A sketch of ‘Vern’

‘Vern’ 30cm x 40cm Oil on board

The commissions I’ve been working on recently have evolved a great deal of geometry and measuring to get the subjects planned out on the canvas.

I fancied a break so I started this portrait of my Dad, Vern’ sketching in the garden during his visit a few weeks ago.

I fancied just diving in on this study without pre drawing, just to see how it would come out.

…well, I think it looks like him! The test will be to see what my sister thinks!

It took me about 5 hours over 2 days working from a hand full of Paparazzi pics I shot of him without him seeing me.

horse head sketch in charcoal

I used to think the great pleasure in charcoal was the wonderful rich lines you get when you really squeeze the black stick into the paper. It’s such a satisfying feeling.

But, I’ve grown up a bit now - it’s not the black that is interesting at all, it’s the use of that wonderfully diverse colour gray.

I think gray is such an underestimated colour and can be easily forgotten about in painting. It’s very expressive and mysterious at the same time.

Perhaps it is my past as a photographer and all those dark hours wet processing black and white prints, (yes I’m that old!) but I am on a mission to experiment and explore gray more in my painting, and find out more about its magic.

This horse is nearly finished now.

Steve