Wimbledon artist Jo Holdsworth

Having been compared to Lowry with her distinctive style of elongated figures against urban backdrops, it comes as little surprise to learn that award-winning artist Jo Holdsworth grew up close to where the Manchester artist found his inspiration. From a young age, Jo would wander the local galleries such as the Whitworth, encouraged to draw by her artist mother and her parents’ artistic friends. Indeed, some were acquaintances of Lowry himself. “It was magical to grow up in that kind of environment and to have mentors and inspiration from an early age,” says Jo.

It may be rather a surprise to learn though that Jo, despite her artistic talents, did not pursue art initially but chose to study law at Cambridge University and subsequently to become a solicitor. While working as a City lawyer and then later as a management consultant and editor, she continued to pursue her love of art, painting in her spare time as much as she could. “I moved to Wimbledon and someone suggested I enrol at Putney School of Art and Design. When I went along, I was just entranced by the environment and just how dedicated and interested everyone was in art. I realised that in some ways I had been burying my passion for creating art for too long, and that now I had the opportunity to begin my journey of painting full time.”

Jo started to develop her style, often painting in monotones, particularly blue, and featuring elongated anonymous figures. “I’ve always been attracted to blue. I don’t find it melancholy – I see it as calm, hopeful and reflective and wish to harness that in my work.” Her paintings have a cinematic feel to them. Jo explains: “I want to create atmosphere in my paintings. I grew up fascinated by black and white films and want this drama to come across in my work, accentuating light and dark and encouraging the viewer to engage on an emotional level with my paintings.”

The figures in the paintings are often clustered as if in unity, waiting for a shared event. “The people often appear reflected on a wet or shiny surface or have long shadows. This is partly to suggest a kind of alter ego or depth, that there is invariably more to people than you see on the surface.”

As well as her trademark figures, Jo also paints views of London (pictured on our front cover this month, above). She says: “London is full of beautiful views that are perfect to paint. It is often the unexpected combination of the light and the architecture that really catches my imagination. The views from Marryat Road and Vineyard Hill Road looking down towards Battersea can be simply breath-taking when the light falls in the far distance so perfectly. And I love the iconic landmarks – the chimneys of Battersea Power station, the dome of St Paul’s and the many and varied bridges sweeping across the Thames.”