I have always been fascinated by portraiture and loved drawing faces and figures as a child and teenager. I remember drawing endless selfportraits at that age, observing my features again and again in my sketchbook for enjoyment. It wasn’t until four years ago, however, that I attempted my first oil portraits and took up art as a second career nearly 20 years after leaving school. Since then, I have built up a body of work and by doing so have slowly developed my practice and self-taught approach to portraiture.
Why portraiture?
For me, the allure of portraiture is not just about finding a physical likeness; it’s also about revealing an emotional truth about the sitter or the sitter’s situation. The portraits I am most attracted to as a viewer are those that move me on some level and prompt me to ask questions. I spend a lot of time studying portraits from across the history of art, and this continually informs my work. I find the greatest inspiration from works by Rembrandt, the Impressionists, early 20th century British art and Lucian Freud as well as many contemporary portrait artists.
I enjoy painting self-portraits because they allow me to try things out without worrying what the sitter will think or want. I have control over the process, the composition, the expression and I’m free to experiment.
