Portraits in oil and pastel

Portraiture is the most demanding sort of work an artist can undertake because of the challenge of truly capturing someone's likeness. This art form was at its height in the several centuries before the advent of photography but photography did not , as many expected , cause it's demise.That is because of two things. A properly executed portrait will last for generations ; literally hundreds of years, as the works created by the masters of this art and hanging in museums today nearly as fresh as the day they were completed can attest. A photograph fades within a few decades. The second, and to me the more compelling reason , is that a well done portrait can capture more of the true essence of the subject through the direct observation of the artist than a photo ever can.

My work in this area, as in all the work I do, is informed by the traditional techniques of the old masters . I have studied the methods and works of artists like Rembrandt ,John Singer Sargeant , Frans Hals , and Titian to name a few; through texts as well as closely observing their works in some of the great art museums in the world.

When commissioned for a portrait I prefer to schedule an initial posing session for the subject to carefully draft the image and I will also(making a bow to modernity) at that time make photographs for reference.Then I use a technique called grisaille to create a monochromatic(shades of warm greys ) tonal rendering to achieve the areas of dark to light transistions in the figure. When this is complete transparent colors called glazes are used. When these techniques are done with skill ,they can give the fleshtones in a portrait a luminosity that is remarkable. I then prefer to have a final live modeling session where I can capture nuances and subtleties that are just not found in a photograph. For me an oil portrait trumps any kind of photographic image.

Pastels work well also for portraits ; but as they are usually done on paper with a texture ( referred to as 'tooth'), they lend themselves more to a direct approach and a looser rendering style which will enhance with a particular energy  a portrait of a child or a favorite pet .

I have been commissioned at times by loved ones to create a portrait of someone who has passed away and then I have to work solely from photographs ;but the skill of an artist can still capture more of the subject in a well done portrait than any photo. A portrait can be a precious memento indeed as the stages of life pass and time flies away.