BIOGRAPHY
Andrew Kinsman is a self-taught artist and musician, who sold his first piece of artwork at age 12. He has painted commissions for celebrities and royalty, and recorded soundtracks and albums with the likes of Noel Gallagher and English rock band, Kasabian.
After years living in London, Cambridge, Bristol and Cyprus, Andrew now lives in Bath, and continues to practice both art forms passionately, dedicating his time equally to advancing his musical career and acquiring reputable art commissions.
During his formative years as an artist, Andrew drew inspiration from a collection of books his parents owned, called Great Artists. Within this collection, he found himself innately drawn to landscape painting – particularly to works by English Romanticist painters John Constable and J.M.W. Turner. He also became interested in the use of symbolism and the incorporation of mythology used by the Pre-Raphaelites and the Aesthetes of the 19th century. As his art progressed, and his technique became more refined, Andrew turned his focus to the 17th century Dutch School, and this is where he discovered a profound appreciation for intense colour palettes, the capture of drama, and the realism associated with – and well accomplished by – the Dutch Masters. The trait Andrew finds most captivating, and which still influences his painting to this day, is the ability to create a snapshot of real life – to create, in painting, the surroundings, emotions and thoughts present in a single moment.
Andrew had his first major exhibition at The Victoria Art Gallery in Bath, aged 21 – but he abandoned art at 25, to focus solely on music…
For several years Andrew devoted himself to developing his musical talent and knowledge. He began with the saxophone, and would eventually learn to also play the clarinet, flute and piano. Working long hours on an assembly line in a factory, he would take his saxophone to work, turning the cold room into a practice studio during breaks. Eventually he saved enough money to be able to leave the factory job and focus solely on playing. He toured as many music venues as possible, and graced stages and recording studios in Cyprus, Italy, and throughout the UK.
As Andrew nurtured his talent, he built an impressive portfolio, playing and recording with noted bands from the British pop and rock scenes, such as The Levellers, The Specials, Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals, and Nadine Coyle from Girls Aloud. In 2010, Kasabian invited Andrew to tour with them, completing the horn section with trumpeter and original band member, Gary Alesbrook. He has played at several infamous venues, including The London Coliseum, Brixton Academy, the Barbican centre, and V-Festival (to 85,000 people!). He has also recently recorded on albums for Kasabian and Noel Gallagher. In 2010, he featured on the soundtrack of London Boulevard, a film starring Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone, having recorded the theme song, ‘The Green Fairy,’ with Kasabian.
Eventually, it became apparent to Andrew that he couldn’t suppress his love for art any longer, or deny his need to exercise both creative outlets – so he took up painting again, and completed commissions for His Highness Sheik Mohammed, Sultan Al Thani of Qatar, American actor Rolf Saxon, and celebrity chef Eric Lanlard. On the back of his work for Lanlard, London’s Halcyon Gallery commissioned Andrew in 2011 to paint a distinguished portrait of the Hariri Family, Lebanon’s wealthiest and most powerful ruling family. He was also asked to paint American actress Elisabeth Moss, while she was in London performing Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour, alongside British actress Keira Knightley. However, Andrew’s most prestigious commission to date was in 2012 when Royal Mail asked him to paint a series of 11 stamps to commemorate 150 years of League football. Among the many players featured were Sir Bobby Moore, George Best and Dennis Law.
In 2013, after a sell out show at Signal gallery in Shoreditch London, Andrew was taken on by art giants Castle galleries, with whom he continues to work. As well as showcasing his originals, they’re also producing limited-edition prints that are exhibiting all over the UK. In 2014, he was commissioned once again by the Halcyon gallery – this time to paint a member of the Jaffali's, the billionaire Saudi family. Due to the success of this large canvas, the Halcyon gallery housed three of Andrew's originals in their Harrods gallery, alongside many originals by Warhol, Picasso and Matisse.
In 2015, into 2016, Andrew was invited to exhibit in London, at the prestigious Flux show at the Royal College of Art, and at The Old Brewery on Brick Lane.
He subsequently moved from London to Bath, where he set up a studio at the famous Royal Crescent, and worked on a new body of work based on the 'cafe society' of Paris. This involved five shows around the UK from May till July 2017. Also that year, Kasabian released their sixth studio album, which Andrew contributed to in 2016.
Andrew recorded on two tracks on the album "For Crying Out Loud", including 'Are You Looking For Action?', an 8 minute song which features Andrew's saxophone solo. He later went on two UK tours at the end of 2017, and again during summer of 2018 - playing at such venues and festivals as Reading/Leeds Festival, Royal Albert Hall, O2 London, Lollapalooza Paris, MEN Manchester Arena, and the Isle of Wight Fest, to name a few.
Andrew also had a couple of past portraits published for books. The first was of TV celebrity pastry chef Eric Lanlard in which Eric used Andrew's portrait of him for his most recent book cover, ' chocolat', and in October 2019 Andrew's portrait of Baroness Shirley Williams will be published In Somerville's College's book to commemorate their 140th anniversary. The portrait is also now in their permanent exhibition.