Nicholas Leach

My work mainly revolves around people and portraiture. I hope to convey a truer likeness of someone in their portrait than a photograph would give. While a photograph may give a very technical and accurate description of someone’s physical appearance, it is unable to communicate certain things that a drawing or painting may. A photograph is a cold reality but an artistic portrait is an expression of someone’s experience with that person. What you wish to be highlighted about a person can be communicated through subtle or not-so-subtle artistic decisions. What you decide to bring into focus or blur out of focus can say a lot about who someone is. An example would be giving extra attention to the warmth and shine of someone’s eyes if they are known to be deeply caring. Who someone is can also be reflected in the environment you depict them in. In environments I typically like to work through loose brush stroke, to infuse character and energy into the secondary element of the work. Whether their environment is loud and vibrant or tame and dull can say a lot about the person. In all, I desire to a true, deep expression of who someone is through portraiture. The decision I make as an artist in my depiction of them is what separates the work from a factual photograph.