About

Sophie Hall is a painter living and working in Stockport, England. Their representational style is concerned with capturing emotion and humanity through detailed observation and realistic rendering. During secondary education in Buxton, Derbyshire, Sophie discovered a love for portraiture and oil painting and won the young person’s award from the Peak District Artisans in 2011. At age 18 they studied oil painting, drawing and traditional studio practise as an apprentice under James Gillick, where they developed a thoughtful still life series inspired by Dutch Masters. A dedicated and passionate artist, Sophie values classical painting techniques but also embraces more modern digital tools, while retaining a strong sense of traditional draughtsmanship throughout. Their paintings and drawings have been exhibited in Buxton’s Green Man Gallery, including as a prize winner in the Buxton Spa Prize, and at Stockport’s War Memorial Art Gallery, amongst others.

Sophie in their studio in 2013, working on an oil painting reprise

Sophie's current studio space in 2026 (a rather lovely garden shed!)

In detail

Sophie's professional career began with an exclusive apprenticeship with esteemed oil painter James Gillick, where they learned still life oil painting techniques, how to draw and paint from life, as well as various traditional studio skills including panel and frame making. Since then they have worked as a sole trading artist for 12 years, honing their skills and developing various projects and portfolios, alongside commission work. 

From early school days Sophie has been most inspired by portrait and figure work, always motivated by the desire to reveal the truth of the human subject by accurately capturing their individual features.

Over the last few years Sophie has developed more into wildlife artwork, inspired by commissions received from pet owners, and discovering there is just as much character to discover in the features of a beloved cat or dog. While continuing to move with modern technology and practising digital artwork creation, Sophie always remains grounded in their roots of traditional draughtsmanship and working from life. As has been the case throughout their life, they tend to be happiest in the studio and working with oils.

The ravages of oil paint!

At present Sophie spends their time painting in their garden studio, drawing digitally from their ipad and designing branding and marketing for a local theatre and choir. In between Sophie sells work at fairs and markets, and occasional exhibitions, as well as here on this website. 

Sophie at an art fair in Stockport in Summer 2026