Gillian
“HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU”
The ArtSpring arts centre on Salt Spring Island held a juried exhibition based on portraiture both real and psychological – an examination of self. The show’s mandate was to encourage visual artists to explore the concept of self (either the “self” of others or the “self” of the artist . I entered a portrait that I had done of a friend on the island. It is small but is entirely of her face – no distractions of hair or clothing and I tried to show an underlying sadness that I perceived in her.
The jurors’ critique of the painting, which received an honourable mention, said:
At once a brutal but loving portrait: up close and unforgiving of the colour and contour of ageing skin;looking deep into what the eyes have seen.Wonderfully composed and crafted.”
Gallery visitors said of the painting –
“This beautiful painting is a wonderful record of aging – the sadness, the wisdom, the life lived – all expressed in the paint.
“Not only brilliantly painted, but moving in it’s subject and tone.
Comments from visitors to the exhibition:
