Sophie Ross
My work over the last two years of IB Art has been almost entirely focused on portraiture . This focus began with my exploration of different techniques and mediums , such as photography , and distorting series of images , which inspired me to continue to explore the intricacies of human emotion and development . From here , I continued to try different techniques with every piece as a way to symbolise the individuality and ever-changing nature of human life .
One artist who inspired my work over the whole course was Chuck Close , who produced portraits in many different styles , including pioneering photorealistic large-scale portraiture . The piece that required the most dedication was my pointillism portrait using acrylic , and over the three months of painting , I became fascinated with the sheer level of detail involved in portraiture , which decisively focused my exhibition works on realistic portraiture and how I could explore these details with different mediums .
In deciding to limit my colour palette I have been able to focus my attention on the rawness of emotion and how emotions are conveyed through expression without the distraction of colour . Over the last two years , I have been encouraged to push my creative and artistic abilities to achieve outcomes that I never believed I was capable of . My confidence in my ability to create realistic and detailed artworks has grown exponentially and it ’ s been such an enjoyable process !