THE PORTRAIT

These portraits were directly inspired by Byzantine ecclesiastic painting, a genre, within which I began my formal training as a painter. In the beginning, I used the traditional Byzantine color palette that primarily consists of earth tones. Although my early work was satisfying, my painting was considerably enlivened when I chose to employ an impressionist palette. By using the full range of colors, the portraits began to glow with a striking vibrancy. Suddenly the light was not only more vivid, it seemed to almost fluoresce, which bathed the portraits in an extra-worldly radiance.

Since I had broken so severely with tradition in my use of color, I decided to experiment with new mediums as well. The mediums used in the making of most of the portraits were water-soluble crayons and gum arabic. The Rebecca heads were the only two paintings done with egg-tempera which gives them a flatter and smoother surface.

The water-soluble crayons were not at first so easy to control. However, the struggle to make this medium work was well worth the effort. It also brought to mind the philosophy of my master teacher, Vladislav Andreyev, who taught that the struggles we undertake in life lead to greater strength and integrity.