Lance Beeke

Lance, who has lived in North Norfolk since 1969, paints still lifes, nudes and portraits and all his work is distinguished by a shimmering Impressionist palette. Working primarily in oils, he cites Monet and Manet among his main influences, while the enigmatic, even gently melancholy quality of many of his canvases perhaps grows from his admiration for the American painter Edward Hopper.

Born in Kent, Lance studied at Maidstone College of Art, where the legendary Quentin Crisp was among the models he drew (Other alumni of the college include art-world luminary Tracy Emin, fashion designer Zandra Rhodes and film director Tony Kaye.) Before becoming a full-time artist, he worked in a variety of jobs, but a formative experience was the two years he spent on a government-run artists’ scheme on the Mediterranean island of Gozo.