Portraiture for me is pure pleasure. I have done a considerable number of commissioned portraits over the years which I have both enjoyed and been challenged by. The balance between likeness, accuracy and expression of personality traits is enough to challenge any artist. In commissioned portraits the window is a little more narrow in terms of pleasing the clients and artistic freedom.As a consequence, I have frequently painted others portraits for my own pleasure. This self commissioning offers similar freedom to do what you want with images, to express moods, attitudes and contexts that might not be acceptable to a client. The human face and what it represents in personal history, longings and emotional meaning is fascinating and is sufficient in challenge to last a life time of creative expression.
