Welcome to my portfolio of oil portraits & digital illustrations

I’m Amanda Clegg, a portrait artist based in Cardiff, South Wales, UK, and I create oil portraits and digital illustrations. Contact me if you want to commission a custom portrait, or for any other enquiries.

I first became enthralled by portraiture on a school trip to The National Gallery in London aged 12. Those enigmatic faces staring out at me held my gaze for what seemed like hours. They still do. I get up far too close to paintings in galleries, scrutinising the strokes and techniques, my nose almost touching the paint. I’m surprised I don’t set off the alarms!

The human face mesmerises me and I’ll catch myself staring at people’s faces when they are talking to me. I become distracted by how the light is catching their philtrum or the reflection in their iris or how the pigment of the skin changes when it gets thinner around the eye. I hope I don’t make people too uncomfortable when I do this… I’m listening to what they’re saying, honest!

In the past few years, my Vanity Fair style portraits, inspired by the art of Leslie ‘Spy’ Ward, have proven popular with judges, QC’s, and barristers, while clients who commission a custom portrait in oils have included historical re-enactors, actors, hotel proprietors, and also the BBC who contacted me to paint the portrait of Sophia Myles as Madame de Pompadour for the iconic Doctor Who episode The girl in the Fireplace.

Whether you’re looking to commission a custom portrait, a film or theatre prop, pub sign, illustration for a publication, gift for a wedding, Christmas, anniversary, birthday or retirement, or perhaps you’re just here out of curiosity, browse through the galleries and feel free to leave any comments about what you see.

If you’d like to commission a custom portrait or for any other enquiries please contact me.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy your visit.