Annabel Playfair

Annabel Playfair, born in 1965, is a painter based in the UK and works between her studio in the Cotswolds and “en plain air” throughout the UK and Europe. Her earliest formal training was at the City and Guilds of London which was structured around the classical fundamentals of drawing, perspective, colour and composition. She then completed a BA at Chelsea School of Art in Graphics and Illustration, before finishing her studies at L’ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris studying the human form and painting the bustling scenes of one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

Annabel’s creative mind is constantly on the go, finding new inspiration every day and seeing a new painting wherever she looks. She is particularly inspired by the work of the Post Impressionists with their use of colour and composition and would describe her style as ‘figurative and energetic’.

Annabel has lived in the Cotswolds for over 30 years and the landscapes of rolling hills scattered with sheep, bluebell woods and the seasonal variations have particularly inspired many of her paintings. Hers and neighbouring homes and gardens provide a constant flow of colourful interiors and terrace scenes which reflect those moments of every day life. Whilst most of her time is spent in the Cotswolds she travels with her paints further afield in the UK, with her favourite areas being the coasts of Cornwall and Norfolk, as well as one or two special Glens in Scotland. She also loves to paint throughout Southern Europe capturing the exciting variations in colour and light within the obviously stunning scenes from that part of the world.

Annabel’s studio is based near Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds.