Portraiture
'Faces are the most interesting things we see; other people fascinate me, and the most interesting aspect of other people – the point where we go inside them – is the face. It tells all.' David Hockney
The Image
Capturing the spirit of an image through the medium of mosaics is the challenge Ben loves every time he embarks on making a portrait. He manipulates the tesserae perfectly in order to highlight the subtleties and character of the sitter/s particularly through the eyes and the expression on the face. By adopting his own unique style of artistry Ben manages to successfully execute unique and timeless pieces, heirlooms to pass on to future generations.
The Process
Via a thorough consultative process the client and the artist work together on the use of colours, dimensions, materials and background. Unlike traditional portraiture where a sitter is required to attend numerous appointments, a portrait in the medium of mosaic requires just a photo of the subject/s. Ben will check that certain aspects of the photograph are present in order to guarantee a successful composition.
The Portrait
Ben's portraits are 'photo realist' in nature therefore clients can expect a mosaic image to be as close to the original likeness of the photograph as is possible. Each portrait consist of thousands of individually placed pieces, each tile meticulously cut by hand. Due to the skill and artesan nature of mosaic portraiture work it is likely that most pieces (based on the recommended size of 60 cm x 90 cm) will take a minimum of 3 weeks to complete.