Study for 'Cigar Roller'
The top and bottom images are done using a pen and then adding water to the image after. The middle image has been done using a double ended marker pen with two different nib shapes - the ink was a lot more difficult to get to run so it is a pretty sharp image.
Lady with Cigar 2010
This is the best picture I could get of this image, it is acrylic paint and is fairly small, about A4 in size. It started out as a tester for a large portrait I was working on at the time but I became intrigued by how much you could know about a person from a small section of their face. I also love the way the image just fades away into the background. Below is a biro drawing out of my sketchbook, just familiarising myself with the shape and expression of her face.
Final painting
Biro sketchThe final image turned out to have the exact effect I had desired. I wanted to create a symbolic image of my time in Cuba, in an attempt to sum up the people, the sun, the culture and the way of life. Every time I see this image it makes me smile back in admiration at the face of the woman - selling necklaces to rich tourists at the top of a hill in the boiling heat, making pennies, barely speaking a word of English with an unlit cigar hanging from her mouth... and loving every minute of it.
'Lady with Cigar'Cuban Men 2010
'Cigar Roller'
'Flute player'
Here are a couple of portraits I did for my parents, they are pen and water drawings, using the ink from the pen after I have drawn with it rather than applying more ink. There is also a little watercolour for the blue areas. They are about A1 in size and I did them from photographs that I took in Cuba. I really love these pieces, they are so simple yet very emotive.
Stephen 2009
'Stephen'
This is a portrait I was commissioned to do for a 50th birthday present. It was done using pen, pastels and acrylic paint based on a photograph of the subject, and is approximately A4 in size. I think this piece was very successful, the pastels on the canvas really pick up all the fabric detail and the subtle tones in the skin, and the pen worked really effectively at creating the creases and texture in the shirt. I often keep the backgrounds neutral in my portraits so as not to distract from the subject, however I feel this piece could have done with something else in the background to add another level to the piece. I feel like this piece has so much warmth to it that it makes you want to smile!
Cuba 2009
I went to Cuba over the summer and took a lot of photos of the locals and the dramatic culture difference there. I became very interested in the Cuban lifestyle, especially the colours. Photography has always been a hobby of mine, however, trying to capture the life and soul of a country and a person in one click is virtually impossible. For this reason I decided that I would use the people I had met in Cuba as the basis for my next project and created a series of drawings and paintings based around these photos.
Collaboration 2009
These were a series of photographs taken for a collaborative project with two of my classmates, Chikae Howland and Lisa Darbyshire. We decided to address the theme of food in modern society, playing around with fruit made of meat and lollies made out of baked beans, soup and raw liver. It was a chance for all of us to push the boundaries and our work further. We all had a interest in photography so decided that would be the best route to take, using ourselves as the models. One of the pieces for this project was a set of dentures made out of frozen raw liver and gammon (pictures below). We then allowed the teeth to melt at room temperature and took a series of photographs of the degeneration. This created a very visually stimulating and intriguing set of works that we were all extremely pleased with.
Maureen 2009
'Maureen'
Dreams 2009
These are a series of A4 pieces I did about my dreams. They are achieved using a mixture of collage, paint and photoshop and are some of the most expressive pieces I have done. It was a new experience for me as I had no control of what I was going to dream, so could not choose the colours or images to depict. I think as a series they are a bit disjointed as there is no common theme or style through them, however I still love them!
Acrylic portraits 2007-2009
'Marvin Gaye'
'Smoking'
'Riva'These are a few pieces where I was using a more pop-art style and bold bright colours. I really love these images and have done several commissions in this style. These styles are particularly challenging for me as I have to constantly think about the colour placement to create shadows and depth. I used acrylic paint for all of these as the rich, bright colours worked most effectively. The images below are a series of paintings I was commissioned to do for a Casablanca themed party in a similar style. These were also done in acrylic on canvas, I recreated the iconic poses from the poster for the film. The simplicity of these pieces is what makes them so effective.
'Ingrid'
'Humphrey'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)