Painting in Spain

◄ Painting in Spain - 'Jana' ►

Jana
66cm x 91.5 cm
oil on panel

A rework of an old painting using a different model. As my eyes begin to fail I find it increasingly difficult to paint likenesses from life but I am still obsessed with the face and the figure. Based on a new face of a Czech girl with striking characteristics, this is purposely painted mainly from memory. Believing that necessity is often the mother of invention, I feel that this could actually be a liberating experience. I also like the formality of medieval portraiture; the unnatural precision and rather surreal depiction of the subject this generates. Recently I have chosen to rely much more on the memory working in conjunction with the subconscious and a more intuitive process of selection. The painting is too fresh at the moment and probably still needs to build up a bit more history.