My portrait style

Contemporary portrait painting

You might summarise my style as a contemporary portrait style.

My work is realistic (though not intended to be photographic: photos are great, but I think a painting should be something different — interpretation and stylisation, not simply mimickry), and I am somewhat influenced by Impressionism — especially my attraction to variations in light and shade.

When I am working on a portrait commission, capturing the essence of my subject is obviously my main goal. It's my belief that a successful portrait should be alive with the personality of the sitter — that it should bring that person to life in a heightened way, going beyond that which could be achieved by a photograph.

The portrait gallery

Of course, the best way to get a flavour of my style is simply to look at my work on this site — why not browse the portrait gallery?

Also in this section

Read about the materials I use on the oil portraits page, and more about me as a portrait professional.