“…every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself.”
O. Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Portraits.
It all began finding a space to create. Staying up late and paint. Changing working areas, from desk to floor and so on. I created these series using acrylic, ink and pastels. Some techniques vary.
Video
Transcript
I created this body of work as a way of exploring new techniques. This started in the warm months during the first lockdown last year. COVID had just hit Mexico and we were as the rest of the world wondering and waiting. These portraits reflect just that. The waiting, the uncertainty, the way in which we had to go on with life despite the odd information that was given in the news.
It was also the time I had been thinking about moving spaces, slipping away from my working table and forcing myself to paint on the floor. It sounds simple, but it was quite a big move.
I started to experiment with large strokes and thick house paint, just letting it go and following where the hand would take me.
I like to give volume and texture to the face using a stamping technique which gives the work a sort of lithograph feel, earthy and very real. I am particularly fond of the combination of smooth and bold marks, and I enjoyed the mix of large layers of paint and water, and when I felt the portrait was finished, I grabbed the next piece of paper and went on.
Browse the works below:
Thank you
I would like to particularly thank my mentors Megan Wynne, Barbara Campbell Thomas, Mya Cluff, Sarah Arraigada, Dara Weyna, Kaylan Buteyn and Toni Roberts via the Artist/Mother Podcast Crit Group Program for their support and feedback.
