The Artist

William Rochfort describes his dazzling and atmospheric oil paintings as "snapshots of moments in time." Influenced by artists including Norman Rockwell and Edward Hopper, his images are cinematic in scope and decidedly meta in conception; ultimately, they are concerned with observing the observers.

Each beautifully lit tableau invites us to think carefully about how we look and what we see by offering us a choice of perspectives: our own, or that of the players in the scene.

He sets up each scene he paints. He books the appropriate venue or setting, using a full cast of characters and carefully chosen handmade props, and, of course, creating the all-important lighting, before engaging in lengthy photo shoots, as well as in sketching and painting from life.