Abigail Hampsey

Painter Abigail Hampsey is interested in the notion of truth, trickery, the real and the fake. She creates images drawing on her own experiences, memory and art historical and literary sources. Investigating these avenues of inquiry, she seeks to create her own stories in a new type of narrative painting. Often drawing on myth and folklore from the northwest of England, Abigail's affiliation to place and home strongly influences her paintings. These images, therefore, tell tales that may be neither true nor accurate but rather reflect a personal yet somewhat archetypal storyline.

Abigail Hampsey's Training and Inspiration

Abigail completed a BA in Fine Art from Newcastle University in July 2019. She is currently undertaking a Painting MA at the Royal College of Art, not long after being awarded The Basil H.Alkazzi Scholarship Award in Painting. While Abigail primarily focuses on oil painting, she also works with printmaking, drawing, photography and film. Abigail is concerned with the materiality of oil paint. She is curious about how, through manipulating oils, you can present diverse tones and textures and explore character through purposeful and intuitive layering. This interest sees her create complex layers of vibrant colour and pattern whilst exploring more conceptual ideas within a painting like frames, location and the expanded field. Her works play with concealing and revealing, reflecting the infinite layering of narrative and simultaneously highlighting the decision-making process of painting itself.

Exhibitions and Awards

Abigail has featured in multiple group and solo shows, including "It's All Still Wet" at The Long Gallery, Newcastle, and The British School At Rome, one of the most prestigious research academies in Rome. Abigail earned the Hatton Prize for outstanding degree show presentation in 2019.