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

This piece is a fairly small piece on canvas, it is probably slightly smaller than A4,and is another mixed media piece. I used mostly acrylic paint and chalk for the facial features and the background, and used a combination of fabrics, glitter paints and spray paint for the top. It is a portrait of my Grandmother and I think it shows a lot of her personality in it, you can also see the resemblance to her three sons in her eyes.



'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'

Influences - Chuck Close 2007

'Mark'

Another charcoal drawing this time on thick card, A1 in size. Was done as part of a project on Chuck Close, one of my favourite portrait artists.



Copy of a Chuck Close image

White poster paint on black paper. A4

Elderly Men 2007

'Graham'

This is one from a series of large charcoal drawings I did of elderly men in 2007. The images are huge in scale, this piece is on a canvas 4ft by 5ft so takes up a considerable amount of room! It was done directly from an image using several sticks of charcoal, white chalk and a paint wash. I really like this piece as I think just his facial expression and the monotone effect creates an air of mystery, provoking the viewer to be overwhelmed with questions about this man.


'Richard Love'

This was the largest of the pieces at 7ft by 5ft it was a mammoth task to take on, however its size really adds a lot to the piece. It was too large to keep personally so it currently hangs in the hall at Pate's Grammar School Cheltenham.



'Big Mack'

This piece was the last in the series, and the one I felt that I could experiment the most with. I found that I was very precious about my work, and did not push my abilities and ideas far enough. This image started off as the others, as a charcoal drawing directly onto a large canvas, however I then forced myself to paint into the image. This was a very important part of the work for me, giving myself the freedom to let the paint decide what to do, and not being concerned about the overall result as I didn't know where it would end.

The concept of growing old, and accepting that the end is near is one that changes people, they become more free and true to themselves, losing inhibitions. I think the portrait of Richard successfully shows this, as he looks like he doesn't have a worry in the world. I learnt so much from this project about how elderly people see themselves. Initially they often needed to be encouraged to talk about themselves, and reassured that it is interesting. When people look at my work I want them to see my portraits initially from a distance, getting an overall idea of the face but when they would not usually give them a second glance, I force them to look closer - take time to look and think about them, and hopefully intrigue them about their lives.

Hello!

Welcome to my new blog!

The aim of this page is to create an online portfolio of my current work. I wanted to find a place where I could put images of my work, old and new, and add my own reasoning and thought behind the pieces, and receive feedback accordingly. As I am currently studying for a Degree in Fine Art I will mostly upload images of my pieces that I am working on at the moment, and some that I am most pleased with from the past couple of years during my Foundation course and now.

I work a lot with people, and am always available for commissions of portraits. Having done many before I am happy to discuss price, colours, style etc via email - jessiesimmonds@hotmail.com