Four Portraits

This week has been about four portraits. Last week I promised a concept piece, which I hoped to finish - but I didn't. I do still hope to finish it (I will finish it) - but it isn't ready yet.

Above is an image of Kurt Cobain next to a quote from Athur Ashe (tennis legend). Why? Well I heard the quote, not knowing where it was from, but my mind flashed to Cobain. 'Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can'.

I think that the joy of Nirvana as a band was the simple fact that three dirt poor guys - artists - with the most basic tools, got together in a garage and just changed the world.

For me that is the power of art. The whole commercial might of the rock industry, that had become over blown with cocaine and hair metal bands was just changed as soon as everyone heard the simple truth that came along with Cobain's music.

He simply started where he happened to be (largely drifting along in Seattle) - rejected to some extent by his own parents, the school system, the popular crowd, he used what he had (the most simple of tools - a guitar, an amp, his small group of friends), and he did what he could.

Last week we visited the subject of Street Art, and you can see how I've tried to make the image of Cobain on the wall resemble Street Art and I wanted it to feel urban and rough. I wanted to person looking at the piece to think that they could imagine themselves being confronted by this image sprayed on a wall. I'd love to experience that, personally. 

That particular pieces isn't the most compelling likeness that I've ever drawn - but it's valid and not unrecognisable to the image I was working from.

The other image (top) was done afterwards because I was a touch frustrated with the fact that the likeness wasn't recognisable enough to satisfy me completely. I found this other image that was washed out and lamenting, and seemed to speak about addiction and tragedy. It's all about the eyes. I was really happy with how that cam out.

 

Subsequently I felt like I wanted to capture Dr Martin Luther King Jr. I can't really explain why. He was such a powerful figure - in his voice, but also in the way that so many photographers succeeded in capturing him. I think I was watching a documentary on Bob Dylan and they tied into Martin Luther King.  I saw this image and had to try and recreate it. It's just so direct and intimate and challenging. I was really happy with how it came out - there's stuff in here that I learned from Jeroen van Neijhof who communicated with me through twitter. His work has so striking clarity and I was literally just hit when I saw his work, and he gave me some instructions on technique that immediately helped me. Collaboration in art is wonderful for development. Trying to grow and improve in a vacuum is an impossible concept. When you open yourself up to others you also get inspired.

Below is a picture of Walt Whitman. This is actually something that I quite happy with. Walt Whitman is my hero in poetry and when I studied at the University of York one of my Professors took me to one side and paid me a huge compliment by saying that my close examination of "Song of Myself' was outstanding (that's the bit I choose to put the emphasis on!) BUT almost entirely devoid of objectivity because I was clearly in love with the text!

So of everything I read in my literature degree the thing that I really was besotted by was the work of Walt Whitman - a genius 150 years before his time.

As I was drawing this out I felt his face appearing out of the page and I'll be honest it felt effortless. I had no uncertainty. Often when I'm drawing I had a slight quantity of anxiety about whether I'm going to capture resemblance. I just never had that feeling here. I think there is a quality in making a portrait that you have to pay attention to that face as if you absolutely love every mark and even if you don't convey it in your work - you have to acknowledge it and know that it's there.

This might sound perfectly obvious - but you have to challenge yourself to draw what is actually there and not what your mind tricks you into thinking is there. You know? Zoom right in and consider the picture within the picture.

I feel like I've learned a lot this week.