My Work

“Painting a portrait is not just making a picture, it's the celebration of a person” -Ben Lustenhouwer

 

A portrait is more than just an image of a person. A portrait reflects the inner world of the subject using different techniques and tools. When I paint a portrait, I’m not looking to paint a photograph. That is why I think it is important to meet my clients in person, to establish a connection and to get to know them in person. This helps to add character to portraits and highlights certain personality traits. Getting an impression of the person in real life, rather than from a photograph, adds life to the work-which is not something that can be achieved through a camera lens. There can be several meetings prior to the making of the portrait.

 

I don’t work in the style of photo-realism. Photo-realism is the style of art in which a painting or drawing is made to look exactly like a photograph. I don’t make copies of previously taken photographs. I mostly work in the style of impressionism and stylized art. My works are made live, and photographs can be used later on to fill in any missing details once the big picture is done. Photographs are only a small part of the process since most of the work is done live in order to capture the true essence of a person.

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The Process:

In the first meeting I will discuss the basic details of the order. The size of the portrait, the style in which it's done, materials used, date of completion, price, and other additional clients' requests.

The second meeting is when the portrait will be started. I make sketches by hand and take a picture of the person, in order to capture the details needed for future advancement of the portrait.

An additional meeting is possible to further discuss other requests, and to discuss the finalizing details for the order.