Nina Mae Fowler - Cinema Portraits

Artist Nina Mae Fowler announces a major new project ‘Cinema Portraits’ inviting new portrait commissions from those with an interest in film and portraiture. Fowler’s work investigates fame, desire and our relationship with cinema epitomised by her major commission by the National Portrait Gallery to produce a series of ‘Luminary Drawings’, portrait drawings in pencil and charcoal of nine of the UK’s leading film directors watching a film of importance to them. Individuals selected for this project include Ridley Scott, Sally Potter, Sam Mendes, Ken Loach and Amma Asante MBE and their portraits now hang in the National Portrait Gallery.

This new ‘Cinema Portraits’ series extends the original project more widely to individuals with a desire to own a portrait of themselves or a family member, who may be new to the commissioning process. Actor Jude Law and comedian Lee Mack with his daughter have shown their support by sitting in order to help promote the project. More are set to follow including actress Sienna Miller, publisher and fashion designer Caroline Issa and playwright Polly Stenham. Everyman is generously offering their cinemas to be used for private client sittings to support the project.. Alternatively, Fowler can set up a cinema environment in her studio or the sitter’s home. The aim is to ensure each individual is lit with the luminance of the screen, watching a film of their choice whilst Nina takes stills and makes preliminary sketches that form the basis of the final pencil and charcoal drawing. 20% of the £5,000 portrait fee will be donated to Baroness Helena Kenne-dy’s Urgent Afghanistan Appeal and the East Anglian Children’s Hospices (EACH). A limited-edi-tion print of Fowler’s Jude Law drawing, priced at £120, is proving popular already and for each sale of the print, 50% of the proceeds are being donated to the chosen charities. The ‘Cinema Portraits’ drawings are 40 x 60 cm, charcoal on paper, signed and dated on the verso. The working edges will be left for the client to decide whether to crop in framing or leave as part of the composition. Framing is not included.

There are three choices for sittings. The Everyman private cinema adding to the exclusive experience. The sitter’s home which involves setting up a small transportable cinema. Fowler’s Norfolk studio or home cinema where a discount of £500 per portrait can be offered. Each portrait is £5,000 and 20% of the fee will donated directly to two charitable causes: Afghanistan Urgent Appeal with Baroness Helena Kennedy and East Anglian Children’s Hospices (EACH) patron HRH, The Duchess of Cambridge. Support Baroness Helena Kennedy QC is currently organising the evacuation of female lawyers, judges, and women activists from Afghanistan. Many of these women have assisted in prosecuting Taliban individuals and as a result are now at greater risk of retaliatory attacks. All money raised will help provide food and shelter, transportation, visa costs and resettlement assistance for the women and their families. “Nina Mae Fowler is not only an artist of great talent, whose humanity is present in all her work, she has been a lifeline for many of the women we evacuate from Afghanistan who are on Taliban ‘kill list’ – Helping us raise money to support safe houses and flights, she and those who commission these portraits have been a blessing. Thank you.” -Baroness Helena Kennedy QC EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Funds raised will go directly to care delivery as well as bereavement support for the families of those who are nearing the end of life.

“We’re absolutely thrilled and very excited to have been approached by Nina. She’s incredibly talented and her body of work, and attention to detail, is truly breath-taking, that’s what makes this such an incredible opportunity for anyone keen to commission one of her portraits. They will be receiving something very special, personal and unique while at the same time generating vital income, helping us support families and care for children and young people with life-threatening conditions.” -Kevin Clements, EACH Director of Fundraising and Communications Testimonials Jude Law on his cinema portrait - “Nina has created a perfect situation in which one can lose oneself in a favourite film and therefore become an open, engaged and yet relaxed subject. As someone who works in the medium of film it felt like a perfect triangulation for connection. Nina watching me watch a film.” Jessica Purefoy on child cinema portrait commission - “This new body of work by Nina captures moments of awestruck wonder, by recording these fleeting moments, she forever captures a fundamental euphoria, first experienced as a child, but never quite lost as an adult.” Ridley Scott on ‘Luminary Drawings’ - “I was not keen on sitting for a portrait because I dislike being photographed intensely. But Nina persevered and is a hard one to turn down. She sent me a book on her work, and I was blown away. She explained her technique and how she worked to enable people to sit still for the session. In my case, she wanted me to watch the first film I ever saw. I think it worked out.” About Nina Mae Fowler Nina Mae Fowler (b. 1981) is known for her sumptuously detailed large-scale drawings and installations which interrogate themes of celebrity, beauty, power, and sexuality. Her works have been exhibited internationally and are held in public museum collections such as the National Portrait Gallery and Oxford University. She is included in private collections. Film, art, music and fashion luminaries such as Sir Ridley Scott, Jude Law, Daniel Templon, Roland Mouret and Caroline Issa are amongst her private collectors. Fowler is represented by Cob Gallery (London), Suzanne Tarasieve (Paris) and artnow Gallery (Berlin). She lives and works in Norfolk and is married to artist Craig Wylie.

www.ninamaefowler.art/cinema-portraits nina@ninamaefowler.com Follow Nina on her portrait commissions @thecinemaportraits #TheCinemaPortraits