Pop goes the portrait

By Lauren Krotosky - Thursday 19th 2009f November 2009


Meet an artist whose Andy Warhol-inspired work adorns the most discerning walls

Got a white wall that's begging to be adorned? A great piece of modern art may be just what it needs. And if you can't afford an original Andy Warhol then here is the next best thing. Inspired by the man himself, Joanna Gilbert paints pop-art style pictures for clients including House of Fraser.

"Work comes through word of mouth. I tend to work off photographs emailed to me," she explains. "After I have a feel for what a client wants I work on the design using Photoshop and send a few over for them to review. Once they have the chosen one in mind I get to work and paint it on a canvas around 30x40 inches."

Born in India, Joanna moved to the slightly less exotic Kingston upon Thames at the age of two where she grew up as one of only three Jewish people at her school. After graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University, she jumped straight into sales promotion and marketing roles before moving into the events industry, then realised that her true vocation was art. Now 31 and living in Whetstone with her husband and two children, she paints while the kids are at nursery.

So when did Joanna first realise she had an artistic streak? "I think one of the earliest memories I have is of me drawing on mum's wooden kitchen cabinets," she recalls. "Using felt tip pens, I literally transformed the whole kitchen into a work of art. Mum was horrified but I reckon that it could have given Tracey Emin a run for her money! Luckily, I had used washable pens."

Her inspiration, clearly, is Warhol. "I love his work," she says. "I also take inspiration from Allison Leftcort - her work is very simple, yet edgy and she has lots of celebrity clients."

It takes up to 15 hours to complete a picture. She has just finished working on Painting Peace, a picture which shows a soldier praying at the Kotel. "Painting Peace is a concept I had in my mind for a while," she explains. "I guess I just wanted to create a painting that reminded us that there are people - soldiers - fighting to protect our country on our behalf. And they, like us, pray for peace every day."

Joanna says that when her Israeli friend Miri walked into her house halfway through the painting of Painting Peace, she burst into tears with emotion. "Her reaction was just amazing," she says. "I have promised her the painting when it's done."

She also thought it would be a good idea to be filmed painting it, so people can see the process. "I had a quick peek at the footage speeded up and it is funny as both of my kids are in it at some point and I just look like I am standing up and sitting down a lot. My confidence is growing with every happy customer. There are always going to be fine artists who can create paintings like they are photographs. I like to turn photographs into paintings and add a little pop."

View Joanna's work at www.joannagilbert.com