Mark Sheeky Artworks

About this painting

One of a series of self-portraits created to explore the idea of a common visual theme. I wanted to paint a portrait several times, from the same view, lighting, and angle, but experimenting with different painting styles and genres to see how this image can be pushed into different moods, and as technical and imaginative showcase; like the variations on a theme in music such as Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, or Elgar's Enigma Variations.

This was developed alongside the other variations and began as a very rough and, for me, textured surface which was painted in an improvisational style in a short time. After it had dried thoroughly, I glazed the painting with smooth oil in a technique that is somewhat like Rembrandt, or perhaps Odd Nerdrum. The effect was a cracking and fragmenting of the painting, making the image more melancholic, reminiscent of ageing.