Colin Halliday is a leading contemporary British landscape painter, recognised for his bold use of colour and distinctive impasto technique.
Colin Halliday is a contemporary British landscape painter known for his vibrant colour, expressive mark-making and richly textured surfaces. Born in Carlisle in 1964 and raised in rural Cumbria, his early connection to the northern landscape continues to underpin his work. He studied painting at Exeter College of Art and Design, graduating with a BA (Hons) Fine Art in 1992. After spending his early career in London exploring contemporary approaches, his focus shifted from conceptual concerns to a more instinctive, painterly response to place, driven by a pivotal realisation that the beauty of paint itself could be the primary subject.
By 2000, Halliday was working full time as an artist, and in 2005 he relocated with his family to Derbyshire, seeking a deeper reconnection with landscape. Following several years of experimentation, he committed fully to plein air painting in 2012, simplifying his palette and applying oil paint generously to create dynamic, impasto-rich works. His paintings capture the shifting moods of the British countryside with energy and physicality. Halliday has exhibited widely across the UK, including solo shows in London and Edinburgh, and his work is held in private collections worldwide. Notable collectors include Helen Mirren and Adrian Lester, and he is listed in Who's Who in Art. He continues to live and work in the Peak District, drawing daily inspiration from its landscape.