Original artwork description:

This is one of a series of portrait paintings I painted recently which use local Swansea people as my models. The people are everyday people who work in shops, the post office, cafes or people I meet on the street and simply want to paint as I like their faces.
I love the idea of painting common people as much portraiture traditionally is associated with the famous, rich or with status.
I liked to debunk that idea and make the ordinary, extraordinary.
I loved the reaction of the people painted when they saw their portraits. After all, it is not everyday than an artist paints one’s portrait. I hope I caught the essence, the inner dignity of all my subjects, of the beauty within us all. It was a special project.
The delight at watching a person’s face as hey first gazed on their own portrait made it all the worthwhile. I loved the incongruity of it.
This is Astra,who has to be one of the most glamorous Ironmonger’s assistant’s one could hope to meet, works in the Ironmongers that is most conveniently located five minutes from my home in Brynmill, Swansea.

Materials used:

oil painting on cotton canvas

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