Gary Matthews Art

The Human Touch

1/3/2016

It could be said that in these days where everyone has a camera, and every significant moment of our lives is photographed, that the painted portrait has become obsolete.

I don't think that's the case. The very fact that our image is recorded so often and so effortlessly is what makes painted portraiture more interesting, powerful, meaningful and human.

When you look at a painted portrait, you know that every line, every curve, every glint in the eye was put there by another human being who put all their thought, all their care, and all their skill into it.

You can feel it, the Human touch. It brings an extra value and meaningfulness. A specialness that can't be created any other way. I makes me think that rather than being obsolete, painting is more needed and relevant than ever.

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Work In Progress

13/11/2015

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Here's a stage-by-stage look at my process for a recent painting I did just for the enjoyment of it.
I tend to find that those are the paintings that flow most easily from the brush!

Stage 1: The underdrawing.

First I rough out the drawing in outline, trying to find out where all the shapes go.

Sometimes I use a different colour to the finished piece to help me see the underdrawing when I start to fill in the shading.

For example, here I used green. It doesn't matter if a little of this peeps through into the finished work,
in fact it can add interest.

Stage 2: Shading.

When I'm happy enough that everything is where it should be, and the subject is in the right place on the canvas, I begin shading in the dark areas and highlighting the bright ones.

Now you can really begin to see the shape come together, and its a good time to correct any mistakes you've made up to this point as nothing is too detailed yet.

This is also a good time to loosely fill in the background.

Stage 3: Colour.

Often I leave this stage out altogether!

For this piece however, the colour was an essential part of what I wanted to convey in the final image and I spent a lot of time trying to find the right mix of purples, blues, and even greens of the reflections on the armour.

I tried lots of different washes of purple and blue to get the background just right too.

Stage 4: Detail and finish.

This is the stage that takes longest and involves the most work, but it's usually the part I enjoy the most!

Once the groundwork has been done in terms of finding the shape and colour of everything, I can go over the image and really concentrate on the details and highlights that bring the painting alive.

So here it is, the finished piece.

'Captain Phasma'
50cm X 70cm Acrylic on canvas.

Available to buy!

Hope you enjoyed this! Why not leave a comment and I'll be sure to get back to you or answer any questions. Until next time!

Gary.

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Time for a change.

5/10/2015

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These days, people have less money to spend on the little things that bring joy into their lives, like Art. I think these things are important, so I'm going to make my Art a little bit more affordable for everyone.

From now on, my A4 prints are €10 instead of €20, and my A3 prints are €20 instead of €30, including free postage and packaging.

This is not a sale, it's a permanent price change. And I'll also be doing further reductions, promotions, and sales from time to time in the future.

I want everybody to feel they can come to this website, and if they see something they like, it can be theirs.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Best Regards,

Gary.

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Blogging Begins.

20/8/2015

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I've decided to add a blog page to the site so I can post updates about my work and what I'm up to in general.

The plan is to start a conversation with the people who like my art, share ideas, and showcase work in progress and finished pieces. Maybe give an insight into my process, my influences and inspirations.

For example this is my latest commissioned portrait.
Like most of my work, it's acrylic on canvas. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a big fan of black and white portraiture. There's just something about black and white that adds style and dignity. I think the photography of Helmut Newton has been a big influence on my appreciation of the purity of black and white.

Feel free to comment, I welcome your feedback. I'm sure this blog will evolve over time as I get a better handle on it! Until next time.

Regards,

Gary.

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The Human Touch

Work In Progress

Time for a change.

Blogging Begins.

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