Roberta Heslop

Joined Artfinder: Jan. 2015

Artworks for sale: 162

(25)

United Kingdom

Updates from Roberta Heslop's studio

  • A trip that reminded me why I paint

    A trip that reminded me why I paint

    I have just come back from Florence, where Mark Rothko has come home to Italy. Over 70 of his works are showing across three venues in the historic centre until 23 August 2026. I have loved his paintings for years. My late sister Sam and I would stand for hours in front of them at the Tate Modern, lost in those floating colours. She is the reason I first looked at him properly, so this trip meant a great deal. The moment I keep returning to was at the Museo di San Marco. The curators have hung Rothko's paintings inside the friars' cells, right beside Fra Angelico's frescoes from the 1440s. Two painters, five hundred years apart, using colour to make a space for prayer. I stood in one cell for a long time and did not want to leave. It reminded me why I paint the way I do. We share so much. Italy, a meditative presence, and the belief that colour is a feeling before it is a description. I came home with colour in my body and Sam close beside me. You can see how that same love of colour and the female form runs through my own paintings here in my Artfinder shop. Roberta xx

    15 June 2026
    The brushes came out first.

    The brushes came out first.

    The brushes came out first. Obviously. I've just moved into a new studio - well, my second attempt. I started in the room next door and then we realised this one had the most incredible light. So here I am again, mid-transfer, walls covered in filler, boxes everywhere. But the brushes were unpacked before any of that got sorted. That says everything about what painting means to me. Not something I need the right conditions for. More like breathing. It just goes on, whatever else is unresolved. I'll do a proper studio tour once I've actually moved in. For now - this is where I am. Brushes out, walls still waiting. Worth it for the light though.

    01 June 2026
    Two new large paintings on linen: Lila and Freya

    Two new large paintings on linen: Lila and Freya

    I've been working on something a little different. Lila and Freya are both 100cm x 100cm, painted in white acrylic on natural linen primed with clear gesso. No colour. Just the body, the weave of the canvas, and the marks. I've been thinking about stripping things back lately. About how little you actually need to say something true. These two paintings came out of that - a relaxed experiment in line and gesture, seeing what the female form looks like when you take almost everything away. There's something about natural linen that suits the female body. The warmth of it, the texture, the way it breathes. The canvas isn't just a background here, it's part of the painting. Skin and weave feel like they belong together, like the most natural thing in the world. Lila is seated. Folded into herself, quiet, at rest. The marks are minimal. Just enough to find her. Freya stands. The linen does something beautiful beneath her. The natural ground and the natural form just find each other. Same palette as Lila, same canvas, completely different energy. They're both available now in my shop. If one of them feels like she belongs with you, I'd love for her to find the right home. Roberta x

    28 April 2026
    Meet Me at Transcendence

    Meet Me at Transcendence

    Next month I'm doing something that feels really special to me. My solo exhibition Transcendence has been showing at Transcend Wellness London since last year - 23 original paintings across three floors - and on 16 May I'll be there in person for an afternoon that I've been really looking forward to. I'll be talking about the paintings, what drives them, and what the collection means to me - and then the wonderful Rizwana Virdee will be guiding everyone through a 2-hour divine feminine meditation to finish. I'll be joining in the meditation too. I wouldn't miss that. It's open to anyone who wants to come - not just collectors or art people. It's really for anyone who needs a couple of hours to slow down and come back to themselves. Saturday 16 May | 4-6pm Transcend Wellness London, Oxygen & Recovery Studios, Kingston Booking is required and places are limited - there's a link on my website if you feel the pull. Roberta x

    28 April 2026
    Something blue has taken over the studio...

    Something blue has taken over the studio...

    I don't always plan a body of work. Sometimes a colour just arrives and refuses to leave - and that's exactly what happened with cobalt blue. (Elizabeth Gilbert talks about ideas having their own energy, seeking out the right person at the right moment - I think cobalt found me) It started with Lapis. A larger canvas, a woman completely at ease in herself, that deep, almost luminous blue wrapping around her. There's something about cobalt that feels both ancient and alive - it has a weight to it, a richness. I loved working with it so much that I couldn't stop there. What followed was a trio - three small square paintings that belong together. Free. Revel. Whole. Each one a woman in her own moment, her own feeling. Separately they're intimate little works. Side by side, they become something else - a conversation, almost. A quiet celebration. I've been working in acrylic with Indian ink on these smaller pieces, which gives a softness to the line I really love. And there's something freeing about a 10x10 canvas - no room to overcomplicate things. Just the figure, the colour, the feeling. All four pieces are up in my shop now - the trio can also be collected together as a set, which is how I'd love to see them hung. If any of them are speaking to you, come and have a look. I'd love for them to find the right home. Roberta x

    23 March 2026
    A Weekend of Transcendence

    A Weekend of Transcendence

    Weekend in London, installing my solo exhibition Transcendence. It was a full few days of movement, intuition, and quiet reflection - 23 works finding their home across three floors. I had the beautiful support of the Transcend Wellness London team, who helped curate the flow of the pieces with such care and sensitivity. Together we listened to the energy of each work - how they spoke to one another, how they breathed in the space. There’s something deeply humbling about seeing months of emotion, colour, and truth take physical form. This collection carries the energy of release - of letting go, trusting the unknown, and allowing something freer to move through. Standing there, mid-install, surrounded by fragments of that journey, I felt both grounded and expanded all at once. It’s a strange kind of stillness - the one that comes after pouring yourself into something. The work takes on a life of its own, and you just stand quietly beside it, breathing it in.

    22 October 2025
    Soft Amour on the easel

    Soft Amour on the easel

    I spent the day with Soft Armour, moving between long pauses and fast, expressive brushwork. The studio was quiet except for the hum of rain against the windows and a playlist that felt just introspective enough to match the mood of the piece. There’s something raw and honest about painting the body like this. Letting go of perfection and leaning into gesture, intuition, and feeling. The figure began to emerge almost on its own, softened and strong, like she was breathing beneath the brush. The name Soft Armour came to me as I stepped back for a break, tea in hand. It struck me how exposed she is… and yet there’s a shield there too. Not one built from hardness, but from groundedness. From knowing herself. It reminded me that sometimes our gentleness is the protection. And that kind of strength - quiet, feminine, unapologetic - is what I hope this painting holds.

    29 July 2025
    Kindred Spirits

    Kindred Spirits

    There’s something magical about capturing the quiet intimacy between two souls. Kindred Spirits emerged from a place of deep connection, a celebration of love, trust, and shared vulnerability. In the studio, I’ve been exploring the tender strength of human closeness, allowing soft strokes and muted tones to speak where words cannot. I wanted this piece to feel alive, like a fleeting moment suspended in time - full of warmth, movement, and emotion. It’s a joy watching this painting take form under natural light as it evolves on the easel. Each layer adds a new whisper to their story. 💛 Do you ever feel drawn to artworks that reflect your own connections? I’d love to know what this piece evokes for you.

    06 July 2025
    Listening to Colour

    Listening to Colour

    This is where it begins — in quiet moments of mixing, testing, and listening. These are the colours calling to me right now. Earthy, moody, softened by intuition. I follow what draws me in, not for a specific painting, but because something in them feels alive, full of potential. Mixing colours like this is part ritual, part exploration. It’s where the emotional palette for future work begins to take shape — slowly, honestly, and always guided by feeling over formula.

    26 May 2025

    Unboxing a Commissioned Painting – Through My Collector’s Eyes

    Unboxing a Commissioned Painting – Through My Collector’s Eyes 🎥 One of the most rewarding parts of being an artist is witnessing the emotional connection someone forms with a piece created just for them. This video captures such a moment—an unboxing of a recent commission by a wonderful collector. From the start, this project was deeply personal. Through open conversation and trust, I was able to tune in to what they wanted to express—liberation, strength, authenticity. I poured that intention into every brushstroke. When I watched this video for the first time, I got goosebumps. Seeing the raw emotion as the painting was revealed reminded me why I do what I do. Art isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about connection. It’s about creating something that resonates on a soul level. This piece now lives in their home as a symbol of empowerment and self-love. And for me, that’s the greatest honour—to create something that becomes part of someone’s personal journey. If you're curious about commissioning a piece like this, I’d love to hear from you.

    06 May 2025
    Voluptuous

    Voluptuous

    One of my absolute favourites, 'Voluptuous' has a special place in my studio (until she finds her new home of course). I took this photo today to share with you. I love what she symbolises and what I feel when I look at her: freedom from perfectionism, self love, inspiration. 60" x 48" x 1.5" - Indian ink on canvas

    31 October 2024
    A Triple Tribute to the Female Form

    A Triple Tribute to the Female Form

    I recently completed a trilogy of oil paintings, each uniquely powerful on its own yet harmonising beautifully as a collection. Here they are hanging together. These large canvases are all 30" x 40" on deep-edge, gallery wrapped canvas

    15 October 2024