Three painted portraits of a man, a young woman and an older woman.

De La Salle Catholic College, Cronulla

Family Portraits

Painting, oil on canvas, acrylic paints

My intentions in depicting my family were to convey the individual personality of each sitter whilst representing the solidarity that binds us. The application of heavy impasto and the uniformity of composition express family ties and etches some of life's experiences onto each face. I was inspired by the practice of Anh Do and his attempts to gain a deeper understanding of his subject rather than a recording of superficial appearance. I spent much of the time experimenting with studio lighting to create reference photos with strong chiaroscuro that added dimension to facial features and highlights to eyes. I blocked in with acrylic before applying swathes of buttery oil paint.

An artistic orange brushstroke design forms abstract shapes on a white background. Overlaid on the design is the word "artexpress" in a sleek, modern black font. The orange brush strokes appear dynamic and free-flowing, with splatters and tapered ends.Simplified waratah flower in deep red colour with the words NSW Government in dark blue stacked underneath.

ARTEXPRESS is a joint partnership between The New South Wales Department of Education and NSW Education Standards Authority in association with Hazelhurst Arts Centre.