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Imaging the Face 

These images are a culmination of a six-year investigation into hyperrealist representations of the human face. Each of the works reference hundreds of photographs of the human face. The Faces begin with a single digital photograph of the subject, cropped around the eyes nose and mouth. The photograph is, then, drawn onto a canvas. Macro photography (between a 1:1 and 1:6 ratio) is deployed to obtain close-up images of the key facial elements. Thereafter, these are painted over the drawing. In the final painting, Face X, microscopic photography (between x20 and x400 magnification) is also employed in order obtain pictures that go beyond what the human eye can see and what a single photograph can reveal.

Every one of the source photographs is different (even when they are of the same thing); what is visible in one may not be so in another. This is especially the case when dealing with macroscopic and microscopic images, where the tiniest facial movement can alter the appearance of an image dramatically: for example, the way in which the light falls on a pore may shift, translucent hairs may be rendered visible or invisible,   and lines may appear stretched or creased. As the artist, I must assess the photographic data, and decide what to portray and how to represent it.

Faces I - X hidden altogether.

Face X 200 x 200cm. Oil on Board. 2009 - 2010

Face IX 100 x 100cm. Oil on Board. 2009

Face VIII 100 x 100cm. Oil on Canvas. 2008.

(Click here for detailed images).

Face VII 120 x 60 cm. Oil on Canvas. 2007.

(click here to see the development of this painting.)

Face VI  150 x 150cm , Oil on Canvas. 2007.

        Face V 60 x 90cm , Oil on Canvas. 2007.

        Face IV 60 x 90cm , Oil on Canvas. 2007.