery – the Wyecliffe in Weybridge – and the former Queensbury student is currently putting the finishing touches to the largest piece he’s ever created.

“It’s 10ft by 20ft,” he explained. “It’s one of 50 I’ve done for the show, which is entitled Video Heaven.

“It’s nostalgia centred around comics, TV and videos using spray paint, stencils and multiple layers of images.” The Wyecliffe has opened a new gallery, created from an old warehouse, to accommodate the exhibition.

Ciaran, 30, whose work has been showcased in the Houses of Parliament, is based at a studio in Bletchley and cheerfully admits he’s never had a lesson and is self taught.

But he paid tribute to Mrs Bastian from Priory Middle School: “She was very encouraging and a great teacher.”

His mum still lives in Houghton Regis and his older brother Ryan is a film editor.

“My Dad was supposed to be quite good with oil paints,” he said. “But I didn’t know him too well.

“When I was a kid, I always wanted to be an artist but it didn’t seem a viable option.”

So Ciaran joined the Royal Navy “to see the world and get inspiration from other cultures.” When he came back, he decided to release his inner Andy Warhol and he’s never looked back.

In 2014 the Fine Arts Trade Guild billed him as the year’s Best Up and Coming Artist and an American collector recently snapped up two of his big show pieces for a gallery in San Francisco.

He’s hoping to go to a big festival there later in the year and he’d also like to visit Japan to explore manga art – “a big, bright genre.”

Last year Ciaran had a number of sell-out shows and his latest venture is an exclusive collection of contemporary silk screenings which can be seen at various galleries across the country.

He’s glad his partner, Natasha, isn’t an artist. “She’s in child care,” he smiled. “I look forward to hearing about her day – otherwise it would be art overload.”

> The pseudonym Lhouette is a contraction of the silhouette style Ciaran employed when he started his career.