sneak peek

Here is the final peek at the self-portrait I have just finished, with the biggest clue as to what is in this painting.

Sept. 29, 2009 - Painted colours

Sept. 29, 2009 - Colours painted

You’ll have to wait until the exhibition opens to actually see the portrait, and I will also put up a video then that will show the different layers that went into creating this painting.

I like to take photos of my works while they are still in progress.  It’s interesting to look back at them afterwards and see how the image has developed.  Sometimes I know what the image will be from the moment I start, with the sketch all planned out, and other times, the work takes on a life of its own.  For example, The Return Home, which is currently showing in Kingston, Ontario, was painted section by section, foreground first, then background.  I had an image in my head of how I wanted to place the double figures, but I was not yet sure what I wanted to do with the background.  It wasn’t until I had almost finished painting the figures that I finally realized there was a whole story to be told through the background elements.  So here is an image of the painting without the background painted in yet.  It’s amazing how different it looks!

The Return Home - in progress (2007)

I plan on posting more “in progress” photos of both older and current works on here in the future.  Let me know what you think…does it add to your interpretation/appreciation of an image if you know how it came to be?