About

Will who?

Nice to meet you – I'm Will Roffé. (Sounds like Roffaye.)

I was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in the summer of 1968. My father was a Medical Laboratory Scientist and my mother a Nurse. I was the first born and have two brothers and a sister.

Though not formally trained in fine art, I have always created with pictures and words. I have also worked in the advertising industry as a writer, brand strategist and creative director for over 25 years.

This explains why a lot of my work is conceptual in nature, often abstract-expressionist and centred around identity -- cultural and spiritual. I rarely start an oil painting without first having a concept and story to tell; each painting evolves from there, usually to form part of a series. I really enjoy exploring and conveying light -- oil is the perfect medium for this.  

I loved sketching from an early age and would develop my own comic books. I then took art classes through my school years, finally progressing to Oils thanks to the encouragement and private tutelage of an esteemed artist based in Greytown, New Zealand.

Since then, I have been largely self-taught thanks to a ferocious appetite for art books, then DVDs, and then the Internet which has some incredible resources for artists.

The tools of my trade are professional grade artist oil paints and mediums, and I paint on canvas, linen and board with my growing collection of favourite brushes. I stretch most of my own canvases and prepare them properly so they'll stand the test of time. 

Whatever I paint, or approach I use, I try to capture the essence of each subject I am painting; something rarely caught with a camera (although I love great photography), then paint its energy and light.

I am fortunate to have sold many of my paintings, which are in private and investment collections around the globe. This still surprises me to be honest. But I'm eternally grateful to my patrons.

I live in North Yorkshire, UK with my wife Louise and our dog, Paint. (I know!)

My paintings start at £1,500 +VAT, plus shipping, insurance and handling. I am also exploring creating high-quality, limited edition giclée prints which I will publish here soon. 

Let’s talk

If you'd like to discuss a commission, drop me a line. Thanks.

"Art is a habit-forming drug."

Marcel Duchamp