The Secret Door Painting

Jan Crabtree uses bold, vibrant, expressive brushstrokes and colour to bring classical and renaissance sculpture to life. The image is first realised on paper through many sketches in charcoal and compressed charcoal, combining live model drawings, photography and sculpture to eventually create the large scale final piece in oils. Jan's figures dominate the canvas with very little background so that the figures themselves form a narrative for the painting that is interpreted by each viewer according to their own experiences. Tangibly energetic and distinctive."