Indian Girl

Portraiture is one of the more complicated but enjoyable styles of painting, with so many things to take into consideration. The human face is the most naturally recognisable signifiers to us, any major anatomical errors can destroy not just the appeal of seeing ourselves but connecting with an emotion or story behind the face. I always enjoy being captivated by the eyes of a painting, it’s so fascinating how something so lifeless and two dimensional can bring about strong feelings and emotional connections to our own past. With the popularity of photography, very little portraiture occurs. It is definitely a fine art and takes a tremendous amount of focus and attention to detail to replicate not just the face, but mood, body language and history.

When I was a kid I loved pretending, living on a big property with untouched bushland behind me I would spend hours and whole weekends imagining I was an Indian or an explorer. So it’s no surprise that some of my favourite memories are from these times.