An alumni from Kingston University's School of Art has spoken about enjoying the creative process after he was named as the winner of the Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2020 competition.

Curtis Holder, who triumphed over 1,000 others to be crowned the winner of last year's competition in December, lives in South London and juggles his art with part-time primary school teaching.

Curtis graduated from KU's School of Art with a BA in Graphic Design, and employs a wide array of pencils from watercolours to charcoals to produce stunningly detailed and textured works.

"I saw all these painters and their work looked amazing. There was me with my pencils.

"I didn’t think I would get far so I decided I would just be the artist I wanted to be and have some fun," he said of the competition, which consequently freed up his craft and saw him progress all the way to the final.

Surrey Comet: Curtis Holder with Carlos Acosta and his portrait of the ballet dancer. Curtis Holder with Carlos Acosta and his portrait of the ballet dancer.

His winning portraits in the final round of the prestigious competition were of comedy star Eddie Izzard and another of Curtis’ partner Steve with their dog Freddie.

"I always start each drawing with a conversation to make a connection with the person I am drawing, to listen to what they say and respond to that.

"What comes out of this is their feelings and emotions combined with my own to produce a portrait...I was aware of Eddie’s comedy and stage work and marathon running," he said.

Surrey Comet: Curtis Holder sketching Eddie Izzard during the final. Curtis Holder sketching Eddie Izzard during the final.

"What we talked about were gender identity and the challenges of navigating a career as a creative person. I listened to what Eddie had to say and responded to that to produce my portrait," the KU alumni added.

The South London artist, who also spoke passionately about the importance of art for children during the coronavirus pandemic, further reflected on coming of age in an industry dominated by white people in the UK.

"When you don’t see yourself reflected in an industry, then rightly or wrongly you feel it is closed to you," he said.

"It held me back, but it also made me more determined. I decided that being an artist was who I am and what I wanted to do.

"Hopefully, seeing me as an artist will inspire other young artists who feel somehow that they don’t fit in," he added.