Discovered A Wonderful Portrait Artist

[jocelynsart]

Hi all; I hope this is ok!? lol! If not, well, I apologize in advance. I did not join, no, but I wanted to have a peek.
I was looking around SOG and I found this one artist who I was extremely taken with! She stood out. Her portraits were beyond the traditional type of sitter in a setting type. She is in Toronto, so near me.
This is her portfolio there. My fav was the little girl with the handful of trinkets and the Indian sort of girl with the beautiful earthy background and symbols in the background.
I found her work exciting.
Jocelyn
http://www.portraitartist.com/davies/portfolio.htm

[M.A.]

She does gorgeous work!! and she is originally from NS

[jocelynsart]

Oh, is she really? Cool! My sister and my Dad are going camping in NS this Summer. I want to do it one yr too. I've always wanted to see the East Coast.
I really found this portrait artist inspirational.

[M.A.]

If you come this way, please let me know, it would be so neat to meet you IRL Hope your sister and father have a wonderful time when they're here.

[eileenclaire]

Her work is exciting and very much alive. I can see why you find it inspiring. There are some incredible artists on that site. One I really like is this one:

http://www.portraitartist.com/mickle/portfolio-1st.htm

He is more traditional. But what I like about his work is that it looks so much like oil (he works in pastel). It's incredible to me that he can achieve that kind of realism with pastel.

[Dana Design]

These are wonderful artists. Thanks for the links. Mickle works in pastels! I can't believe he gets such detail!

Joss, do you have Chris Saper's book about Painting Skin Tones? If so, what do you think of it. I'm thinking of buying it.

Thanks!

[jocelynsart]

Hi Dana: No, I don't have any instructional books. 2 yrs ago I was going to try and buy her Glowing Watercolour Portraits, or titled something like that. But, I just never bothered. I find at this point, I don't want to get sidetracked or muddled or start doubting my own painting ways. I prefer just to view finished works for inspiration and continue to develop, expand and hone my own natural ways. I believe her portrait books are very good though, from what I know!
Eileen: Yes, his work is very good! I think any medium can be pushed to achieve whatever you want it to. It is usually a matter of the way the artist uses it and how far they go, how much time they spend. Especially when you talk about realism. The more time you spend usually heightens the level of realism, moving it further away from expressionistic brush strokes, etc.
I definately feel the underpainting is what is causing my acrylics to have that more "traditional oil" feel" as well as the amount of thin layers and blending I tend to have always done. My personal conclusion is, it is not so much your medium as how you use it. Once you can't tell what medium is used, then it usually means the piece has been taken to that ultra high realisitic finish and the medium is less apparent.
JMO
Jocelyn

[jocelynsart]

Mary Ann: I will! I told my husband, Chuck, that I do want to do a camping trip out there, possibly next Summer. I think the kids are old enough and they are great on long car rides.
My sister has always wanted to move there.
Jocelyn

[DanaT]

Thanks for sharing these, Joss. She certainly is talented. She employs unusual lighting. At first I thought the blond man in the t-shirt was being lit from below but then I noticed that just the down plane under his brow ridge is especially light. It is probably more flattering but it made me do a double take when I first saw it.

[jocelynsart]

I know, there is alot about her work that is really unusual, very surreal almost.

[KingCrimson]

Hi Guys-Some great links.Hope you don't mind,but I thought you might also enjoy this link,she gets some really interesting backlit effects.She does acrylic,oil & pastel,and her pastels look like oils!http://www.daniellerichard.com/ancien/francais1.html

[jocelynsart]

Wow, thanks for bringing that link here! I do love her work! She has a very calm and romantic style.
Jocelyn

[scotchpie]

Hi

First time in the portrait forum, I'm usually found in the acrylics list.

Anyway I was getting interested in portraiture, especially the style of a young british artist who although still young is quite a big name with his work selling regularly in London's posh west end galleries for a couple of thousand pounds plus!

His home page is:
www.myweb.tiscali.co.uk/nford/gallery.htm

Can anyone advise me of his technique. It is something I would like to experiment with.


Andrew

[scotchpie]

sorry there should be no www. in the url

try: myweb.tiscali.co.uk/nford/gallery.htm

[jocelynsart]

Hi scotchpie: Actually, that url with the www should work. Anyway, I cut and pasted the second URL and the browser fills in the www anyway and I went to it.
I can see whay he does well. He has that very trendy style that is definately in. Big bold strokes and textures. Loose style with overlays of strokes and such, alot of texture. Contemporary Modern Impressionaism is what I like to call it.
I love it. I like the boots and I love the portrait with the comb like texture shapes.
Basically, upon guessing, I'd say he uses huge brushes and also maybe actual objects to create some of the textures, like a combed trowel, etc. He seems to lay the paint on pretty opaque and it sometimes blends if still damp. He seems to use the paint as dry layers over underneath layers in some cases. Thsi creates natural texture, dragging paint off a brush and it will fall in some spots and not in others, leaving a texture. The more layers, the more depth is created as well as doing light over dark layers.
Email him and ask him maybe? Alot of artists will discuss their work and such with you, especially someone just learning.