I’m an artist, writer, and arts educator with a widely multi-disciplinary studio practice that ranges from “traditional” mediums (drawing, painting) to new media such as digital, video, and installation. While drawing with just about any medium is usually my favourite thing, I also love teaching art and learning new ways to be creative!
The most recent exhibition where I’m showing work, “FAKE – Wie wahr ist die Wirklichkeit?” is on at Konvikt Haus der Kultur in Prüm, Germany from 4-19 October 2025. This exhibition showcases drawings, painting, and sculpture from 12 artists of the Drawing Studio 23 collective, who engaged in the Drawing Development Year (online) at Royal Drawing School in 2023. Also called “ODDY” for short, this was a fantastic opportunity to focus on drawing with a cohort of like-minded artists/makers, all of us working together from home studios with support from experienced artist-educators. This is the 2nd (or 3rd?) iteration of their Drawing Development Year offered as an 100% online format and l was so glad for a bit of a break from teaching digital creative skills through a URL to being on the student-side of online learning for a change. Not only was the year spent on on “traditional” drawing skills in a very contemporary way, I also learned a lot from *how* this practical/hands-on training was delivered in a virtual environment.
Following the Drawing Development Year, the ODDY cohort put on “Drawing Beyond” exhibition at Royal Drawing School (5-12 March 2024), which brought together Drawing Studio 23 a collective of 28 artists from Royal Drawing School’s ODDY23.
The year before the ODDY course, I had the opportunity to show some work from my #365LoveNotesToSelf project in “Love and Loss”, Tate’s Staff Biennale 2022 (16-23 March 2022) at Tate Modern. In this series, began 14 February 2022 and ending 365 days later, I engaged a daily drawing practice as a kind of art therapy, as a tool to find self-love and as a means of commitment to self-care by looking in the mirror 20 minutes a day.
Other exhibitions of note include: “2018 Passion for Freedom Festival” (October 2018) in London, “Inside Job” at Tate Modern (April 2018) and “Stations of Water” (October 2017) a group exhibition and education programme at St Paul’s Cathedral in which nine artists were commissioned to present work in conjunction with their Just Water 2017 campaign.
Previously, I’ve been a part of an ambitious international project called “Connect:Katowice and London“, a year-long venture 2016-2107 in which 30 or so UK and Polish artists collaborated across borders, language, and culture to make artwork, and exhibit together first in London 1-16 December 2016 at Hornsey Town Hall then at Rondo Gallery in Katowice, Poland, in June 2017.
Alongside my studio practice, I sometimes keep an online arts journal “Kelise Soixante-Douze” (kelise72.com) where I review arty stuff from exhibitions/events to art classes, books, and sometimes, artist tools and techniques. I also enjoy volunteering for Tate where I lead guided arty tours and talks for visitors, most recently conducting 30-minute “Family Tours” for the younger art-lovers and their caretakers. In these tours, I guide the group to see and talk about 3 artworks along a particular art theme or term, with a pre-prepared creative activity at the end. So fun!
In my “side hustle” that supports my art practice, I teach creative digital skills and support learning technology (online and in person) at University of the Arts London, to help students (as well as my colleagues) use available technology to aid their teaching and learning as well as foster a skill set they can use beyond university.
I hold a PgCert in Academic Practice in Art, Design, and Communication from UAL (for which I was awarded a Distinction and Fellowship with Advance HE, “a member-led, sector-owned charity that works with institutions and higher education across the world to improve higher education for staff, students and society”. ) I earned the MA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts (2015), and the BA Fine Art (Painting) from Wimbledon College of Arts (2013).
Before my life as an artist, I trained in computer science/maths and enjoy a balance of IT/project work along with my art practice.
I live and work in London, UK.
Check out my Instagram for daily updates on my studio activities: @kelisefranclemont
For more detail about my projects and exhibitions, click the link to my cv/bio.
To read about other arty things I get up to in London, check out:
http://www.kelise72.com – rhymes with reviews – about art, the unusual, and out-of-the-way places.