Built This Way (Portrait of Karl S. Williams)
Built This Way (Portrait of Karl S. Williams)
I’m so pleased that this major piece I’ve been working on for the past 7 months has been accepted into the Brisbane Portrait Prize this year. The amazing songwriter and performer Karl S Williams sat for me and it has been my honour and privilege to paint his portrait. It pushed me in my artistic practise to a place I was not sure I could hold at times but it also held my resolve in a way that didn’t let me go until the final brushstroke. Titled “Built this Way” after his beautiful song of the same name, it is a visual permission to be a man who is honest, sensitive and romantic and to own the artistic compulsion that won’t let me go.
This portrait shows Karl in a deep darkness, a single light source highlighting his face, his hands resting on the head of his handmade guitar.
After 2 years of development, trial and multiple failed attempts, I spent 7 months creating this portrait, utilising every compositional technique at my disposal.
As well as communicating that he is a musician, I wanted to capture his gentleness, musical honesty and intensity.
Through the use of tenebrism, I’ve illuminated Karl, isolating him from any context and imbuing him with a sense of profound dignity and drama.
Positioned close to the picture plane and bathed in strong light, he projects from the frame to inhabit our world.
In this painting, I sought to capture visually the same intensity that defines Karl’s live performances- described as having “a voice and conviction so powerful it takes your breath away.”
In order to capture the dichotomy of Karl’s nature (his message of love and his intolerance for injustice), I painted his right eye softer and gentle in the light and his left eye darker and intense beneath a frowning brow in the shadow.
As his eyes are the primary focus of this artwork, his face is the lightest and most refined element of the painting, then his hands and guitar (the tools of his trade), rendered slightly darker and more "painterly" so as not to compete, whilst also telling their own story and contextualising the portrait.
Karl's wonderful hair and beard, in combination with his piercing eyes, lends him an arresting air of timeless dignity reminiscent of kings and holy men of classical art. This merges perfectly with my sensibilities, art practice and style of painting.
I first saw Karl perform at a festival 10 years ago, when I was grieving a great loss in my life. His music had an incredible impact that has never left me. I have since come to know him personally and admire his creative courage and honesty. His song-writing, musicianship and flawless and powerful live performances are profound.
This portrait was inspired by my need to visually communicate Karl's effect on me. I wanted to capture those intense elements of Karl's personality and musicianship, and how his performances and storytelling are unflinching in their honesty and impact.
Portraiture has been one of the final frontiers for me. I have worked very hard on the knowledge, technique and skills necessary to be able to confidently capture a sitter's likeness.
As the underlying theme of all my work is an account of the people and objects in my life, every portrait I paint is of someone I know. Portrait painting is my way of acknowledging their impact on me and communicating what they mean to me and how I see them, striving to capture an essence.