Portraits

Just to provide a bit of background to this painting, it was painted from a reference photo, completely by eye without gridding etc. As can be seen from the above gif, it’s not too far off considering.

I called the painting Whistler’s Wife as the pose reminded me of James McNeil Whistler’s painting “Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1” which was also more popularly known as “Whistler’s Mother”, and since I constantly drive Netty half crazy with my whistling when I paint, it seemed the obvious choice for a title…

The painting is currently still on display in the David Hughes Centre in Beaumaris, together with 4 more pieces by me and lots of work by other artists from the Island Art Group. The exhibition finishes at 5pm on Sunday 11th June.

Just to provide a bit of the background to this particular painting; I submitted it for the consideration of the Association of Anglesey Art Clubs exhibition under the title ‘Portrait’, quite simply because its full title is ‘Ynys Mon y Lisa: Portrait of the Artist’s late mother as the Mona Lisa in the style of Picasso’ and I didn’t think they’d accept it.

My Mum passed away last year, but was always keen for me to exercise artistic license whenever I drew her so, in her memory, I’ve attempted to portray her as the most famous woman in the world, painted in the style of the most famous artist in the world, with a view to making some kind of statement about ‘beauty being in the eye of the beholder’. Having achieved a degree in Art History through the OU herself (more than I ever did), I hope that she’d appreciate the attempt at humour.

P.S. Her name wasn’t Lisa, but ‘Ynys Mon y Barbara’ doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. Just put it down to ‘artistic license’…