Back to portraits......

After a long hiatus from portrait painting, I’m feeling inspired to jump back in.

With the sale of Neon Moon earlier in August, I’m reminded how much I enjoy the outcome of portrait painting.  Neon Moon was a painting I was very attached to, so I’m thrilled it’s found a home, but it’s bittersweet to say goodbye. 

Time to reignite this style of work!  As always, I start my portrait process with a photoshoot.  I’m interested in using light as a means of creating drama and I’m fascinated by the idea of duality, both in life and art.  The dark needing the light to exist and vice versa.  I love to push the contrast between these elements to the limit and luckily, I have a willing model in my daughter.

Once I have a collection of photos to choose from, I start the selection process, I love this part and spend a lot of time selecting the images that I find most interesting and inspiring.  This reminds me of my days as a fashion buyer helping to put together catalogues.  These days I’m inspired by the play of shadows on a face and the intensity of the eyes.     

 After I’ve prepped my canvas and given it a coat of colour as a starting point, I grid it up and sketch out the image.  I’m drawn to paint portraits in black and white, monotone being the best means for exploring extreme contrast.  Often in the beginning stages I will write poetry across the work to express the emotions and ideas I hope the work will convey.  I do this in pencil, and it’s gradually covered over by the painting process.  I like the idea that my work represents life, our thoughts and beliefs existing beneath the surface of what we present to the world.