Biography

                                                                                                        

1973

Neil John Pittaway born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England               

 

 

1985-1990

Attends Horbury School in Yorkshire

 

1990-1993

Attends Wakefield college to study Art and Design

 

 

1993 – 96

Attends Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education (Now Gloucestershire University)

Completing a BA Honours Degree in Fine Art painting

 

 

1995

Wins an Erasmus travel scholarship to study Fine Art at the University of Seville, Andalucia, Spain for one term

Attends classes in Life drawing and lithography printmaking where he is awarded a certificate of Merit

 

Visits the local places of Cordoba, Ronda and Granada (completes paintings and drawings of these places)

 

Organizes a group exhibition of travel scholarship work in the main Gallery of Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education

(Now Gloucestershire University)

 

Commissioned by Broxtowe Borough Council to produce a painting for the DH Lawrence Museum in Nottingham, England

 

 

1996 – 98

Studies and completes a Master of Arts (MA) in Printmaking at the University of Bradford gaining a Distinction grade

(First large scale etchings produced)

   

1997

First works exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, London

 

 

1998 – 01

Admitted to the Royal Academy Schools, London

 

 

Invited to exhibit in Artists in Arms, St. David’s Hall, Cardiff, Edinburgh & Royal Geographic Society, London, A touring exhibition hosted by the British Red Cross & The European Union Humanitarian Office

 

1999 

Awarded The British Institute Prize for Drawing, The Royal Academy of Arts, London

 

Awarded The Print Prize, Bradford Open, Cartwright Hall, Bradford, Yorkshire, (UK)

 

2000

Elected an Associate Member of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers (ARE)

 

Exhibits at the Premiums, Sackler Galleries, Royal Academy of Arts, London

 

Invited to take part in the post it note anniversary exhibition and auction at the Royal Academy of Arts, London  

 

2001

Featured in the Great Artists series, Seventh Art Production for Channel 5 Television, UK

 

Longitude Article is published in Printmaking today, Published in the UK, USA and Canada

 

Longitude etched images are published in Amibit 164 (UK)

 

Takes part in a group drawing project with Mark Wallinger for the 49^th Venice Biennale British Pavilion

 

Graduates from the Royal Academy Schools completing a Royal Academy of Arts Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Art (Three years duration)

 

Is commissioned by Enitharmon Press, London to produce a set of drawings for an Anthology of London Poems  

Entitled London in Poetry and Prose this is later published in 2003

 

Awarded the excellence in drawing Award at the Arts Club, Dover Street, Mayfair, London and then elected an honorary Artist Member

Of the Arts Club Dover street, London

 

Conducts a public interview on his work with Dr Ivan Mosley at the Arts Club, Dover Street, Mayfair, London   

 

Awarded The British Institution Prize For Printmaking, The Royal Academy of Arts, London.

 

First purchase of work by the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

 

Awarded The New Academy Gallery Commission Award, 21st Century Watercolour Open (RWS), Bankside Gallery, London

 

2002

Elected an Associate Member of the Royal Watercolour Society (ARWS)

 

 

First exhbits at the New Ashgate Gallery in Farnham, Surrey, (UK) where he is awarded The Farnham Art Society Prize

 

2003

Drawings for London in Poetry and prose is first published by Enitharmon Press, London

  

A Solo exhbition is held of London Journeys, images of London including the  drawings for London In poetry and Prose (Enitharmon Press), Artsmill, Linden Mill, Hebdon Bridge, Yorkshire

 

Invited to exhibit paintings and drawings in the Discerning Eye at the Mall Galleries, London

 

Guest speaker Wakefield City Art Gallery organised by the friends of Wakefield City Art Gallery (England)

 

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London purchase work for their permanent collection 

 

 

2004

Contributor in the Watercolour Expert is first published internationally in hard copy by Cassells, London and New York

 

 

2005

Elected a full member of both the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) and the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers (RE)

 

Takes part in the Anniversary celebrations and exhibition of the Royal Watercolour Society attending a reception for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

 

 

2005- 2010

Council member of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers (RE)

 

 

Solo Exhibition Emblems and Icons featuring over two hundred works is shown at Burlington fine art, London

 

Commissioned drawings and Article for the Illustration Magazine, London Published in October 2005

 

2006

Contributor in the Watercolour Masters then and now is first published internationally in hard copy by Cassells, London and New York 

 

Travels to China in Winter visiting Shanghai, Beijing, The Great Wall, soujou, zian and the terracotta Army museum (Produces work based on these places) 

 

 

Painting accepted and exhibited in the Sunday Times Watercolour competition London and tours to Manchester

 

 

Contributor to Printmakers directory is first published by A&C Black, London

 

2007

Invited with other members of the Royal Watercolour Society to work alongside leading international Indian Artists at Arangabad India

(A cultural exchange organised by the Arts Trust through the Indian Institute of Contemporary Art, Mumbai)

 

Exhibits large scale Indian paintings at the indian Institute of Contemporary Art in Mumbai and the Nerhu Centre and Bankside Gallery, London

 

 

Awarded the Ashmolean Museum Oxford Prize in the Royal Society of Painter- Printmakers annual members exhibition, London

 

 

 

Undertakes further painting trips to India visiting Mumbai, Delhi, Amritsa, and the Himalayas

 

2007-

Trustee of the Royal Watercolour Society

 

2008

Awarded the Judges 3rd Prize in the A1 Open, North Eastern England exhibtion, The Station, Richmond, Yorkshire 

 

Contributor to Spanning the Thames is first published in hard cover by Artists' Choice additions, London 

 

Painting and drawing trips to Syria, Turkey and India’s Golden triangle

 

 

2009

Distant India Painting selected for the RWS Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, (UK touring show)

 

2009-2010

Trustee of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers (RE)

 

Contributor to Printmakers Secrets is Published in soft cover by A&C Black, London

 

2010 -

Starts work on Royal Albert Hall Painting exhibition, project with the Royal Watercolour Society and The Royal Albert Hall, London (An exhibition entitled 'A year in the life of the Royal Albert Hall' will open at Royal Albert Hall, London in early 2011)  

 

 

 

Public Collections   

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, (UK)	Guy's Hospital, London
Bradford College, (UK)	Royal Watercolour Society Diploma Collection, Bankside Gallery, London
Curwen and New Academy Gallery, London	Royal Society of Painter –Printmakers Diploma Collection, (UK)
The Arts Club, Dover Street, Mayfair, London	St. Paul's Cathedral Library, London
DH Lawrence Museum, Nottingham, (UK)	Institute of Contemporary Indian Art, Mumbai,  India
Guild Hall Art Library, the Corporation of London, City of London   Victoria & Albert Museum, London	The University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, (UK)

Neil's work is also held in many private collections throughout the British Isles, Germany, Spain, Greece, USA, Canada, Taiwan and Australia