54 artistApril 2016 http://www.painters-online.co.uk
roles
I
like to work on projects that result in
a connected series of paintings on
one concept or theme. For my
current project, ACT, I ask my favourite
British actors to name the role they
would love to play but have never had
the chance, and then create a narrative
painting that depicts them as that
character in a large, wide format canvas.
So far I have painted Paddy Considine
as Randle McMurphy from One Flew
Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Warwick Davis
as Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe;
Matt Lucas as Don Lockwood from
Singin’ In The Rain, Olivia Colman as
Bess from Breaking The Waves and
Michael Sheen who picked Max from
Maurice Sendack’s Where The Wild
Things Are. I’m aiming to do at least 12
paintings, with an exhibition of the final
work in 2017. It’s the most ambitious
project that I’ve ever attempted, and
it’s taking much longer than I thought it
would. But it’s also been the most
rewarding and enjoyable, with paintings
that I believe are some of my best work
to date.
Before my first meeting with Michael
I researched Sendak’s book and its
themes, watched the film and prepared
a couple of sketches to illustrate my
ideas. Michael spoke passionately
about the book, and even has his own
costume given to him by his daughter.
I took a number of photographs of
Michael in costume, acting out the
character of Max, dancing, smirking andTAJoe Simpsonis creating a series of paintings that
aren’t straight portraits – he depicts them in a role
of their choice in a way that evokes a film still
Joe Simpson
Since graduating
from Leeds
University Joe
Simpson has
shown both
nationally and
internationally,
including in The National Portrait Gallery,
the Royal Albert Hall, Manchester City
Art Gallery and The House of Commons.
Commissions include P&O, Standard
Chartered and the Professional Football
Association. His largest exhibition
'Almost There' received funding from the
Arts Council England and corporate
sponsorship from Audio Technica. His
work is held in private collections
http://www.joe-simpson.co.uk.‘found his supper waiting for him, and it
was still hot.’
It’s hard to say exactly how long I
spent on the painting as I worked on
other things in between, but it
probably took about five weeks. When I
met up with Michael to show it to him
for the first time he described it as
‘extraordinary, beautiful and strange
and dark and wonderful’. It was a huge
relief, and I was proud to have painted
someone who I consider to be an
amazing actor.Materials
I use Michael Harding oil paints for
their excellent quality with vibrant,
strong colours. My palette is: burnt
umber, cadmium red, alizarin crimson,
scarlet lake, ultramarine violet, phthalo
blue, ultramarine blue, Prussian blue,
zinc and titanium white, bright yellow
lake, cadmium yellow, cadmium yellow
hue, yellow ochre, viridian and lamp
black. I use Pro Arte synthetic brushes
because I really like the smooth
bristles and soft working edge. I mostly
use short flats, as I like the versatility of
using the different edges. For finer
details I use small round brushes, and
occasionally use very fine miniature
brushes (10/0).
For this series I want a very smooth
finish so I’m having the canvases made
for me by Atlantis Arts*. They’re
primed, very fine grain mixed weave
cotton duck – which gives a very fine,
smooth, slightly textured surface.
Because the canvases are so wide I use
Atlantis Super Professional stretcher
bars to avoid warping. I also like the
paintings to feel substantial.* Atlantis Arts, Brick Lane, London. Telephone
0207 377 8855; http://www.atlantisart.co.uk.Preliminary concept
My preliminary concept drawing on 310gsm Somerset paperholding his head up high as the
rebellious wild child. I got so much
great material.Thinking it through
Deciding to go with my first idea of an
atmospheric forest rumpus scene, the
characters dancing in the moonlight, I
experimented with different
compositions, using Photoshop to
arrange my reference material. I take a
long time at this stage, working out how
I want the painting to look, and plan
the style and feel of the piece.
Painting the Wild Things was one of
the big challenges of the painting. I
wanted them to be true to Sendak’s
drawings but I also wanted to put my
own style on them, and make sure they
worked with the rest of the painting.
Michael, the most important part of the
painting, was left almost until the end,
after I had finished most of the
background. I went for an expression
that would represent Max as a joyous,
feral boy with a dangerous twinkle in
his eye. I love the dark, scary
undertones of the book, which I
channelled in the painting to create an
eerie feel. The outline of Max’s
bedroom window was subtly painted in
the large tree to the left of Michael. I
wanted to allude to the idea that this
whole story could be taking place in his
imagination, in his bedroom. I also
wanted to reference my favourite line
in the book where, returning home, Max