Wigan artist offers to paint people's portraits for free - and they get to keep the picture too

Since posting that he was looking for models on social media, Joe Kiney Whitmore has been inundated with volunteers.

Joe, who is based at Cross Street Arts in Standish, sees the deal as a way of honing his skills – and the sitters even get to take home the finished work.

He said: “I did a call-out on social media to get people to come into the studio where I work and sit for three to four hours in exchange for a portrait.

"So it’s a bit of practice for me and they get a piece of artwork out of it for free and do some networking.

"I’ve done around five or six now and I’ve got another five or six booked.

"I’ve had to put people on a waiting list now. As you can imagine, it’s an unusual thing to do painting a portrait in real life.

"Loads have reached out.”

Joe spent a few years travelling, studying abroad in Krakow in Poland and teaching at a summer school for the arts in Hong Kong, before spending two and a half years in New Zealand.

He returned to Wigan in 2021, hosting his first solo exhibition at Cross Street, showcasing pieces inspired by his travels.

Joe has been in his studio since October and is also starting a group for young creatives who are ditching the drink called Creating Sobriety.

He said: “I’m a new studio-holder at Cross Street and it’s been really good.

"I’ve met a lot of great people and everyone’s been really generous with their time and skills.

“People have offered to help me in turn with things like building a website or helping me learn more about the business side of things.

"It's been a really good to do.

"It’s the start of a new project as well

"I just wanted to do a few freebies to get the ball rolling and to get a bit more comfortable myself doing it.

"I’ve been sober for nearly three years now and I want to focus on that a little bit more.

"I want to work with other creative people of all disciplines who are also sober.

"I’m going to start reaching out to people locally who might have similar stories to myself.”

Anyone interested in sitting for Joe can ring 01257 424804.