In every painting that I do I want to create a hyperrealism artwork that allows me to paint every detail, every hair, every wrinkle because all these details added together tell a story.
The subject is a homeless lady who is sitting by a bus stop in New York. The world moves so fast around her whilst she sits in silence and reads a book whilst making notes at the same time. Like so many of the homeless she has a story to tell. I have met many homeless people who see the cold and lonely streets as an escape from their home, their abuse and their trauma. I could see this young lady escaping into her book as the world raced past her, ignoring her. She was escaping this world, she did not want to be a part of it.
I wanted to create a painting that shouted “Alone”. The painting is dominated by the young woman whose hair is matted, and whose eyes are looking away from the world, escaping. I had to use an extremely small brush to add detail to the figure.
The background was difficult to decide on. I knew that I wanted to create a dream like world with impending doom and so I decided on the pink road whilst from the bottom left corner some dark shadows approach. The streets are an escape but they are also full of threats.
I want the viewer to see and appreciate the delicate and thoughtful figure as the monsters moved around her.
“Alone in New York” is also available as a signed limited edition print, please CLICK HERE to view
