Latest Paintings and Drawings by Simon Taylor

Prof Richard Swinburne

Acrylic on canvas 24 x 18 inches.

Commissioned by Oriel College, Oxford.

Väinö

Private commission, watercolour on paper, A3 approx.

I wanted to keep this as simple and subtle as possible, to bring out the youthful enthusiasm and innocence of Väinö. I used a simple colour palette for this portrait which worked very well.

Martin Grant Peterkin

Private commission, mixed media on A1 paper.

With limited photo references, I decided to produce a very clean image by airbrushing the background without adding aditional brushed washes. This enhances the detail on the cars and face. I would usually add some colour washes to provide atmosphere and movement, but I liked the cleanliness of the work as is. The eagle is a nod to his regiment.

Martin Stott

Commissioned to hang alongside portraits of previous headmasters of Old Hall School, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 inches.

Martin wished to be portrayed outdoors, and we scouted the exterior of the school for a suitable location. I chose the front entrance as I wished to include the school crest and motto.

Jeffrey Benton

Private commission, acrylic on canvas, 28 x 21 inches.

Jeffrey is a retired baritone, although he still occasionally performs. This portrait was painted using a couple of old small promotional photos from his younger days as reference, with the requirement to age him a little. Producing a largish painting from small photos is always challenging, as there's little detail to work with, and in this case the photos were faded which made it that extra bit harder to mix good skin tones. The bluish/turquoise backdrop I eventually decided to paint helped bring out the skin colours, and I was happy with the finished work.