Inside ‘The Green Room’ – Andrew Kinsman blends life as a leading figurative artist with saxophonist in Kasabian.

So, how’s it possible to combine the Rockstar lifestyle from gig to gig and touring the globe for the world renowned British rock band Kasabian with the balanced harmony and majestic finesse of oil painting? Well Andrew Kinsman has literally made an art of it!

You only have to listen to Andrew play his saxophone to be mesmerised by his skill and understand why he has played for the likes of some leading rock and pop legends and now finds himself on stage in Kasabian. You only have to see Andrew’s oil paintings to be spellbound by his technique and skill and to find yourself wanting to own a ‘Kinsman’ piece of art. Worlds apart it would seem that Andrew has a varied set of fan bases too. From the die-hard Kasabian fanbase to the fans and collectors of his incredible paintings.

Andrew’s hyper-realism approach to oil painting combined with his distinctive atmospheric style to capture the moment means that his incredible paintings are becoming highly collectable. So how can you trump this? Combine the two. Andrew wanted to capture a ‘Behind the scenes’ vision taking us into the worlds of public figures that he has been involved with by painting them in their true environment. Capturing the atmosphere and a real life, honest moment in time.

During a year of touring with Kasabian Andrew decided to paint a portrait of lead singer Sergio Pizzorno. What greater moment than backstage at the Royal Albert Hall Teenage Cancer Trust show. Captured kicking back and chilling in the dressing room ‘Serge’ was photographed by official photographer Neil Bedford. Andrew used the black and white shot along with his knowledge and understanding to create a life size painting of the front man. ‘The Green Room’, Oil on Canvas, 2m x 140cm.

Talking to ‘Serge’ first about the style and vibe of the piece, Andrew knew what he was to achieve, “I wanted to give it a contemporary feel. I love the saturated colour palette of films like ‘Green Room’ or ‘Fight Club’. It was important for me to include as much of the background to really get a feel of his environment.” The painting draws you in so much that you can almost touch the well-worn carpets or leather of the chair and experience the honesty in the aftermath of the show. So, what does lead singer ‘Serge’ think to this masterpiece? To Andrew’s satisfaction, “He loved it”. A percentage of the sale of this piece is to go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

(‘The Green Room’ original oil painting is currently available, £POA www.theoriginalsgalery.com)