Beth Graham

Fine Art

I am a Fine Art graduate interested in capturing something beyond likeness within portraiture through drawing, painting and printmaking.

Final Project

Degree Show

My work explores honesty within portraiture, capturing something beyond likeness. In presenting the person I know the sitter to be, I break the figure down, introducing elements of their personality alongside my perception.

My practice combines drawing, printing and painting in a rigorous process of pushing and pulling monoprint and paint to achieve a density that alludes towards a sense of being. While the rhythmic marks translate more lively and vividly in colour, the back of each work provides a raw insight into my process, stripped of all bar pencil marks.

‘Acceptance’

‘Open Book’

I make large-scale paper portraits that investigate the phenomenology of perception. Thus close friends and family as the subjects of my work has made this more successful with a level of closeness coming naturally.

This beyond likeness is found through colour, rhythmic mark-making, the choice of pose and even the number of layers of paint – a process that can be varied to assist in finding this view of the sitter, adjusting to their personality and my experiences with them. Even the choice of background colour, both the colour itself and the extent to which it is left to seep into the portrait or left uncovered, build my perception of the sitter. This way the intensity of my process can match my perception of the sitter, mirroring the intensity of their personality, the vitality of their existence, whilst becoming a commentary of our shared experiences.

‘Burning Question’

‘For Granted’

Drawing for ‘Afterthoughts’

Drawing for ‘For Granted’

‘Afterthoughts’

My process starts with a variety of drawings of the sitter to pick a pose most synonymous with sitter not just in single moment but over years of knowing them. This builds a portrait that is an accumulation of many moments and memories rather than the instant impression formed by either photograph or singular drawing, building a more rounded, complete personification. I then increase the scale, magnifying the marks on one side of the paper and then select a main colour that reflects my perception of the sitter and the mood I want to create.

My work revolves around drawing and its clarity dictates the success of the figure.

All of my work is for sale as originals or giclee prints. Please see my instagram for my full body of work. I am also open to commissions.