LATEST PORTRAIT

A portrait I started in July is now finished and Plum Johnson, who commissioned it, has given me permision to post a photo of it before I ship the painting to Toronto, her home. I had several photos to work from but chose only one. The background design appeared in my mind almost fully formed when semi-awake one morning. I did a quick sketch of this geometric 'dream' before starting the portrait. Strangely enough, Plum tells me that the background has symbolic significance for her and resonates deeply. The process is intuitive and I have no idea how it happens but it does, quite often. In his livre d'artiste Jazz, Matisse wrote: En art la vèrité, le réel commence quand on ne comprend plus rien a ce qu'on fait, a ce qu'on sait... (In art the truth, the real begins when you no longer understand what you are doing, what you know...) Portrait of Plum Johnson. NdA 2020. Acrylic on canvas. 60 x 50cms (24 x 20 inches}