Ann Armitage is a contemporary British artist known for her work in oil painting, with a focus on still lifes, flowers, and landscapes. Born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, in 1959, she studied Fine Art at Canterbury College of Art and Design, graduating in 1987 with a BA Honours Degree. After her studies, she spent time developing her practice in various locations, including a stint in Faversham, Kent, where she rented a studio for three years. Her early career was marked by extensive travel, including a three-month trip through Spain and later journeys to Nepal and India, which she supported by working part-time as a gardener while based in London.
Armitage’s artistic journey took her to London in 1998, where she settled and rented a studio in Parade Mews, Tulse Hill. During this period, her work gained recognition and was exhibited at prestigious venues such as the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the Discerning Eye Exhibition, the New English Art Club, and the Royal Society of British Artists at the Mall Galleries. She also held a solo exhibition in Bergen, Norway, at Gallery Urd. In 2006, she relocated to the remote West Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, a move that significantly influenced her artistic output. The rugged Cornish landscape, with its dramatic coastlines, crashing seas, and atmospheric light, became a key inspiration for her textured seascapes and landscapes.
Her still life paintings often feature everyday objects from her studio—pots, bottles, and cups—arranged with careful attention to their relationships, light, and form. This approach results in works that are reflective and almost meditative, showcasing her skill in layering paint and scratching into surfaces to reveal warm undertones. Armitage’s process is deeply tactile and visual, often beginning with preparing her own panels, where the underpainting plays an integral role in the final piece. She has cited influences such as William Nicholson and Euan Uglow, whose approaches to still life resonate in her minimalist yet evocative compositions.
Armitage’s work has been widely exhibited across the UK, including at the Royal West of England Academy and the New English Art Club. She has received notable accolades, such as the Regional Prize for the West Country at the 2008 Discerning Eye Exhibition, where she was invited to show six paintings by selector Fred Cuming RA. That same year, one of her pieces was accepted into the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
Living and working in Cornwall, Armitage continues to draw from her surroundings, blending memory and observation into her art. Her studio, tucked away near Land’s End, is a space filled with sketchbooks and collages that reflect her ongoing creative exploration. Her distinctive style—marked by strong, simple compositions and a unique way of seeing objects—has made her a respected figure in contemporary British art.
