These are the watercolour and ink portrait and oil pastel study of JC Candanedo who is participating in my research project.
First, I made the watercolour and ink artwork by drawing the linework on watercolour absorbant paper. My focus was on achieving the light and shadow to give depth to the image. I then added the waterclour splatters to the face and shoulders before dabbing it with kitchen towel to reduce the intensity of the colours. I then added bolder splatters around the face in JC's chosen colours; purple, pink, orange, blue and black.
I then created the oil pastel study for a larger oil painting. I began by tracing over his face in pencil and dissecting it into intersecting shapes. These shapes were then filled with graduating colours in oil pastels. JC sent me an artwork he has created as reference material for the colour scheme. He said that through this current body of work he is exploring his identity as an immigrant through plants which create different plant dyes: 'avocados render pink and purple, logwood renders lilac and black, annatto renders orange, brazilwood renders burgundy and beige, and the cyanotypes I'm using are prussian blue and I'm toning them with these plants.'
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