Timon (2019)
There's a balance of looseness and refinement that, when achieved, can be more captivating than pure technical perfection.
About the Subject
Timon, a musician and creative. He sat for me in a collaborative effort, to see how our two disciplines combine and what the result might be.
How can music and performance be conveyed in an artwork painted in a fairly classical, realistic manner? How do you capture intensity, liveliness and movement?
Date of creation: 2019
Time it took to finish: 2 Months
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 90 x 120 cm
The Process: What is the goal?
I painted this portrait with the intention of entering in an Art Prize for a scholarship to fund further academic study.
This always presents a paradox for me. Firstly, painting for an intended audience (judge or jury) can actually effect the "truth" of your work, as you aim to meet a certain set of criteria that is outlined by the Prize. That is usually the direct opposite of the purpose of a work like this, which is to truthfully (whatever that means) capture the subject in likeness but also in spirit (again, a very loose term, but bear with me).
So, what to do?
“I looked at this painting as something for myself to be happy with, and ultimately for the sitter to look at the piece, not as a mirror reflection, but as some essence of themselves”
An idea of some of the early thumbnail sketches and painting process
The Process: Inspiration
I looked at this painting as something for myself to be happy with, and ultimately for the sitter to look at the piece, not as a mirror reflection, but as some essence of themselves, something familiar but also communicative to them about what it is to be seen.
It's for that reason that I decided to get my initial composition of Timon from a drawing session in which he played his guitar, practicing and working on his own musical creations and allowing me to observe his techniques and his flow.
The drawing produced an scene of intense concentration, but also a softness or connection to the music that shows him with a sense of contentment or at least a meditative quality.
Looking to capture more of his personality, I asked Timon to choose a shirt and a guitar that are bold or interesting to him. We landed on purple for the shirt and a brilliant red guitar that quickly became the focal point of the scene.
I worked on a grisaille study (grey scale painting that helps me identify important values) and then a colour poster study so that I could reference the colours accurately when working on the full sized piece.
The leading hand quickly stood out as the important focal point for the audience, as it seemed to jump forward from the canvas and protruded out in front of the viewers face. The light that fell on the hand, contrasted with the dark neck of the guitar and the folding cloth that turns to shadow behind it, added to this protrusion effect.
The Process: The full-sized work.
Working on the full sized painting is always a challenge, as you are always faced with a stark white canvas which you need to turn into this idea that you have been carving out in your mind. To help start, I put down a layer of thinned out earth tone (usually Umber or Sienna or a mix of the two). Then, as wipe back certain sections of the thin paint, I can create basic values of lighter and darker areas that help to guide me whilst working at this scale.
Starting by painting the head, then making my way down to guitar, was a conscious choice. If I have success with something as intricate and as important as the face and expression, then it feels to me as though I have some momentum to tackle to challenges of the rest of the painting. Start with the hard bit, and the rest will follow, I suppose.
When I stood back from the finished painting, I had to find reasons to stop painting
The finished work.
When I stood back from the finished painting, I had to find reasons to stop painting. I asked myself about the original goal of the painting and if I have achieved that, or had the process taken me in a totally different direction - and if so, was that a good direction?
Ultimately I decided that as I started out to show technical prowess, but also to be true to the subject and the spirit of the painting, I had at least come close. As close as I could go with the looming deadline.
So, did it earn me the opportunity and funding for further academic study? Not this time. But the results presented an opportunity of their own for me to grow and learn.
“I learned the ability to work within constraints, with other creative practices and to find ways of balancing technical ability with a flowing, looseness of the work to create something unique for Timon, for him to look to when he himself is creating.”
Commission
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