Sir Lenny Henry - Acrylic on Birch Plywood Painting

Martin J Willis is a self taught contemporary portrait artist based in the Midlands. He has a passion for faces, creating realist portraits that capture the character of his subjects through playful use of colour, textures, and mixed media. Martin's artwork has previously been selected by The Royal Academy of Art, featuring in their Summer Exhibition 2011 and he has recently contributed in a live portrait painting event which achieved a new Guinness World Record organised by Sky Arts and Portrait Artist of the Year Martin's focus is on creating affordable, collectable artwork for any budget. An engineer by trade, Martin has combined his specialist skills in CAD design and CNC water jet cutting with his love of painting to create bold, unique artworks . His portraits come in all sizes, but he is happiest creating large scale works on mixed media canvases. Some of his recent commissions have been painted and engraved on large sheets of aluminium, copper, porcelain, and plywood. Martin’s latest pieces have been a series of CAD-designed stencilled and spray-painted portraits of popular culture figures through the ages, embellished with acrylic paint. Martin draws inspiration from artistic figures across the globe, as well as his local artist community. Looking ahead, he seeks to honor both the visible faces of pop culture and the faces of creators who remain behind the scenes — writers, photographers, and directors, weaving a rich tapestry of portraits that celebrates the full spectrum of artistic expression. He is constantly creating new works for sale and happily accepts commissions.