BROCCOLI by Gareth Bell

Oil

80 x 55 cm

76 x 51 cm

£500

Enquiries

To enquire about this artwork, please email the TITLE and NAME to thegallery@greenandstone.com

Artist Statement

I began painting during a coronavirus lockdown in January 2021. I was drawn to painting faces because I was seeing so few of them - I missed my family and friends deeply, so asking for selfies and painting them, badly at first, then gradually better, was a way of connecting with those I couldn’t physically be with. My work is still based on that premise - I love poring over images of humans and trying to draw out some of their inner being through paint.

My process generally begins with a photo, often of a friend or family member, or somebody who I meet who has something about them. I’ll then create a quick charcoal sketch on the canvas to give me a bit of a map to follow, before getting stuck in with the painting. In terms of inspiration, I would say crippling anxiety at the ephemeral nature of life, if that doesn’t sound too bleak. Painting for me is a way of stretching time, of capturing an otherwise fleeting moment and staying with it, of giving it some substance and permanence.