Portraits

Commissions accepted. Contact me- details below.

Portrait of John Bell.

These are stills of each of the portraits I’ve completed of John Bell of The Bell Shakespeare Company.
I have been attending productions of the Bell Shakespeare company since it began under the big top in Moore Park in 1990. My mum was instrumental in encouraging a love of Shakespeare. It was mum that heard of the new company that year, and we have attended productions every year since.
Each is 15x15 inches.
The five works are to be seen together in this sequence. They read left to right - just as you would read a play. As you enter John’s ‘space’, you are sharing his stage.
I have always admired the expressiveness of John’s face and hands: the mark of such a skilled actor, and I wanted to capture both of these ideas in the work.
There are Shakespearean elements leaping across the background as a nod to John’s Shakespearean connections.
The flowers depicted are those mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays; there’s the globe in reference to The Globe Theatre; a quill and an ink pot; along with the 1594 contract that secured Shakespeare and his actors the patronage the Lord Chamberlain‘s men etc.
The paintings took about three months to paint. It is a strange experience to sit so long with one face, with one work. It is like walking into a maze, repeatedly getting lost and finding your way out again. To get through such a long process, you have to put a lot of faith that part of you knows what it’s doing. Step-by-step, brush mark by brush mark. And keep the vision clear.

Phillip Adams and John Bell
These two portraits I completed as a tribute to these remarkable human beings. They received them with grace and thanks. They have enriched my life more than I can articulate in such a space!

Portrait of an Artist
9 x 12 inches
This particular portrait is not for sale, but you can commission me to paint your portrait or someone you love.