I studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, London and completed a postgraduate diploma at the Royal Academy Schools. At the RA Schools I was awarded the student Gold Medal for ‘excellence in painting’ along with the David Murray Landscape award and the Edward Stott travel scholarship.
I studied art as a mature student following a youthful career working in community-based services for ‘young offenders’ (as then called). Whilst a student, I continued this ‘people work’ thread, teaching neuro diverse young adults. For around 15 years until 2016, alongside my career in art, I worked in the mental health service of a community based voluntary sector organisation in the culturally diverse London borough of Southwark spending the last 10 years as the Project Coordinator. I carried my experiences making Art into this work, developing a programme of art activities that positioned creativity as a key component of recovery, staying well, and as a pathway to involvement in the community. In recognition of our arts and recovery-based approach, the organisation was invited to be the inaugural exhibitor in the community arts space at the then recently opened Tate Modern. The project members chose to make an installation of a giant flag assembled from multiple flags each of which was designed and made by the project’s diverse members in celebration of their identity. My experience of working in the community led to me becoming a community advocate for Tate Modern. I have no doubt my dual pathway of practicing artist/mental health work did, and continues to, influence my approach to making work
Eventually in 2016 when our last cheap studio in Bow finally met the demolition ball I took the decision to move out of London to pursue affordable studio space and focus more time on my Art.
I have exhibited in the UK, Europe and the USA. Solo exhibitions include Landmarks II at Plough Arts, Sanity Paintings Castle Bude, Landmarks at Southside Arts Southampton, the Paul Smith Shop NYC, USA, Cricket Hill Gallery NYC, USA, The English Garden Chelsea, London, Soldiers Bibles, Southwark Cathedral, London and Something at the International HQ of the Salvation Army. I have exhibited in 3 Creekside Open exhibitions (APT Deptford), chosen by Mark Wallinger, Dexter Dalwood and Alison Wilding respectively. Other notable group exhibitions include the Threadneedle Prize, Discerning Eye (invited by Christopher Lloyd, then Surveyor of the Queens’ Pictures), Royal Academy Summershow (x 4) and Into the 90’s (Selected London postgraduate painters).
I exhibited in the 60th Anniversary John Moores Painting Prize 2018 exhibition in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. My painting from the exhibition, TreeAirplaneTrap, is now in the collection of the artist Sean Scully.
“Bill Stewart’s ‘TreeAirplaneTrap’ disappoints at first: an aeroplane caught in a budding shrub could be a cliché, the clunky entanglement of machine and nature. More importantly it’s an illusion created by scale and angle of vision. The Artist’s capacity to create something that looks real but isn’t, has ramifications for everyone involved in image creation….Conceptual works such as ‘TreeAirplaneTrap’ engage the intellect because they deal with Arts’ big issues, such as perception, communication and ambiguity.” Sandra Gibson, Nerve magazine review of John Moores painting prize 2018
ReturnOfTheWoodpeckerScalpsFollowingTheKlamathRiverByMoonlightWhileTheGhostsOfTwo SalmonLookOnBlackStarVibration15000Miles1981-2019 was selected for Wells Art Contemporary 2020.
I am a founder member with Matt Galpin and Nigel Swift of FODO, an exhibition and discussion focus for contemporary artists: http://www.foronedayonly.org.uk/
German Contemporary music composer, Dorothee Eberhardt features my work on CDs of her music http://www.doroeberhardt.de/media/ http://www.doroeberhardt.de/
Selected exhibitions since 2000
2024 Four works in Artonapostcard Ten Year Anniversary Auction in aid of research into hepatitis C
2024 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2024 Slow Painting Exhibition over two venues, Studio Kind Barnstaple and Plough Arts great Torrington Devon featuring artists from Contemporary British painting and invited guests.
2024 StudioKind Summer open
2023 Landmarks III, smaller paintings and works on paper, Castle Bude, Willoughby Gallery
2022 Hidden UK, Hidden Ireland, Flowers Gallery, Kingsland Road, London, Group show curated by Sean Scully. The exhibition, curated by Sean, featured 23 artists. ‘….I haven’t actually curated an exhibition, I’ve chosen work and people who interest me, and put them together, with myself included… I wanted to bring what I could of this work together, and shine a light on it.”
2022 Olla Podrida, Plough Arts (group show)
2022 Blink and You’ll Miss It, Safe House Peckham, London (Group show)
2021-2 Contemporary British Painting Prize shortlist exhibition, Huddersfield and London, Contemporary British Painting 2021 | Unit 1 Gallery | Workshop (unit1gallery-workshop.com)
Landmarks II, Plough Arts (solo exhibition). To see my Plough Arts ‘lockdown’ films made with Martin Pailthorpe follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/ThePloughArtsCentre/videos/518270175662810
Sanity Paintings Castle Bude (solo exhibition).
Mixed show (Plough Arts).
2020 Wells Art Contemporary
2019 Trelana, TheCastleBude (solo Exhibition), Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2018 John Moores 60, Liverpool.
2017 Creekside Open (Alison Wilding choice)
2016 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2015 Outside In, London, ForOneDayOnly VI
2014 Pullens Open, London
2012 ForOneDayOnly IV & V
2011 Creekside Open (Dexter Dalwood choice), Threadneedle Prize Exhibition,
ForOneDayOnly I & II
2010 Hang Chelsea Library Gallery
2009 Creekside Open (Mark Wallinger choice), Something Salvation Army International HQ (Solo exhibition)
2008-9 Pullens Open, London (1st Prize 2008)
2007 Soldiers’ Bibles Southwark Cathedral Gallery, London (solo exhibition)
2006 Still 3 Mills Island, London, 10th Planet, Clements Road, Bermondsey, London
2005 The English Garden Chelsea, London (solo exhibition)
2004 21st Century Perspectives Burlington Fine Art
2003 Contemporary British Landscapes Cricket Hill Gallery New York City, USA
2002 Paul Smith Shop New York City, USA (solo exhibition)
2001 Landmarks Southside Arts, Southampton (solo exhibition)