I’ve just stopped painting this portrait of my multitalented friend Lois. I hesitate to say it is finished, because I can already see places where I could tweak this or correct that. But having already done a complete circuit of painting, correcting, overcorrecting, ruining, wiping off and recommencing I think I better stop for the moment as it is pretty close to what I wanted.
Lois is a remarkable person of many strengths and it is hard to capture all those qualities in one portrait. She is an award winning artist, a teacher, farmer, mother, and one of the most capable people I know. An intelligent, resilient and resourceful person, she has a direct gaze and warm smile. This is what I wanted to capture in her portrait.
One of my favourite stories about Lois is when she was out for a run in winter and came across a ewe giving birth and the lamb was stuck. The ewe ran into a dam ( water birth not wise). Lois stripped off, swam out and grabbed the ewe, pulled her to safety, delivered the twin lambs, then carried on with her run. I suspect if the ewe had had the temerity to perish after the rescue, Lois would have shorn her, spun the wool for an art project, then casseroled the remains. She likes recycling and can’t abide waste.
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This portrait has just been accepted into the Salon – an alternative selection of artworks into the Black Swan Prize. and will be on display at Brookfield Tower 2 from 3 – 21 October (week days only, 8am-6pm) and then at St John of God Hospital in Midland from the 27th October – 4th December.
Then it might end up at Lois’s place where it belongs.
Portrait assemblage in Painters box with personal items of the subject and the artist.