Big Smile Painting

Mike Edwards is an established artist well known for his portraits made of text. New bodies of work show Edwards evolving from his recognised style, developing an increasingly sophisticated approach to painting. Some works retain a typographic aesthetic, whilst others incorporate painted neon, abstract expressionism and traditional landscape painting to produce a complex and energetic dialogue between the old and the new. Edwards has exhibited extensively, including three solo shows, and his work is in collections around the world, including those of Sir Bradley Wiggins, Imelda May, and the late publisher Felix Dennis. David Bowie signed Edwards’ unique typographic portrait of Aladdin Sane - which went on to raise phenomenal funds for charity at auction. His portrait of Lord Attenborough is on permanent display at The Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts, University of Sussex. Edwards' work was also included in Gilles Peterson's book 'Broadcasting in a Pandemic', a cultural documentation of a year in lockdown. An exceptional painter, Edwards started out as a professional artisan artist before developing his own body of work. Projects have included a stage set for rock band Blur and producing commissioned artworks for Bacardi, Budweiser and Urban Outfitters. Edwards continues to push boundaries in new paintings currently in progress in his studio in central Brighton.