About
Hello, I am Roo Waterhouse, a shelf portrait artist based in the wooded valleys of Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire.
In my Shelf Portrait book paintings I celebrate the joys of the physical book. I love the connection we feel when we hold our treasured editions. I am fascinated with the way the books on our shelves hold on to the stories of our lives.
I grew up surrounded by beautiful books. After a Foundation year at Chelsea School of Art, I went on to study Typographic Design, hence my love of hand rendering lettering 🙂
After moving from London up to Yorkshire I returned to Art college and discovered the joys of oil painting. It wasn’t long before my love of books and my love of lettering joined together with the innovation of the Shelf Portrait.
I especially enjoy painting Bespoke Shelf Portraits, where clients choose their most treasured books to be painted together in a celebration of their lives and loves.
You can see my latest book paintings exhibited at Affordable Art Fairs in London with Nicholas Bowlby Fine Art.
I also like to share the joy of book love with my range of Shelf Portrait Prints, Gifts and Cards, available here in my shop. You can find my greeting cards for sale in independent book shops around the UK.
Perfect for all the bibliophiles in your life 🙂
You will occasionally find me at Book Festivals where I love to chat with visitors about their favourite reads…
Daily Commute
My daily walk to the studio is a winding path through the woods and over the hill. I so enjoy my commute, listening to the birds, feeling the weather and soaking up the views from the top of the hill. You can see glimpses of my route through the seasons on my Instagram Roo Waterhouse Art.
When at home I like to spend as much time as possible barefoot. In the garden, in the woods, up on the moors, swimming in the river or curled up by the fire with a book. It helps keep me grounded 🙂
Follow Roo
You can follow @roowaterhouseart on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more insights into my art, my inspirations and my daily rambles 🙂
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