Portrait Oil Paintings for Commission

Artist's Statement

I love to paint; in particular I love to paint people. The challenge of painting a person's face is one of my passions. I truly believe that the essence of portrait painting is first to see the soul, then to capture it with brush and paint. For 'soul' you can read character and mood, if you prefer. The pleasure of capturing, not only the likeness, but also the mood gives me a great high. Add to this the sheer joy of putting brush to canvas and I think portrait painters must be amongst the happiest people on earth.

There is a mystery about the painting of a face. Our brains are so attuned to faces that we read so much from so little. Very often less is more; it is not necessary or desirable to paint every exact detail. A photograph will give details better than any painting. In fact I often eliminate details in order to achieve the effect that I want. On the other hand every mark counts, a single brush stroke can potentially destroy a likeness. A portrait is different from all other pictures, it can be the most loved picture in the house, or if the face is fractionally wrong, it can be unbearable. Maybe it is the danger that gives me a buzz.

Famously, someone once said that a portrait is a picture in which there is something wrong with the mouth. I cannot agree. I consider that the soul resides in the mouth and the curve of the cheek and the eyes, probably in that order. The mouth is so important that I cannot leave a portrait if the mouth is wrong. I will not offer a portrait for sale until it satisfies me.







CV


Whilst I would not claim to be completely self taught, I have no formal art qualifications.
So you will have to judge my ability by my portfolio.