Petr
Petr
Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Size: 60 × 60 × 4 cm
Framed: 70.5 × 70.5 × 6 cm
Petr was a close friend and one of the most intelligent people I have known. This portrait began with a series of photographs taken on a ferry crossing back from Brittany. At one point I noticed him sitting quietly, completely absorbed in his own thoughts. Something about the moment caught my attention and I picked up my camera.
Looking at the image later, I found myself returning to the same question: what was he thinking?
The portrait grew out of an attempt to capture not just a physical likeness but something of the quality I had seen in that moment — the sense of thought behind the eyes.
What I could not have known at the time was that this painting would change the direction of my life. It was my first serious painting as an adult – the result of a decision to stop discussing art and see if I could make it.
The painting took around three months. One section had to be substantially reworked when I realised an ear was in the wrong position. The process taught me a lesson that has stayed with me: persistence matters more than talent.
Petr
Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Size: 60 × 60 × 4 cm
Framed: 70.5 × 70.5 × 6 cm
Petr was a close friend and one of the most intelligent people I have known. This portrait began with a series of photographs taken on a ferry crossing back from Brittany. At one point I noticed him sitting quietly, completely absorbed in his own thoughts. Something about the moment caught my attention and I picked up my camera.
Looking at the image later, I found myself returning to the same question: what was he thinking?
The portrait grew out of an attempt to capture not just a physical likeness but something of the quality I had seen in that moment — the sense of thought behind the eyes.
What I could not have known at the time was that this painting would change the direction of my life. It was my first serious painting as an adult – the result of a decision to stop discussing art and see if I could make it.
The painting took around three months. One section had to be substantially reworked when I realised an ear was in the wrong position. The process taught me a lesson that has stayed with me: persistence matters more than talent.
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Other works
To see more, please click on one of the images below.
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