Self Portrait - Acrylic on canvas 120.0 cm x 120.0 cm - May 2015

After two years of deliberating, I finally plucked up the courage to paint a self portrait.

I got the idea for the composition after watching a BBC documentary called ‘Artists Studios’, featuring the British painter Patrick Heron.  The interview was shot in his St Ives studio, with him sitting,looking directly into camera in front of one of his large paintings.  The interviews theme was Heron discussing his motivations and daily artistic practices.

It got me thinking: back at art school my tutor had arranged for me to visit Heron down in Cornwall.  Unfortunately that summer he died, and I didn’t get the chance to visit him at his ‘Eagles Nest’ home in Zennor.  I have always wondered how different my artistic life may have been, having met such a famous artist, and how the experience could have affected me?  Watching his interview and asking the personal question ‘what if’, sparked my courage enough for me to undertake painting a self portrait.

On a more practical level - I liked the sitting position of the man in the painting ‘Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy’ by David Hockney, this became the starting point for my seated pose.  I wanted to portray myself sat on a chair in front of one of my recent large colour field paintings, looking quietly contemplative and gazing off into the distance.

The style of this painting is a continuation of my recent work - colour-field backgrounds which try to capture the mood and message I am trying to convey of the sitter, with a more figurative and literal portrait foreground. The canvas is relatively large 120.0cm square  and is currently being exhibited in a group Summer show at Chelsea Arts Club.