‘It’s so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas.’ Paul Cezanne
This is such a beautifully simple quote, but so very true. Well it is for me… A pristine blank canvas or brand new sketchbook is a joy to behold. So clean, so pure, it almost seems sacrilege to spoil it, And that’s where the ‘pressure’ stems from. The pressure to do it right, to not make a mistake. It can terrify any artist. To be perfectly honest, this has never really been that much of an issue for me. I generally just feel that a non-white/clean canvas is a lot more interesting to work on than a clean unspoiled one. As a rule, my first step when creating, is to mess things up a little. This could be with paint, a bit of collage, maps are a particular favourite, or often a combination of lots of things. I don’t tend to worry too much about how things are looking, as most of this prep-work will disappear behind the finished artwork.
With portraits I feel this approach is especially important in my process. I love a portrait, love the challenge, always have done. But often, with portraits, you can easily get sucked into drawing/painting what you think is right, rather than what you really should be drawing/painting. There are so many things that can catch you out with a portrait. I guess it’s why the idea of tackling them does terrify a lot of people. That’s possibly why I’ve always loved the challenge.
Collage portraits
![Simplicity - 2015](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FB_IMG_1445279212262-705x950.jpg)
![Hunky Dory - 2016](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Hunky-Dory-667x950.jpg)
![Aura - 2016](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Aura-2016-680x950.jpg)
![Celebrate it with firecrackers - 2016](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Celebrate-it-with-firecrackers-676x950.jpg)
![Liquid light - 2016](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Liquid-light-2016-Copy-631x900.jpg)
![Cocktail hour - 2016](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Cocktail-hour-2-662x950.jpg)
![Troubadour - 2017](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171108_080735-768x1094-1-667x950.jpg)
![Here will I Pledge thee, Dearest One - 2020](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Here-will-I-Pledge-thee-Dearest-One-678x950.jpg)
‘Alice’ portraits
![Your future Queen - 2018](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Your-future-Queen-small.jpg)
![The Pool of Tears - 2019](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/The-Pool-of-Tears-small.jpg)
![Who stole the tarts - 2017](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Who-stole-the-tarts-Copy.jpg)
![Down the rabbit hole - 2017](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Down-the-rabbit-hole-Copy.jpg)
![Which Dreamed It - 2017](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/The-Red-Queen-Copy.jpg)
![Jabberwocky - 2018](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Jabberwocky-641x950.jpg)
![Queen Alice - 2018](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Queen-Alice-669x950.jpg)
![Looking glass insects - 2018](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Looking-glass-insects-670x950.jpg)
![Advice from a Caterpillar - 2020](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Advice-from-a-Caterpillar-667x950.jpg)
![Alice ventured to interrupt - 2022](https://stephcoley.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Alice-ventured-to-interupt-668x950.jpg)