: www.dace.co.uk :
portrait painting
Girl and rocking horse
from an old photograph
Original oil painting on canvas, 2005.
Why not paint from a photograph? I'll tell you.
I was asked to convert an old black-and-white photograph into an oil painting. This is something I rarely agree to: I must have been in a good mood that day, or perhaps I was told afterwards that I'd agreed and couldn't remember clearly enough that I hadn't. Being a man of my word (including words that I may have spoken but no longer remember and cannot absolutely refute) I persevered.
The most important reason for not working from photographs of people is that they don't always look themselves. The photograph is a snapshot in time, and the expression reflects whatever random thought was passing through the sitter's head just then. In a series of sittings the artist can get to know the sitter's characteristic moods, and choose to depict the ones that reflect the inner person most truthfully.
In the present case, the girl depicted here has long since grown up, so I have no reference other than the photograph I was given. What is worse is that I have no colour information: I am guessing that she had that fair English rose complexion. How do I know where to put the warm and cool tones? Educated guesswork only.
I chose mostly neutral earth colours, albeit put on fairly brightly. I wanted somehow to combine the bright colours associated with childhood with a faded look, because after all this is a reconstruction of the past.
To my relief the resulting painting was very well received. I shall try not to do this again, though.
All images are copyright © Martin Dace 2005. The image of the painting on this page (but not the photograph) may be freely copied and distributed provided that the image is not altered in any way and that a link back to www.dace.co.uk is made for any web use or attribution given in any printed use and provided that it is not distributed for commercial gain and provided that a similar condition including this condition be imposed upon any recipient.
For permitted use as above I should appreciate hearing from you!
You must contact me for permission if you wish to publish or reproduce any of my pictures for commercial gain.