Sophie Knight | Still Life Meditations

Sophie Knight

Still Life Meditations

Thinking of Rousseau and his Palette mixed media on paper 113 × 80 cm

Sophie Knight

In an increasingly hectic and chaotic world, Knight takes refuge in her studio and hones down her compositions to simple arrangements in which she orders simple everyday objects. Finding a balance of colour and form, she seeks to create a sense of harmony and tranquillity.

She sometimes references other artists’ paintings in her own work, these references are a nod to the thought process she is working through… decisions of representation or abstraction, a celebration of the process which has captured her, which she has made her life … that of being a painter.

Sophie Knight R.W.S R.A (dip) trained at Camberwell School of Art and completed her postgraduate diploma at the Royal Academy Schools. At just 24, she was invited to become a member of the Royal Watercolour Society and won the prestigious Hunting Group Young Person’s Award. Known for her energetic, immersive approach to painting, Knight works both in situ and from her London studio, capturing the fleeting interplay of light, colour and atmosphere in urban and natural landscapes.

Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, including the House of Lords, the Prime Minister’s Chamber, the British Museum (RWS Archive), Freshfi elds Solicitors, Pilkington International, and TSB Bank. She has exhibited widely across the UK, Europe, the USA and Canada, with recent solo shows at the Royal Watercolour Society Gallery and The Jane Newbury Gallery. Knight has also completed major commissions for the Palace of Westminster and led workshops at Buckingham Palace as part of the Queen’s 90th Birthday celebrations.

Blue Room with a Little Red Dish and a Ben Nicholson Relief acrylic and watercolour on gesso primed paper 105 × 106 cm

86

127

Ceramic Vases with Dried Thistles

watercolour and pencil 86 × 66 cm

Contemporary Japanese Ceramics with Vine mixed media on paper 66 × 86 cm

Roses and Dahlias

watercolour and pencil on paper 66 × 86 cm

Vase and Begonia Leaves

mixed medium on paper 86 × 66 cm

86

Cornish Pots, Ben Nicholson and Little Bird mixed medium on Arches paper 72 × 163 cm

Figs with Cornish Jug and Ben Nicholson Drawing

mixed media on paper 97 × 100 cm

mixed media on paper 62 × 134 cm

Ceramic Vessels in Light from the Window

mixed media and iridescent pigment 86 × 66 cm

Contemporary Japanese Vase with Lucie Rie Bowl and Pear watercolour and iridescent pigment on paper 86 × 66 cm

Parade of China with William Scott Painting mixed medium on paper 66 × 147 cm

Two Ceramic Vessels Under the Spotlights mixed medium on paper 86 × 66 cm

Ceramic Vessels with Flowers mixed medium on paper 86 × 66 cm

Tropical Flower with Daisies and Chinese Vase

mixed medium and gold pigment on paper 86 × 66 cm

SOPHIE KNIGHT R.W.S. R.A. (dip)

At the age of 24, Sophie was spotted by the Royal Watercolour Society and invited to become an associate member, 3 years later becoming a full member. She also won her first large painting award, the ‘Hunting Group Young Person’s Award,’ for a large canvas painted in oil.”

Since completing her postgraduate diploma at the Royal Academy of Art in 1989, Sophie has had numerous exhibitions in London and touring shows in Spain, the USA and Canada.

In 1999 she received a prestigious commission to paint six watercolours which are now housed permanently in the House of Lords. She was pleased to recently discover she also has a painting hung in the Prime Minister’s chamber. Sophie also worked on location inside the Palace of Westminster producing two large watercolours of its interior, now hung in the new parliamentary building. She has been collected by numerous private collectors and has work in the British Museum (The Royal Watercolour Society Archives), the TSB Bank (The City), and several corporate collections, including Pilkingtons and Freshfields Solicitors.

Recent Events

2025 ‘Art on a postcard’ charity auction. Artists included Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin

The British Art Fair at The Saatchi Gallery with The Long and Ryle Gallery

The London Art Fair at Business Design Centre with The Long and Ryle Gallery

2024 The British Art Fair at The Saatchi Gallery with The Long and Ryle Gallery

The Hong Kong Art Fair

2022 Featured in six tv part series ‘The Next Big Thing‘as a mentor to young artist

2019 The Affordable Art Fair, featured artist with The Russell Gallery

2018 Exhibiting at The Hong Kong Art Fair with The Siger Gallery

2017 Demonstrated my watercolour techniques for Windsor & Newton launch of their new paper at Bankside Gallery

2017 Secret post card sale (donated small painting) Bankside Gallery, London

Interviewed Live on “London Live”, to discuss my work and “London a Sense of Place” Exhibition

2015 Demonstrated Watercolour painting at The Milliken showrooms as part of Art and Design Week, Clerkenwell

As part of the Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration, Ran two day watercolour workshop at Buckingham Palace, and the Palace Gardens

Solo Exhibitions

2024 The RWS Gallery, London WC2

2023 The RWS Gallery, London WC2

The Jane Newbury Gallery, Dulwich Village

2019 The Jane Newbury Gallery, Dulwich Village

2017 The Jane Newbury Gallery, Dulwich Village

2013 The Bircham Gallery, Holt Norfolk

2010 The Bircham Gallery, Holt Norfolk

2006 Gallery 47, Holborn, London

1998 Selected Artist at Bankside Gallery

The Unicorn Gallery, South Kensington, London

1996 Gallery 47, Holborn London

1993 Waterman Fine Art, Piccadilly, London

1991 Cadogan Contemporaray, South Kensington, London

Selected Exhibitions

Yearly

The Royal Watercolour Society, Bankside Gallery, London

2023 Christmas Show, The Russel Gallery, Sydenham, London

2022 Summer Show, The Russel Gallery, Sydenham, London

2021 Summer Show, The Russel Gallery, Sydenham, London

2018 “Equinox” The Felix and Spear Gallery, Ealing London

2017 “Clash” The Siger Gallery , Marylebone, London

2016 The Jane Newbury Gallery, Dulwich Village

2012 “Circus” The London Group Open, Hoxton, London

2010 The Bircham Gallery, Holt, Norfolk

2008 The Bircham Gallery, Holt, Norfolk

The Watercolour and Drawing Fair, The Museum of Mankind, London

2006 The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, The Mall Galleries, London

2004 The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, The Mall Galleries, London

2003 The Drawing and Watercolour Fair, The Royal Academy of Art, London

2002 The Summer Exhibition, The Royal Academy of Art

1993 The Reutlingnen Gallery, Germany

1992 The New Collection of contemporary paintings, The New Parliamentary Building Long & Ryle, London. Two Person exhibition

1990 The Olympia Art Fair, London

1989 The Summer Exhibition, The Royal Academy of Art The Hunting Group Exhibition, The Mall Galleries

Awards

2025 The Trevor Frankland award [voted by the public] at the Royal Watercolour Society

1990 The Hunting Group Young Person award for painting, The Mall Galleries

1989 The Eric Kennington Prize for the encouragement of Good Drawing

1988 The David Murray Scholarship for Landscape

1987 The Fred Elwell Prize for Still Life

1986 The Ian Tregarthen Jenkin Award for Drawing

Education

2000-01 PGCE University of Greenwich, London

1986-89 RA (Dip) The Royal Academy Schools

1982-83 Hertfordshire College of Art & Design

Collections

The House of Lords, Westminster

The New Parliamentary building, Westminster

The British Museum (in archive R.W.S collection)

Art UK online British art in museums

T.S.B bank, London

Freshfields Solicitors, London

Hardback Publications

Watercolour Secrets, The R.W.S.

The Watercolour Expert, The R.W.S.

Watercolour Masters, Now and Then, The R.W.S.

Published to coincide with the Exhibition

SOPHIE KNIGHT: STILL LIFE MEDITATIONS

5 March –10 April 2026

All works © Sophie Knight

Catalogue © Long & Ryle, 2026

Design by Graham Rees Design