There were a lot of photo-realistic portraits, as usual on enormous canvasses. Some too clever for their own good - there's a point when you can no longer 'ooh...' each moist eye, short depth of field image. I am continually swinging between favouring loose interpretations of a subject and pin-sharp representations.
I will say I liked 'The skateboarder' by Erik Olson for its broad bold execution and that it is a piece broken down by zones of light and shadow.
Ben Ashton's 'Lindsay Lohan' has delicate detail and fine brushwork to produce a small, but photo-realistic self-portrait.
Ian Cumberland's unsettling portrait (of domestic abuse?) 'Today You Were Far Away'.
Lastly, Jean-Paul Tibbles 'Self-Portrait'
This was one of several paintings that was accompanied by a description of the process of creating a piece from drawings, preliminary sketches, photographs and sittings before the final painting is attempted. As a novice I found that really helpful information. Naive to think they'd sit down and rattle off a self-portrait without research and preparation...
I am struggling with the concept of using photos. Where do you draw the line between letting a photo influence your creativity? I suspect the photo-realistic paintings go too far, for my taste. Or am I jealous of the skill that result requires?
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