Wendy Barratt is an artist who is fascinated with representing the human - both in portraiture and life drawing. Her portraiture is made primarily in oil paint whereas life drawing becomes an experiment in mostly dry media.

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She studied graphic design in Manchester back in the early 80's and has been working ever since as a designer… up until recently when she launched herself as a full-time artist. Throughout her career, she has spent a lot of her spare time in the life room honing her artistic skills as well as passing on her love of drawing and painting onto others through teaching.

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Taking inspiration from people whom she draws in the life room, people encountered both in real life and through found images, Wendy's portraiture is led by the shapes and connections she sees in her subjects as well as the emotion, expression and human connection between artist and sitter.

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The early days of her career as an artist have seen her paintings accepted for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition for 2 years running as well as being selected for the Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Awards exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. She was elected a member of the Contemporary British Portrait Painters in early 2024. She is also the winner of Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2023 Series (10) and her winning commission of Dame Jane Goodall now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.