As we were scrolling through our @beinvauxhall Instagram account one lazy Sunday a brightly painted RVT jumped out from the screen and we were intrigued. We followed the artist’s link and discovered @steph.biddle.art. Turns out Steph is a Vauxhall local and loves nothing more than painting iconic spaces and places in Vauxhall, and London. We dropped her a line and here is what she told us…

What do you do? 

Hello! I am Steph Biddle and I work in Tate Modern’s marketing team. I’m incredibly lucky to work with a lot of creative people and am constantly in awe of all the contemporary artists from around the world that feature in the gallery. Up until now, I think I have been guilty of letting my awe of other creatives impact my confidence in creating my own work but the pandemic has made me reevaluate that quite a lot and I’m keen to use it as motivation to improve and build on my artwork rather than shy away from it. 

Since lockdown, I’ve been creating a lot of paintings and drawings of people and places in the local area that inspires me. I’ve also loved doing commissions of places that hold special memories for people. My longer-term artistic goal for this year is to create bespoke artwork for inside and outside some of the amazing local venues in Vauxhall. 

What is it about Vauxhall you love?

I love that Vauxhall is so close to the river (I’ve always found staring at water has an instant calming effect on me) and has a lot of green spaces to explore. 

I’ve spent a lot of time on walks during lockdown (which I’m sure is the case for a lot of people) and realised after a while I wasn’t looking around me anymore, so over the last few months, I’ve also taken a lot of time studying the exteriors of closed buildings, community spots, cafes, restaurants, bars, theatres etc. and started to draw them. I found it helped me be more present when every day started to blur into one and also made me appreciate the variety of architecture in Vauxhall. 

Have a favourite spot? 

Tough one as there are so many interesting buildings and spaces but I’m really looking forward to revisiting Bonnington Square as things open up again. There is something very magical about it and a real sense of community. I can’t wait to see them come alive more fully in the coming weeks/months as things reopen.

We hope you liked reading Steph’s story. If you or someone you know would like to be part of our series then drop us a line or DM via Instagram or Twitter. It’s always great to hear from you!