The Male figurative artwork which I have painted over the past few years tells a story in my approach to painting on canvas. From the simplicity and graphic style of earlier paintings, I found that it took some bravery to break free of the restrictions of my linework.
It was around 2007 that things began to loosen up more and in 2009 I believe that the Male subject became more daring in that I was more willing to contrast dark and light and use colour more boldly. Current work is beginning to employ the use of fine textures which I have more recently reserved for landscape paintings.
This new male figurative pencil drawing proved quite a challenge. All about tone, this original art was based on an acrylic painting from a few years ago. It was interesting to see the image transferred to paper on pencil and also greatly reduced in scale.
I have had certain "landmark" paintings in my career and this is certainly the most widely known artwork I have created. Everyone wants to know who the model is. He was simply a guy i spoke to online in the days when I surfed the likes of Myspace looking for people who would allow me to paint them. This painting sparked an entire series of Kilt Art paintings.
Portrait paintings in a small scale in acrylic, both male and female "heads", these canvases were both interesting and challenging to paint. The textural element added to the overall appearance of this artwork which comprisers of no less than nine individual portraits.
A kilt painting in oil that has possibly taken longe rto finish than any other which I have painted before. Flower OF Scotland has quite a lot going on in it. Painting the shirt took most of the time and I wanted the tecture of the board to show through slightly in places. The grass only came to be following some experimental landscape painting which took place at the same time as working on this figurative piece.
Boxing Sailor was started in January 2011 and at mid September 2011 is still being worked on. I have been pressing myself with this painting a nd some others which have been created in a similar vein to create something different for me. Possibly more polished in places. Wether the extra time spent is worthwhile is a matter of opinion but I have enjoyed this painting journey.
Male figurative painting in a dramatic pose and full of meaning, but not as it may first appear. I wanted this original aart to be full of contrasting elements, so the figure is slim in stature but also, obviously strong. The white flag may look like defeat but this painting is about gathering yourself together before moving on through life with courage. This is one of a few paintings created in 2011 which were painted over and eight month period.
In preparing for this painting, the model was chatting to me and discussing some ups and downs in his life. What struck me was his positivity toward the future.
Another in my "window" figurative art paintings, I think this artwork is somewhat moodier than it's partner Ray Of Light II. I let go of the temptation to overwork this piece and I am happy with the gentle v masculine element to the finished artwork.
When I was asked to produce a "gay" Vettriano style painting, I wasn't too sure what to paint at first. I didn't want to go down one of the more risque routes or paint anything offensive: and why would it need to be anyway?
This large scale figurative male art was another painting which changed as it progressed but ultimately met with the ideas which I had in my head. Figurative painting, for me, becomes increasingly challenging as the scale of the artwork increases and this was a large canvas at over three feet square.
Painted in oil on board, this Kilt painting was much smaller than other such artwork I had produced before. Working smaller scale forces an artist to re-evaluate their painting method entirely: and use different brushes! This artwork featured a model who had appeared in several of my paintings including some of the tarot themed pieces of 2010.
Male figurative paintings which formed part of a series of artworks with a Gustav Klimt influence. These paintings were quite exciting to work on as for the first time I experimented with various metallic inks in addition to acrylic paint.
This was the first deliberately photorealistic painting which I worked on. It was different from much of the previously painted male artwork I had created. Painting in this manner is completely different from creating more expressive pieces and I don't know if I will ever become a painter who stays with one developed style as I like to paint in this realistic way and also in looser styles.
MThis painting was all about the shadows along the back and creating a certain atmosphere. I also played around with colur and brush technique, trying to allow the paint to dribble and run down the canvas more than I would have previously when working on a figurative canvas.
When I first began to paint, I became known for painting celebrity art, especially following appearing in two books on th esubject. following this the Kilt Art really caught peoples interest. The Kilt paintings were sometimes quite humorous and were therefore not always taken seriously. "Thistle" was a completely serious oil painting which moved away from the early methods in which the kilt art was painted.
