Portraits, Ph. Segura
Now on exhibition in the White Room at Green Kill, "Portraits," by Ph. Segura.
PORTRAITS, a series of small portrait paintings by Ph. Segura, are now on exhibition at Green Kill in the White Room.
Exhibition houra are Saturday and Sunday, 1-6 PM
P O R T R A I T S
Painting portraits is not something I usually do as I am an abstract painter. But one day I thought it would be fun to try to do some. It seemed like it might be a good way to change something about the way I see and the habits of looking. I messaged my friends and asked for anyone to send me a photograph and I'd make a portrait and send it to them. No money was involved. I received a few photos. I quickly realized that the clarity of the photograph was really important.
Since this was and is purely an experiment I decided on some parameters. I would only use off-the-shelf cheap canvases, and only make them 8 x 10 inches. And that I know the person. Usually I stretch and prime all my canvases. So this would be a departure from my usual approach in all ways.
Soon I started taking the photos myself of people in my presence. They have to like the photo and approve of it for me to proceed. That part is usually done in a few minutes. I print out the photos. I usually just stare at the photo and some sort of holographic image gets set in my mind that I 'project' on the canvas. It's a bit eerie, I'll admit. Sometimes it isn't quite right and I have to scrape the paint. With oil paint scraping the paint only makes it more interesting. The fear factor of getting something wrong is gone. It makes for a relaxing experience.
After having done a bunch now I can assess the process vis-à-vis painting abstract images that arrive from the empty white space combined with, I suppose, every image I have ever seen in all my years...from the amygdala or akashic.
Portraits are defined by the Tate Modern Museum as simply a “representation of a specific person”. In its most basic form, a portrait is a representation of a living thing that captures some essence of the subject being represented. For humans, a portrait can be a glimpse into a secret window of some aspect of a subject's deeper self.
The process of figurative images results in using the applicable technique. Mixing paint to arrive at the desired skin tone and smoothing and shading. I would have loved to have apprenticed with Sargent, for instance. Portrait painting involves applying learned techniques. And that is always what put me off figurative painting, still-lifes, etc. altogether is the reliance on techniques. Everyone can understand portraits and they satisfy at a deep level. There aren't any of the challenges of the abstract and unknown spaces. For me, paintings that express and allow me to enter spaces I have never seen or felt before is my main purpose both as a viewer and practitioner.
I admit that getting something of the spirit of the person, no less an actual likeness, staring back at me is quite satisfying. Most of the time a glimmer of the person arrives. This makes me sit back and acknowledge it *there you are* I sometimes even say out loud. The eyes are essential. I like doing the backgrounds a lot. It's where I go to town and get more abstract. But it too adds to the spirit of the painting.
I gift the portrait to the person. Sometimes they send me money; it's not required but welcome. Sometimes they don't want the painting. One person was interested but they wanted a portrait of themselves with their wife. I don't do that. One reason is the canvas is too small for two people. I can't paint that small. This is a very specific exercise. And yes, it has helped me to look in different ways. Since I didn't know what to expect it is of course not anything I could have predicted. I find myself looking at people's noses and lips with a kind of curiosity, as if I was figuring out how I would paint them or what colors to mix. Basically, the exercise of painting an egg is the entire story of depth and shading.
I'll probably keep doing portraits from time to time. The parameters might even change. People I don't know? Getting paid? A more quality canvas? A larger size? Maybe. Inquiries welcome.
Ph. Segura
