Carissa Welford

Dillon
Oil on board
41 x 32cm
2020
£400

One Sixth Form College

I painted this portrait in college after studying Peter Paul Ruben who inspired my painting technique. I used small brush strokes on a life size portrait simply to add a realistic touch to the oil painting. At first, I loved the idea of vanitas in still life and wanted to include this in my portraiture which I did with Dillon. I thought about the dark background that consumes the dimensions in the face, outlining the solitude in the portrait. A single person being surrounded by darkness but also lit up around the silhouette can only make me think about loneliness. I feel I have highlighted the solidarity of Dillon in the portrait. I painted this from an image taken in the photography studio at One Sixth Form College using a black backdrop and a soft box for some light. I chose to use this portrait to paint because I like how the eyes pierce through the portrait almost making the viewer interact with Dillon. This is unusual because this portrait is nothing but a piece of wood coated in delicate and precise layers of oil paint. It is an art not something living yet I feel like he is looking right back at me. There is a liveliness about it that I am continuing to explore in my art project through the study of other people I know.