Artists Biography
Haidee-Jo Summers ROI RSMA
British, born 1971
One of Britain's most exciting plein air and studio painters, now available to buy through our galleries.
Haidee-Jo's paintings are a celebration of light-filled moments revealed in rich and vibrant oil paint using her personal visual language of fresh and direct brushmarks. Painting en plein air is central to her practice and equally at home working from a model, still life and interior. She finds beauty in the ordinary, mundane and intimate rather than the grand vista. Coastal locations, domestic interiors and gardens and allotments provide her with rich and endless subject material. Haidee-Jo's approach is one of simplicity and economy, striving to make every mark count in her earnest pursuance of capturing the poetry of a fleeting effect of light.
Awarded Artist of the Year 2012 by the Society of All Artists and one of the few artists chosen by the BBC to paint the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Pageant from the Millennium bridge, Haidee-Jo is a full-time professional artist known for painting landscapes and seascapes 'en plein air'.
She is a member of the Royal Institute of Oil painters (ROI) and the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA) and her work can be seen each year at the Mall Galleries in London with these prestigious societies. Haidee-Jo writes regularly for The Artist magazine and is proud to be one of their three editorial consultants, alongside Ken Howard RA and David Curtis ROI RSMA. Her first book on oil painting, ‘Vibrant Oils’ (published by Search Press), has been republished in Spanish, Italian, French and Chinese. She also has a popular DVD which shares the same name. Although oils are very much her preferred medium, in the 1990’s Haidee-Jo produced a large body of work for the Encyclopaedia of Watercolour Techniques book. In recent years she has been invited to judge UK and international plein air events, after previously winning many prizes for her work which features fresh and vibrant brushwork coupled with keen drawing and observational skills.
Haidee-Jo gained a degree in illustration following an art foundation course and graduated in 1994. She has been exhibiting and teaching ever since, in recent years having cut back on teaching commitments to focus on painting and writing. She believes very much in continuing to grow and develop, all the while striving to express her personal voice in paint and to do so more and more succinctly.
Heidee-Jo says "My work is a celebration of the effects of light revealed in rich and vibrant oil paint using my personal visual language of fresh and direct brushmarks. Painting en plein air is central to my practice, and I travel to seek new experiences and fresh inspiration to feed back into my studio work. I have a particular love of coastal locations and gardens, allotments and interiors, favouring intimate and busy subjects over grand vistas.
I strive for simplicity and economy and to make every mark count, walking the fine line between shape and suggestion.”
AWARDS
2019 Winner of the Dry Red Press Award at the Royal Institute of Oil painters exhibition
2019 Winner of the Great Art Award at Patchings art centre/The Artist exhibition
2019 The Artist exhibition award
2018 The Dartington crystal chalice at the Royal Institute of Oil painters
2017 Artists choice award Paradise Paint Out, Florida
2016 Winner of the Great Art Award at Patchings art centre/The Artist exhibition
2015 Winner of the Great Art Award at Patchings art centre/The Artist exhibition
2014 Winner of first prize at the Paint Out Norwich invitational
2014 Rosemary brushes bouquet at A brush with the broads
2014 The Buxton Spa prize plein air competition £5000 first prize winner
2014 The Artist purchase prize award selected by Ken Howard RA
2014 The Artist exhibition award at Patchings art centre/The Artist exhibition
2014 Pro Arte award at Patchings art centre/The Artist exhibition
2013 Awarded the Royal Talens prize in the annual Patchings/ The Artist exhibition.
2013 Honourable mention award at the Cape San Blas plein air Quick Draw.
2012 Winner of the Royal Institute of Oil painters portrait painting event.
2012 Winner of the Making a Mark plein air plus blog award.
2012 Winner of The Artist magazine charity Christmas card competition.
2012 Patchings art festival and ‘The Artist’ exhibition awarded the Pro Arte prize.
2012 Awarded ‘Artist of the Year 2012’ by the SAA, Society of All Artists
2006 Awarded finalist in the Young Artist’s award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters.
2005 Finalist in Young Artist’s award, Royal Institute of Oil painters
2005 Winner of first prize in the professional category at the Willoughby Memorial Trust open exhibition.
1998 Awarded second prize in the Young Artists Award, Royal Institute of Oil Painters.
1997 Awarded third prize in the Young Artists award at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters exhibition.
1994 Winner of Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast portrait competition
