Wednesday 31 July 2019

Dreamscape Portrait: TRACEY ULLMAN

(ASPECT 1 : HB pencil 60mm x 40mm)
(ASPECT 2 : HB pencil 60mm x 40mm)
 
The third in this set of portraits seemed to be the most difficult to do for some reason. Even moreso than the Siouxsie Sioux one. I found it a struggle to lock onto the subject, dismissing numerous attempts before managing to complete the ones you see above. Strange, considering that I thought I knew a little more about her, from her time on Three of a Kind, her music career with Stiff Records, her success in the US, to her recent comedy sketch show on BBC1. I therefore assumed doing portraits of her would have been easy. How very wrong I was!
 
ASPECT 1 came about after quite a number of failures. The slight Picasso influence you see within it seemed to come out of nowhere, but I was happy that it did and quickly focussed on it, more out of relief than anything else. It resulted in quite a good piece in the end.
 
ASPECT 2 is more of the cluttered kind of dreamscape work. What I like about it, though, is that it does look like a head exploding. I put that down to the manic nature I perceived in the subject. Perhaps in herself, or in the effect she has on others, and considering the trouble I had doing these portraits, probably the latter!