Chris Drawing

In my work my focus is on exploring the transient nature of human expressions and effects of light upon the human form. My major influences come from the art of the Renaissance period, being left awe struck by the work I viewed on a visit in my mid twenties to Florence. Studying the works of Leonardo da Vinci and the subtleties of expressions he achieved, I have in my own work experimented with various techniques to capture human expressions in both the mediums of soft pastel and oil paint. I aim to create portraits that display the human expression in it's most intangible form, that animates the static work. I try to create a sense of life within the piece and am always striving to capture a persons essence in my work. Light is at the heart of all that is visual and it is a major aspect of what drives my artistic vision. I enjoy exploring and experimenting with various lighting effects and find it an endless source of inspiration. I like the drama and three dimensional rendering that chiaroscuro offers and my aim is to explore fully various methods of capturing light within portraiture. Though my inspiration stems from a classical tradition I want to create works that capture modern people. I aim through the medium of both oil and pastel to explore the art of portraiture fully, learn as much as I can about composition, light, expression and to create portraits which fully reveal each individuals unique identity.