Neville Clarke

My artistic practice often consists of depicting the female form. The figure is the medium through which I communicate emotions, using strong light and shadow chiaroscuro as a descriptive device to explore the psychological complexities and fragile intrinsic nature of human conditions.

My works are of and is about people; traditional in style and executed in a contemporary manner. They speak of memories past and present; of loss and sometimes tragedy. I seek to capture the different personalities of my subjects and express those idiosyncrasies that are unique to tell their stories.

The creative process evolves through a sequence of fluid transparent watercolour washes, then gradually onto thicker more opaque pigments as the artwork progresses, with each brushstroke more direct as if painting with oils.

The constant building up and tearing down layers, employed through additive and subtractive manipulation of tones, and shaping light and colours to reveal a visceral painterly and expressive affect that is felt and not just observed.