PORTRAITURE

Portrait painting is very personal and uncompromising. It is either an accurate representation of the subject, or it is not. Great care and time is taken to ensure that the essence of the individual is captured and that all uniform details are accurately represented.

We have found the most convenient starting point for a portrait, particularly when separated by significant distances as we often are in Canada, are a selection of high resolution and clear photographs. These may be old black and white photographs of a past relative, or colour photos of subjects from a more modern era. Regardless of source, the photo must be clear and contain sufficient detail to work from. If nothing suitable is on hand, a photo taken by the artist John Perry may be arranged.

If possible, it is preferred John meet the subject of the portrait. If this is not feasible then the portrait will be undertaken from a distance, with constant image updates provided to the client as the portrait develops.

The preferred medium is water colour on board (as illustrated above and to the right) but portraits may also be rendered in pencil , acrylic, or oil.

Here is an example of a very special portrait project undertaken by John Perry Designs. The portrait was commissioned by The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada and the subject was one of the regiment's, if not indeed Canada's, most heralded soldiers at the time, WW2 veteran and Victoria Cross recipient, "Smokey" Smith, VC.