Melancholic Woman

Melancholic Woman

Oil on Canvas Paper

210/270mm

With this work I was drawing from a few different influences, specifically Evelyn William’s brand of expressionism, as well as Picasso’s blue period, and early Russian Christian art. This kind of Noir lighting is a big step away from my usual style, where I mostly try to employ even light. There is also an intentional distortion of certain facial features, most notably the enlargement of the eyes and shrinking of the mouth. The use of straight lines, as opposed to curves, for the eyebrows and bridge of the nose was also intended to help intensify the feeling of the piece.

Portrait in Water-Mixable Oil Paint

I am always collecting source material for paintings, and I like to mix and match for portraiture, for example, this face, with that hairstyle, or this body with that head, etc.
Picasso said that in order to create, one must destroy. I look at the face, and do a few drawings to distort the proportions, and stylise the features. Next, i position the figure within the border for what i feel to be an appropriate composition.
The ground for this work was black gesso.

Bust of Female

303/400mm

Oil on Panel