Life Goes On Within You and Without You

This is my 5th solo collection of portraits based on the Buddhist concept of impermanence. With this series, I’m exploring the contradiction between individuality and mortality created by the passage of time. The traditional view of the relationship between portraiture and time is that portraits endure while their subjects grow older and ultimately die. With “Life Goes On Within You And Without You’ I have introduced an element of time into the portraits themselves.

The flow of thick vivid paint that runs through each portrait is a metaphor for time. It’s a technique that takes several weeks to complete. First I would pour Vibrant colours onto the canvas and left until it dry forms outer layer. and then I would paint the portrait onto this outer crust. After that break the out crust to open this dynamic inner layers of still liquified paint to released to make their own irreversible impression. This deliberate act was reminiscent of the destruction of sand mandalas by Tibetan monks.

I'm trying to emphasise the power of time. It has a great effect on us but we often ignore it in the way that we live our lives. Time is such a powerful force. As we get older, our memories fade, leaving only glimpses. These portraits - which felt indulgent and almost excessive to produce - offer glimpses as I see them...from within and from without.