FIGURE DRAWING
Self-expression & the Body
Leo Crane collaborates with a variety of subjects to explore self-expression through the body.
Leo studied painting and drawing from life with Maggi Hambling CBE. Using his animation training, he seeks movement and gesture in every pose, expressed in charcoal, watercolour and oils.
In 2019, he was selected to appear in Sky TV’s Portrait Artist of the Year, winning sitter’s choice for his portrait of Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson. Since then, he has exhibited across the UK and internationally, including Guildford House Open (2025), Maggi Hambling: Teacher (2024) and the Royal West of England Academy Open (2022), as well as his solo exhibition POSE! Reclaiming the Nude at Batsford Gallery (2023). A full exhibition history is listed here.
In 2021, he co-authored and illustrated the book Contemporary Figures in Watercolour, commissioned by Batsford following the success of his watercolour animation Nude Triumphant (2020). He has since been featured in publications including Portraits for NHS Heroes (Bloomsbury, 2021), HRH Princess Margaret: 20 Years 20 Artworks (Ken Griffiths Bureau, 2022), Decentralised Please Save Culture (New Society, 2023) and Tempus Magazine (2022).
