Tag Archives: portraits

Sarah Ball: Damaged Humans By Margaret Graham

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Sarah Ball, Welsh Artist of the Year in 2013, and an encouraged artist at the Royal Academy’s Summer Show, has her first solo show in London at the Coningsby Gallery, which is just round the corner from Goodge Street tube station. And what an exhibition!

 

Small is definitely beautiful. Sarah’s portraits measure no more that 18 x 24cm, the tone of each is muted, the pose motionless and the eyes so compelling that each portrait seems to speak of their past, to our present.

 
I remember talking to Paul Vates, the actor, who was explaining the difference between stage and television. Television is all in the face and eyes. So too are Sarah’s portraits, painted with a flawless technique, and the universal blank stare of those locked in a place of suspended life and time.

 
We look at them and remember when, perhaps to a different degree, we were lost. I founded and run Words for the Wounded and have seen this look in the eyes of the wounded many many times.

 
Sarah uses mainly oil on board for her signature portraiture. She moves from prostitutes to soldiers with an artist’s objective eye, but with intimacy and empathy, revealing her emotional depth, a depth that connects with us.

 
The artist sourced these disadvantaged characters from photographs, many held in the Stanley Burns archive in the US, Denmark’s state archives, and from civil war photographs from the Library of Congress in DC, their personal histories unknown.
Her work provokes questions. What crimes, what woes, what damage was wrought on each individual? She acknowledges that all humankind experiences damage of some kind and it is for this reason that there is an implicit understanding between the subject and the observer. We say, ‘Ah yes, I remember…’
This is a glimpse into the subjects’ reality and at last they receive a sense of compassion, from Sarah and from us.

 

It will be interesting to see where Sarah Ball, represented by www.bo-lee.co.uk (bo.lee Gallery),  goes from here. Don’t miss this exhibition which closes on 7th June. It’s at Coningsby Gallery, 30 Tottenham St. London W1T 4RJ

 

 

Celia Birtwell Portraits By David Hockney On Display

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Portraits of textile designer Celia Birtwell will be on display during Dulwich Picture Gallery’s major exhibition ‘Hockney, Printmaker’ (5 February- 11 May 2013). The show is timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of David Hockney’s first print, and will provide an instructive and entertaining overview of the artist’s career as printmaker. Grouped by theme and technique in a series of displays, the exhibition featuring over 100 works will include eight portraits of Celia created between 1973 and 1998.

Celia first saw Hockney in 1968 in Portobello Road, and later met him again through Ossie Clark who was friends with Hockney at the Royal College of Art. After this time she became a regular presence in the artist’s work, including his prints; of which she features in approximately 30, constituting about a quarter of his total printed portrait oeuvre. A shared interest in aesthetics and a fascination with each other’s work and style have drawn them together. Hockney said “She’s playful, funny. When I first met her, I was attracted to the fact that she could make me laugh, and that’s a very big appeal to me”

Celia Birtwell portraits by David Hockney on display
Hockney’s depictions of her show his attitude towards portraiture in general, that it should be based on a psychological insight into his sitters’ lives, hence his aversion to commissioned portraits. Hockney believes that you can only draw someone when you know them and the closer the relationship the better the portrait.

Many of the Celia portraits reference the private, domestic scenes of Matisse and late 19th century artists such as Degas, depicting women engaged in routine activities, dreaming or sunk in thought. The portraits of her included in the show span a quarter of a century, and we can see that as Hockney grew in confidence, they became increasingly vibrant, energetic and bold, such as An Image of Celia, State II (1984-86). He created his larger lithographs, such as Big Celia Print #2, using long-handled brushes and dilute lithographic inks. The drips and splashes attest to the speed with which the prints were executed; a refreshing contrast to traditional lithographic portraits, which often took days to complete.

Celia Birtwell said:

“We have always felt completely comfortable in each other’s company. We amused each other. I found posing for him to be a very intimate, and silent, affair…Before commencing we have a conversation about how he wants me to look. I could look left or right. He may say, ‘Move your arm.’ ‘Sit further back.’ ‘Look out of the window.’ then comes the moment when he suddenly says, ‘I like that.’ whilst he’s drawing me I can see the intensity, struggle and concentration on his face. The intensity is extraordinary. After an hour or so he’ll say, ‘do you want to take a break, luvvie?’ Sometimes I take a peek at the portrait, other times I prefer to wait until it’s finished. He always says he doesn’t appeal to vanity. Whatever my feelings are, they are always amazing.”

‘Hockney, Printmaker’ is curated by Richard Lloyd, International Head of the Print Department at Christie’s. Loans have been secured from key lenders including Salt’s Mill, Saltaire, David Hockney Inc., David Hockney Foundation, National Gallery of Art, Washington, National Gallery of Art, Canberra, Bradford Museums and Galleries, Tate and Private Collections. A fully illustrated colour catalogue published by Scala accompanies the exhibition and features an illuminating text by Celia Birtwell. It will explore the key themes in the exhibition in the context of the artist’s biography, together with texts from contributors such as Marco Livingstone, John Kasmin, Peter Tatchell and Martin Gayford.

Image: Celia Birtwell sitting for Hockney as he draws Celia with Wind and Snow from his Weather series and Chair – ,- The Colony, Malibu pinned to wall. Gemini G.E.L., artist’s studio, Los Angleles, California. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, gift of Kenneth Tyler 2001.

 

10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits

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Emilia FoxIf you have ever had your portrait taken and wondered at how the photographer created such amazing images of little ol’ you, then you’ll be surprised to hear that people are actually the easiest subjects to photograph. Unlike the natural world, people are actually willing and interested in having their picture taken and that puts you the photographer, in control. All of the elements of good photography are in your hands. You choose the subject, the light, potential themes, colours, etc. Technical details are not so important, the key here is imagination. SmugMug knows a thing or two about good photography and have compiled 10 tips to help you enhance your portrait skills. Watch out David Bailey!

1. Alter Your Perspective – Some of the best portraits are the ones that break the rules. So instead of shooting your subject at eye level, try changing the angle, either get up high and shoot down on your subject or get as close to the ground as you can and shoot up. Either way you will see your subject from a different perspective which will instantly add interest.

2. Play with Eye Contact – A strong gaze will give a powerful impact to your photograph and will also create a real sense of connection between the subject and those viewing. The direction of your subject’s eyes can also give character to your image. For example, you can create a little intrigue by making your subject look off camera, at something hidden from the viewer. Alternatively, you can give your subject something to look at that is inside the frame, creating a second point of interest and a relationship between it and your primary subject. This will also help create a ‘story’ within the image.

3. Look for a Full Range of Emotions – This is a particularly good advice when taking family portraits. Do not just take pictures when a scene seems sweet. Every emotion a parent, sibling, or child display is worth capturing—fascination, tears, passion, even boredom. Interaction between family members will prompt these emotions.

4. Experiment with Lighting – The power of lighting is sometimes overlooked and there are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits. For instance, side-lighting can create mood, whilst backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful. Window light is also very beautiful for taking photos indoors, but you will need a reflector to put light back onto the shadowed side of your subject’s face. You can buy a reflector or even try making your own from a large piece of white card or a white sheet.

5. Move Your Subject Out of their Comfort Zone – Head and shoulder shots and other standard pose images can be nice but will they really make your picture stand out from the crowd? Agree with your subjects to create something special and out of the box, make them jump for instance or do something with their body that might sound silly at first but might turn out to be surprising and create a unique portrait.

6. Shoot Candidly – Posed portraits can sometimes limit your creativity and also block your subject to standard expressions. Adopting a candid approach is particularly good when photographing children or really any active subject that is changing their position or pose in quick succession.

Photograph your subject in a familiar space or doing something that they enjoy. This will put them more at ease, reacting naturally to the situation that they are in. Get them to have some fun and be spontaneous. The resulting photos will be full of life.

7. Use Accessories – Your subject still need to be the main point of interest but by adding accessories to your shot such as a piece of jewellery, a hat or simply a beautiful textured fabric you will instantly create another point of interest that will help enhance your subject and add an extra layer of depth.

8. Play with Background – Once again, the person in your portrait should be the main point of interest. However, you can dramatically alter the mood in a shot when you place your subject in different contexts. For example, choose a dramatic or colourful background, or be as minimalistic as possible and make you subject stand out. Experimenting is the key.

9. Go with a Wide Angle – Shooting with a wide angle lens can help produce creative and memorable portrait shots. Often overlooked as just a landscape lens, a wide focal length can open up a whole new world of opportunities and, contrary to popular belief, you can still get a flattering portrait of your subject – you just need to shoot in a slightly different way. If you are planning to take a distorted style wide angle portrait it is crucial to make the effect look as deliberate as possible, otherwise it will simply seem as if you have used the wrong lens.

10. Share Your Photos with the Right Tools – Finally, what’s the point of taking stunning portraits if nobody sees them? You can share your portraits with your friends and family by using SmugMug. With secure photo sharing you can create an online photo album where you can store and share all of your photographs in a simple, safe and secure place.

Visit www.smugmug.com for a free 14-day trial. Membership starts at $5/month.