Enjoy and collect Sophie’s beautiful and atmospheric paintings. Browse the online galleries featuring still life, lace and portraiture.
Enjoy hundreds of articles on painting, tutorials, reviews and art history on Sophie’s popular blog.
Join Sophie’s Art School to improve your painting skills and join a community of like-minded artists.
I am a Dutch-born artist, art tutor, writer and art historian, based in the UK.
I love how history can put things in perspective and in my paintings I aim to celebrate the great human story we are all part of.
The Dutch are known to be down to earth: I teach art in a practical way. My online courses and workshops are informal yet full of learning.
I write to pay it forward; sharing experiences to help others.
Featured post
After another lovely day of teaching students the dusty joys of pastel
So many oil painting myths are still going around. Do not use
“
We just received "The Spaniel" and it is SO very beautiful in person. I honestly can't believe what you can do with oil and brushes!
“
This is the most unique online art course I have taken. The setup is unique and the contents takes a pastel newbie from pastel and paper types through mark making and beyond. Also Sophie is there every step of the way and I think that she is the most valuable resource in the course.
“
Amazing post Sophie!!…Appreciate the way you have shared your knowledge on the usage of oil painting.Very useful tips provided for the artists community.A great article, written on the level for beginners of which I am one.
“
I am gazing at her face as I type and I am quite overwhelmed by the picture. The detail and colouring is breathtaking.
An online art school for all who want to improve their painting skills with coures on oil painting, pastel and portraiture. Beginners and more advanced are welcome.
Online video courses to take in your own time and space. Watch and re-watch as often as you like, do the assignments and make your art grow.
A growing library of articles, tutorials, interviews and more for you to dive into.
Share your work, questions and progress in the school’s private supportive community.
In my paintings I try to connect the past and the present, thereby seeking perspective and insight into our own world. History has always had this grounding feature; it helps to make us see the bigger picture and takes away the seeming randomness of events. A sense of order and belonging is what we seek when we study and ‘create’ our own historic narrative.
My portrait work has been exhibited at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the BP Portrait Award and elsewhere. My pastel paintings have been exhibited at the Pastel Society and published in the US Pastel Journal Magazine. My work is exhibited and collected in the UK, US and Europe.
In 2013 my Self Portrait with Lace Collar was accepted into the BP Portrait Award exhibition. One of the awards in this exhibition is the Travel Award, which is given out every year in order to allow artists to expand their horizon and work on a portraiture-related project. Every artist selected for the BP Portrait Award is invited to submit a proposal for the Travel Award.
I gratefully received the BP Travel Award for my proposal to research how lace is depicted in early 17th century portraiture in England and The Netherlands. My travel and research inspired me to create a new series of ten new paintings. A selection of the paintings was exhibited within the BP Portrait Award 2014 exhibition which started in London in June 2014 and toured to Sunderland, Edinburgh and Wales thereafter. Various works have since been exhibited in exhibitions throughout the UK. A book celebrates my project and catalogues the paintings.
If you have any questions or comments about Sophie’s work, her blog or her teaching, do get in touch.
Free Stuff
©2020 Sophie Ploeg
