Documentary films

that make you a better painter

Daniel Shadbolt NEAC

Follow leading contemporary artists as they create a painting, with unprecedented access to their studios, techniques and decision-making.


About us

Behind the Easel started with a simple idea: to make the films about artists that I wanted to watch. Pete and I are Emmy and BAFTA-nominated documentary makers, and we've filmed many remarkable people and the worlds they live in (click our handles below if you're curious).


As a practising artist myself, I wanted to go beyond technique or traditional interviews and into the reality of how a painting comes together. To get in amongst the turps, the rags and the paint, right in the creative line of fire, recording the real-time decisions and processes of some quite brilliant artists.


So that's what Pete and I created. These aren't tutorials or step-by-step demonstrations, but documentaries that invite you into an artist's world. We want you to feel like you're there, having an insightful chat over a cup of tea, witnessing the doubt, the happy accidents and the flashes of inspiration.


You'll come away with practical ideas, fresh ways of seeing, and the confidence to trust your own instincts to develop your own creative voice.


 (I've already seen my painting improve!)


Nicola

Follow our journey

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Ahead of tomorrow’s launch of our first documentary, EXPRESSIVE STILL LIFE | DANIEL SHADBOLT, we invited a small group of artists to watch the film in full. The first responses are now coming in, including this thoughtful review from US-based artist Michael Wurm Jr. @inspiredbycharm The film will be available to purchase and watch from tomorrow, Thursday 17th September. Link in bio. #behindtheeasel #expressivestilllife #learnfromartists #artfilms #inspiredbycharm
Ahead of tomorrow’s launch of our first documentary, EXPRESSIVE STILL LIFE | DANIEL SHADBOLT, we invited a small group of artists to watch the film in full. The first responses are now coming in, including this thoughtful review from US-based artist Michael Wurm Jr. @inspiredbycharm The film will be available to purchase and watch from tomorrow, Thursday 17th September. Link in bio. #behindtheeasel #expressivestilllife #learnfromartists #artfilms #inspiredbycharm
?Delighted to announce that our first Behind the Easel film Expressive Still Life | Daniel Shadbolt is available to purchase and watch from this Thursday, 17th September. Sign up to our mailing list to be first to hear when the link goes live! Link in bio #danielshadbolt #behindtheeasel #expressivestilllife #learnfromartists #artistfilm
📣Delighted to announce that our first Behind the Easel film Expressive Still Life | Daniel Shadbolt is available to purchase and watch from this Thursday, 17th September. Sign up to our mailing list to be first to hear when the link goes live! Link in bio #danielshadbolt #behindtheeasel #expressivestilllife #learnfromartists #artistfilm
A quick update from the extremely high tech Behind the Easel editing suite… Our first film, Expressive Still Life | Daniel Shadbolt, is finished and coming soon! We also have three more films in the works, all due out before the end of the year. We’re building Behind the Easel completely independently, so if you know a painter - or anyone else who might love watching these films - please send them our way. It genuinely makes a difference at this stage. Special thanks to Wilbur for his emotional support during this time. #behindtheeasel #paintingdocumentary #learnfromartists #artiststudio #paintingprocess
A quick update from the extremely high tech Behind the Easel editing suite… Our first film, Expressive Still Life | Daniel Shadbolt, is finished and coming soon! We also have three more films in the works, all due out before the end of the year. We’re building Behind the Easel completely independently, so if you know a painter - or anyone else who might love watching these films - please send them our way. It genuinely makes a difference at this stage. Special thanks to Wilbur for his emotional support during this time. #behindtheeasel #paintingdocumentary #learnfromartists #artiststudio #paintingprocess
A smudge & a swipe. A little glimpse inside Expressive Still Life | Daniel Shadbolt - on transparency, stand oil, and the challenge of painting a red rose. Our first Behind the Easel film is coming very soon. If you know a painter who’d enjoy this, do send it their way! #BehindTheEasel #DanielShadbolt #OilPainting #PaintingProcess #ArtistFilm
A smudge & a swipe. A little glimpse inside Expressive Still Life | Daniel Shadbolt - on transparency, stand oil, and the challenge of painting a red rose. Our first Behind the Easel film is coming very soon. If you know a painter who’d enjoy this, do send it their way! #BehindTheEasel #DanielShadbolt #OilPainting #PaintingProcess #ArtistFilm

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