This is a detail of a full-length portrait which has been ongoing since May 2015. At 1.7m high, it’s the largest picture I’ve ever attempted, and also the first painting I’ve made with reference only to looped video, rather than life. We knew the pose would be tricky to hold for long periods, so this has been an experiment exploring an alternative to my usual approach to portraiture.
The picture is a response to Renoir’s La Parisienne, which hangs in the National Museum of Wales. It’s modelled by a friend’s eight-year-old daughter, Hanna, who lives in Machynlleth, West Wales. Hanna did a brilliant job.
Having mistakenly thought the picture was finished in the autumn, I’m hopeful that it’s now close to completion.
January 20, 2016