This portrait, at 80 x 100 cm is probably the largest painting I have worked on to date.
It is a work in acrylic on canvas and is, in some ways, more of a narrative painting as the stance and demeanor of the subject within the setting, compels the viewer to ask questions.
The sitter is my Sister, Jacqui and I wanted to create it as a tribute to a particularly memorable and transformative time in her life and I am pleased to say, she has allowed me to display it on loan for a few special exhibitions I have been part of since it was completed back in 2013.
Below you will see a range of images showing the various stages of the painting in progress, focused mainly on the figure.
The hands show the painting at the line drawing stage, the underpainting stage, and the finished stage, followed by a series of images to show how the likeness was developed and how it compares to the reference photo.
As with all my portraits, I aim to capture something of the essence of the person and never to try and merely create a facsimile of the reference photo. I aim to capture something deeper than just a straightforward likeness, so the finished work is often quite different whilst being perfectly recognisable as the subject in question.
