Paine Proffitt (born 1972 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American-born artist living in England, best known for his sporting works and for his depiction of the "working man's life".Kerryanne Clancy, The Sentinel, 26/09/2009, "Pleasure and Paine both reflected in sporting art ", 28/04/2011 Proffitt moved to Philadelphia when he was fourteenMike Kelly, Sunday Sun, 27/01/2013, "Artist Paine Proffitt captures the magic of football ", 27/01/2013 after spending his early years in Saigon, Beirut and Kenya as a result of the work of his father - novelist and war correspondent Nicholas Proffitt.Dennis Hevesi, New York Times, 17/11/2006, "Nicholas Proffitt, 63, Novelist and War Correspondent ", 27/07/2012 Proffitt studied illustration at the University of Brighton in 1994 before moving to England permanently in 2001.Zita Collinson, "The Sentinel", 04/03/2013, "Why my art's in the Valiants ", 12/03/2013
Proffitt cites some of his influences as being Chagall and Picasso and while not ascribing himself to any one art movement in particular, feels that surrealism, cubism and contemporary naïve art are the best labels for his work.Creative Stoke, "Creative Stoke interview - Paine Proffitt ", 28/04/2011 The influence of Fred Otnes has also been noted, with this being most apparent in the collage work Proffitt produced under the pseudonym of Nicholas Hudson Paine. Similarities to L. S. Lowry have also been recognised due to the northern working-class themes of some of his works.
Sport, and especially football, has been a major inspiration to Proffitt's artwork: 'Football is central to who we are and where we come from'.Jonny Weeks, Guardian Online, 09/01/2013, "Beautiful Games: nostalgic paintings by Paine Proffitt ", 12/01/2013 This sporting theme has seen exhibitions such as that at Twickenham for the Rugby World Cup in 2007BBC Sport, 20/04/2007, "Rugby in the frame ", 28/04/2011Twickenham World Rugby Museum, 2007, "Rugby In The Frame – The Art Of Paine Proffitt ", 12/07/2011BBC Your Paintings / Public Catalogue Foundation, "All Welsh Rugby Players Go To Heaven" (2006) ", 27/03/2012 as well as commissions for football programme artwork. West Bromwich Albion used Proffitt's work for their programme covers throughout the 2011-12 season, this culminating in the July 2012 exhibition at The Public.Birmingham Mail, 04/07/2012, "West Brom artist Paine Proffitt puts work on display " Proffitt's artwork featured on the 2012-13 programmes of Port Vale and Aberdeen FCRed Web - The Official Aberdeen FC Website, 09/08/2011, "redmatchday magazine issue 01 ", 14/08/2011 although Proffitt's association with Port Vale goes back several seasons before this.Nick Moore, Four Four Two, Sept. 2011, "The Life & Times of a Port Vale Steward"Jon Harrington, The Sentinel, 14/09/2009, "Picture Poser ", 28/04/2011
Stoke-born popstar Robbie Williams is purported to own several of Proffitt's pieces,Antiques Trade Gazette 1981 110312, 12 March 2011, p.56 "Modern debut in Cheltenham attracts bids from afar ", 26/07/2011 as do cyclists Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish after the city council presented them with two commissioned paintings during the Stoke-on-Trent stage of the Tour of Britain in September 2012.Steven Kennedy, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, 13/09/2012, "'Great stage' for Wiggo rounds off summer of sport in the city ", 13/09/2012 In July 2020, Proffitt created artwork depicting the song Alan & The Robot by the comedy band The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican for Scott Doonican, the band's frontman. Later in the year he went on to paint the pub sign for Doonican's pub 'The Pint & Puppet'. An early Proffitt piece took top lot in a 2011 UK auction alongside work by Govinder Nazran, Sir Sidney Robert Nolan and Reggie Kray.Stroud People, 12/03/2011 "Pittville Pump Room antique sale report ", 26/07/2011 In a departure from his football-related work, Proffitt most recently exhibited a series of gothic fairy-tale inspired paintings in an exhibition entitled Broken Sleep.Clare White, The Sentinel, 31/05/2013, "Why Moorcroft is the model for the digital-age innovators ", 07/06/2013
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