When painting from life the artist uses a combination of the sight-size technique and comparative measurement. Gary is more than happy to explain these techniques to the sitter during the course of a commission.

Alla prima is Italian for ‘at once’ as this type of painting is usually completed in a single sitting. This approach to painting is also often referred to as ‘wet-on-wet’ or ‘direct painting’. Essentially alla prima portraits are painted with a much quicker, direct approach and with a looser finish.

An academic portrait is a painting which is painted over numerous sittings using multiple layers of paint. The artist will typically complete a layer of the painting and allow it to dry before moving on to the next stage and painting over the top, often in glazes. The underpainting of an academic portrait typically provides [...]