I studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, London and completed a postgraduate diploma at the Royal Academy Schools.\u00a0 At the RA Schools I was awarded the student Gold Medal for \u2018excellence in painting\u2019 along with the David Murray Landscape award and the Edward Stott travel scholarship.<\/p>\r\n
I studied art as a mature student following a youthful career working in community-based services for ‘young offenders’ (as then called).\u00a0 Whilst a student, I continued this \u2018people work\u2019 thread, teaching neuro diverse young adults.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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\u2019s diverse members in celebration of their identity.\u00a0 My experience of working in the community led to me becoming a community advocate for Tate Modern.\u00a0 I have no doubt my dual pathway of practicing artist\/mental health work did, and continues to, influence my approach to making work<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
I have exhibited in the UK, Europe and the USA. \u00a0<\/em>Solo exhibitions\u00a0include Landmarks II at <\/em>Plough Arts, Sanity Paintings<\/em> Castle Bude, <\/span>Landmarks<\/em>\u00a0at Southside Arts Southampton, the Paul Smith Shop NYC, USA, Cricket Hill Gallery NYC, USA,\u00a0The English Garden\u00a0<\/em>Chelsea, London,\u00a0Soldiers Bibles,\u00a0<\/em>Southwark Cathedral, London and\u00a0Something<\/em> at the International HQ of the Salvation Army.\u00a0 \u00a0 Group exhibitions include the Threadneedle Prize,<\/em>\u00a0Discerning Eye<\/em>\u00a0(invited\u00a0by Christopher Lloyd, then Surveyor of the Queens\u2019 Pictures),\u00a0Royal Academy Summershow<\/em>\u00a0(x 4) and\u00a0Into the 90\u2019s<\/em> (Selected London postgraduate painters).\u00a0 I have exhibited in 3 Creekside Open exhibitions (APT Deptford), \u00a0chosen by Mark Wallinger, Dexter Dalwood\u00a0\u00a0and Alison Wilding respectively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In 2018 I exhibited in the 60th Anniversary John Moores Painting Prize<\/em> in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.\u00a0 My painting from the exhibition, TreeAirplaneTrap<\/strong>, is now in the collection of the artist Sean Scully<\/strong>.\u00a0 In 2022 I was invited by Sean to contribute another painting to his curated exhibition Hidden UK, Hidden Ireland\u00a0<\/em>in Flowers Gallery, London.<\/p>\r\n \u201cBill Stewart\u2019s \u2018TreeAirplaneTrap\u2019 disappoints at first: an aeroplane caught in a budding shrub could be a clich\u00e9, the clunky entanglement of machine and nature.\u00a0 More importantly it\u2019s an illusion created by scale and angle of vision.\u00a0 The Artist\u2019s capacity to create something that looks real but isn\u2019t, has ramifications for everyone involved in image creation\u2026.Conceptual works such as \u2018TreeAirplaneTrap\u2019 engage the intellect because they deal with Arts\u2019 big issues, such as perception, communication and ambiguity.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Sandra Gibson, Nerve magazine review of John Moores painting prize 2018<\/strong><\/p>\r\n ReturnOfTheWoodpeckerScalpsFollowingTheKlamathRiverByMoonlightWhileTheGhostsOfTwo SalmonLookOnBlackStarVibration15000Miles1981-2019<\/strong> was selected for Wells Art Contemporary 2020.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I am\u00a0a founder member\u00a0with Matt Galpin and Nigel Swift of\u00a0FODO<\/strong>, an exhibition and discussion focus for contemporary artists:\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.foronedayonly.org.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n German Contemporary music composer, Dorothee Eberhardt features my work on CDs of her music http:\/\/www.doroeberhardt.de\/media\/\u00a0 http:\/\/www.doroeberhardt.de\/<\/a><\/p>\r\n Selected exhibitions since 2000<\/strong><\/p>\r\n 2026<\/p>\r\n The First Round Proper:\u00a0 The Second Half<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0BLOC Projects, Sheffield<\/p>\r\n 2025<\/p>\r\n Outpost: Contemporary Art in North Devon<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Studio Kind<\/p>\r\n Studio Kind Summer Open <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n ArizonaFred: A Journey Through Time 1981-2025\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Blanchminster Gallery, The Castle Bude<\/p>\r\n A Bell Is A Cup Until It Is Struck <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 BLOC Projects, Sheffield.<\/p>\r\n 2024<\/p>\r\n Four works in A<\/em>rtonapostcard<\/em> <\/strong>Ten Year Anniversary Auction in aid of research into hepatitis C<\/p>\r\n Royal Academy Summer Exhibition <\/strong><\/em>(Cornelia Parker choice)<\/p>\r\n Slow Painting\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>Exhibition over two venues, Studio Kind Barnstaple and Plough Arts great Torrington Devon featuring artists from Contemporary British painting and invited guests.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n StudioKind Summer open<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n 2023 Landmarks III, smaller paintings and works on paper,<\/em><\/strong> Castle Bude, Willoughby Gallery<\/p>\r\n 2022\u00a0 Hidden UK, Hidden Ireland,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Flowers Gallery, Kingsland Road, London, Group show curated by Sean Scully.\u00a0 The exhibition, curated by Sean, featured 23 artists.\u00a0 \u00a0 ‘….I haven\u2019t actually curated an exhibition,\u00a0<\/em>I\u2019ve 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.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n Olla Podrida, <\/strong><\/em>Plough Arts (group show)<\/p>\r\n 2022\u00a0 Blink and You’ll Miss It<\/strong><\/em>, Safe House Peckham, London (Group show)<\/p>\r\n 2021-2\u00a0 Contemporary British Painting Prize shortlist exhibition, Huddersfield and London, <\/em><\/strong>Contemporary British Painting 2021 | Unit 1 Gallery | Workshop (unit1gallery-workshop.com)<\/a><\/p>\r\n