Ian Case

I find portraits much easier to paint than abstract concepts. The viewer is familiar with the human form and so any simple suggestion of a nose, an ear or a mouth is instantly recognisable even if the artist plays around with form and colour.

This is much more difficult than a portrait to get right  because unfamiliar shapes of the human form or the landscape are presented to the viewer and interpretation is more difficult for the viewer so the artist must work harder to please. I reject or paint over many more abstracts than portraits!

I have recently been trying to work outside and this has different demands. The light and weather change constantly so one has to work quickly. This requires a simplicity of mark making, a reduction in the number of colours (necessitated not only by the physical effort of trekking across fields with them!) and the ability to edit what one sees. It is a challenge but enjoyable. ‘View from Farley Church’ is my first en plein air. It took two hours.