Meeting and making art can be fun and always interesting.
The first process is for us to meet and collect information about the type of work you would like, maybe something has inspired you, a moment in your child’s development, a moment of self expression or a passion for real living art.
I normally make portraits using one of the 2 pathways of production set out below. Both of these follow my particular technique which uses the pallet of the earliest Renaissence painters, in particular Lippi, Massolini and Massaccio. This pallet set the colour range of great artists such as Botticelli and Michaelangelo.
Briefly I will touch on how this came about.
Having studied at Camberwell School of Art my range was, in my early days, based around these painters, fairly tonal with subtle hues. However, it was’t untill visited Florence and the Brancacci Chapel, on the rave suggestion of Sarah (Raphael), that I had a chance to see them in the flesh and work from them directly, in pastel and pencil for an entire week.
My pallet was not so much born but underwent an important clarification in the crucial importance of fresco grounds, warm cool tonal control.
Masaccio’s fresco at the Brancacci Chapel, Florence with several re-painted portraits by Phillipo Lippi.
Portrait Production method 1
painted portrait by ‘Studies & Sitting’ with ‘Photography’ combined
Drawing – making the ‘studies’
The first meeting can include arranging the drawing sitting where I make several studies over the course of an hour. These drawings create the feeling and mood of the final piece.
Photographic studies as reference to detail
Photography is an important way of capturing hues and facial detailing.
The final Painting in oils
The painting is made from the studies as a distilled piece.
Production method 2
Traditional painted portrait by ‘sittings’
This process require the subject to sit for several sessions while the painting is made in ‘life’.
This can be thought of as the traditional method.
Clients include Micheal and Shakira Caine, Sarah Raphael, Mark Burkhardt, Michael Levy and many more.
Nick Garrett 
