I love paint. I also happen to love nature, composition, people and stories so how wonderful it is when a collection of the things we love come together in one activity. For me the activity tends to be in the portraits I make.
I have an old photo on the studio wall of myself and class friends at school, busily making ‘people'. I look on that black and white image with such imagination, and reminisce about the opportunities we had with our inspiring art and class teachers to make art, and in this image, to work in life size scale and dwelling on all things design and compostion. This photo of us each working on a large scale figure, reminds me of that spark that happens when it comes to planning a portrait. It’s delicious to think of the story I hold with the person who is the subject in the work I am making, and know that the very act of painting is about to add to our stories.
In a portrait I get to weave part of my essence as the artisan with an aspect of the essence of person being painted and together we happen to create something new.
As we chat and create in the preparation stages of sitting for sketches and photography, interests reveal themselves ones that we similar about and ones that highlight our difference, but it all adds to sparking in me what the composition will be, giving me elements for consideration. The whole process is both practical and divine, revealing in real time what we are making. And time and distance don’t seem to stop this for if we can’t be in a room together I can use online methods such as Zoom to start the work. Before you know it there is a new work being completed in the studio, varying in how long each such work takes, and that process of creative evolution never gets tired.
Each work inspires the next creative act in my ongoing arts practice. So portraiture is one way in which I head towards the studio with joy, and what a joy it is for me to have portraiture as an activity to weave all these loves together. Where is your joy?
If you find you need more joy in the form of a new art work for your home or work or simply an original gift for that someone special, send an email to talk options.
YM.
Click to watch a short bonus video of Amanda van Gils - https://amandavangils.com.au & https://www.theartistsbusinesslounge.com - and I talking about portrait painting during our recent encounter preparing for the painted work featured in this post.
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