Director Bill Eagles Painting

My name is Khana Evans, I am 26 years old. I have always been into art and I can't imagine life without it. I originally started my art career amongst the Northern Soul DJs at the 100 club when I was seventeen and from there I was commissioned to design and paint the huge backdrops they proudly drape behind the DJ area at their soul nights. At the age of twenty-five one of my paintings, of a notable Member of Parliament, was recognise by the National Portrait Gallery as being important to British portraiture and sits in the Heinz Archive and Library next to Gainsborough and Chuck Close. My interest in fine art has also led me to study old masters like Caravaggio and Ingres. There is a similarity of style between the two which I most admire because of the fine detail they achieve from life painting. I have painted many different subjects and have kept the skills and clarity of the masters in mind as I try to develop my own style by injecting humour and colour. My paintings are a reflection of society as we know it and can be read as a story of the present; a snapshot of time and what is happening politically and socially. I studied at Weston College University and Goldsmiths where I found myself in a constant battle of ideas with tutors over my plans for success. They said the ideas I had about where I see myself as absurd. Whilst still studying I gained myself some interest, after applying to a call for artists, from the BBC and was eventually short-listed for the BBC programme School of Saatchi - Charles Saatchi's quest to search for the next Tracy Emin or Damien Hirst. My appearance on the programme made me realise what I wanted to do for the rest of my life...paint. I swore at the camera, nothing more than "˜bollocks', but I did earn myself a critic's view point in the Financial Times; so it was worth that much. I received more commission requests and art sales. I produced a controversial painting of Jack Straw which gave me some recognition from international magazine Bizarre's annual competition and was deem "˜right up their street' this was given a public view in an east London gallery and several national newspapers. Jack was almost the poster boy for the Sue Ryder art competition held at the Mall Galleries in London but was dropped by the PR company who decided maybe Jack was a little too hot for them and missed out on gaining valuable publicity by not using my painting for their campaign.