Annabel Cullen lives and works in London. She trained at Camberwell School of Art and Crafts and the Royal College of Art, where the focus of her work was autobiographical figure compositions and portrait. Her tutors included Dick Lee, David Hepher and David Tindle.
Portraiture
The human figure has always been at the heart of Annabel's work, whether in narrative or straight portraiture. She won the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in 1990, since when she has undertaken numerous portrait commissions. In nearly all cases work is made entirely from in-person sittings.
If you are interested in commissioning a portrait please use the contact form to make an enquiry. Sittings usually take place in Annabel’s London studio, but she can also travel to the sitter’s location if necessary. Depending on size, between four and eight sittings of around two hours each are generally required.
Other work
She also examines, through drawing and print making, the structure of trees, and is a member of The Arborealists group of artists. Drawings are generally made from observation on site, and form the basis of further drawings made in the studio, together with prints, predominantly lithographs. The studio drawings explore the interplay of observation, memory and imagination, and the suggestive power of random marks on paper from which the works develop.
About the tree drawings - “I have been drawing trees for some years, attracted by their anthropomorphic qualities and the suggestion of movement within a static form. The trunk and branches are analogous with the human body, and can be seen as expressive of human feeling and emotion.”
Teaching
Annabel has been a life drawing tutor at Putney School of Art and Design since 2007, and visiting tutor at The Art Academy, London.