Inner Self
My concept surrounds the idea of the psyche and portraiture, this has challenged my practice to become expressive and powerful through the use of gestural marks, vibrancy of colour and line. The art movement, Expressionism, has informed my practice greatly in terms of using colour, line, form and application of paint to convey the emotional state of the subject matter. Primarily working in acrylic and oil paint, my practice surrounds the idea of using portraiture as a means to channel a subjective portrait. Having previously worked with subjects I had no connection with, my practice now focuses on painting individuals who are familiar, such as work colleagues. The idea of allowing the portrait to reflect the inner realm of an individual is of great interest to my practice and by working expressively with brushstrokes and colour, I want to create my response to the subject’s emotional state.
Artists such as Lucian Freud and the expressionist artist, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, have influenced my practice in regards to engaging with the sitter, using charcoal sketches as a way to connect and get a sense of familiarity with the subject. By stripping down to just paint, it challenged my way of thinking and allowed a connection to happen with the subject and painting. Block colours served as a way to interpret the aura and environment, gestural marks and application of paint had a reason for each stroke and colour created meaning within each portrait.
