About this piece.
When I agreed with Alan to do my portrait, it was the first time I had entered into such an undertaking. Being artistically disinclined, I had no notions at all of the process. Consequently, the enterprise has been very interesting for me. Not that I am any less artistically disinclined, but at least I have a little less lack of knowledge of the process than previously.
From a “mechanical” point of view, it has been intriguing to watch him work: mixing paints, building up the portrait, making changes, seeing things that I did not, learning about the importance of the outdoor light (or lack thereof) coming onto the scene, ...
In the beginning, there was talk of three or four sittings over a period of a few months. In addition to the other portraits he was doing, holidays and his numerous other activities, he was often not satisfied with the results he was getting. Painting a “pretty face” is more daunting than either of us had imagined. Consequently, there have been many more sittings than foreseen. We both have lost track of the number during the approximately two years of work-in-progress.
On the other hand, these more numerous meetings have afforded us the added advantage of having the time to become better acquainted - and to consume vast amounts of tea and sweets. Since neither of us is inflicted with a reluctance to talk - to such an extent that we had to declare a period of silence from time to time so the artist could get on with the job at hand - we were able during these three and four hour sessions to get better acquainted and to find solutions to many of the world’s more urgent problems.
So, from several points of view, having my portrait painted by Alan has been a very interesting, rewarding, entertaining and enjoyable experience. I have been very happy to be a part of the project, and I hope that my participation has been worthwhile for him.
Tom Hoemig