The Annual Exhibition returns this September, giving students the opportunity to showcase their finest work from the past year and celebrate the progress they have made. The exhibition features artwork by both current and former Sunny Art Centre students, and is free for them to enter; submissions from professional artists and art enthusiasts are also welcome, subject to a submission fee.

We are delighted to welcome Gianluca Rotelli to the teaching team. An Italian painter and graduate of the Florence Academy of Art, Gianluca specialises in classical oil painting, portraiture, figure drawing, artistic anatomy and the alla prima technique — with over ten years of teaching in London and Florence and more than twenty years of exhibiting internationally.

Whether you’re developing your drawing, studying traditional oil technique, or deepening your understanding of classical realism, please join us in giving Gianluca a very warm welcome.

Sophie first walked through the door six years ago to join the drawing course, committing four hours of back-to-back lessons every Saturday afternoon and never missing a class before progressing to the oil painting course. Her landscape is a wonderful example of classical principles applied to a convincing, expressive study — technical control in the service of careful observation.

At Sunny Art Centre, students build their skills through a structured approach to observation, tonal analysis, anatomy and traditional technique inspired by the Old Masters — the foundations behind successful portrait, figure and landscape work alike.

Our tutor John Bartlett is showing two oil paintings, including Derwent Water (2026), at the Neither Here Nor There group exhibition at General Assembly, London, from 8 July to 31 August 2026 — six artists whose works “bring us places beyond geography, where landscapes are made of atmosphere, memory, and imagination.”

Exhibiting alongside John are Seohyun Oh, Sabine Pigalle, Phil Goss, Anna Pakossz and Jan Urant. General Assembly is just a few stops from the studio — open Wednesday to Friday 12–6pm and Saturday 12–5pm.

The on-site materials store keeps growing — students can now replace individual colours and drawing materials without buying a whole new set.

All alongside our existing range of individual oil colours, brushes, canvas boards, painting mediums and brush cleaners. Speak to the team on your next visit if you’d like help choosing materials for your course.