‘What’s your painting style?’ Someone asked me this recently and I found myself staring at them like a Persian cat. I drew a blank. I don’t think I’ve ever asked myself that question. I talked to my partner about this question that had stumped me and we both agreed painting most days is like herding cats. the only consistency in my day is I get up early and paint until quite late. Everything in between can sometimes feel like throwing mud at a wall and sometimes, it just sticks. It’s rarely magic, just hard fucking work (but as my Sister-in-law told me recently, no-one buying art want to hear that - oops).
I keep coming back to the question of style. I don’t think that most genuine Artists strive towards a style. Strive to get better and hone their craft? Yes. I think style is the afterthought of years of evolving techniques which would imply it’s only temporary and subject to change. Looking back at old work next to more recent, it’s fascinating for me to see how the way I apply paint has changed but the subject matter remains fairly consistent. I will always love painting older faces.
If I had to sum up where I am now today with my work, I would say predominantly a portrait Artist, I enjoy combining my more analytical approach to the human form with a contemporary illustrative quality to the silhouette and composition.