Thoughts on portrait painting.

I can remember as a child realising that you can recognise people because every single face is different; all those millions of faces, each one with a nose and a mouth and eyes arranged in a slightly different individual combination. I remember this because it felt like an enormously important revelation. For some reason I wanted to ‘pin down’ these faces, ‘learn’ them. I seem to have spent my life practising.

Perhaps there is still a place for portrait painting. Perhaps with the prevalence of altered and perfected images in the press and on social media, there is a place for an artist who wants to look and interpret honestly the face of the person in front of them. It’s always a privilege for me when someone gives their time and allows me to scrutinise the geometry of their face, making an image which, if successful, portrays more than just the outside of themselves but something more.

Having the chance to work from life is imperative but the advantage of all this practice is that I can work fast. One or two sittings, with the aid of photo references. I enjoy painting someone and then giving them the opportunity to buy the work if they like it. This takes away the pressure for both of us.

So this is a call out to anyone who would be interested in sitting for me. Please do get in touch!

Thank you for reading all this.

Pastel portrait