Portraits

Neil Seeley

March 2008

Gallery president, Vi Bland, selected illustrator and painter Neil Seeley for this show. Oil paints are Seeley’s medium of choice because of the texture, luminosity and depth of colour. During his training as a student of Illustration at Sheridan College, he was exposed to all kinds of art media and techniques.

“To my surprise, I found I had an affinity for painting. I say surprise, because I wasn’t consciously aware of why I found it easier to paint rather than to draw. Even though painting and drawing are synonymous, I find my approach to painting has a closer relationship to sculpture. When I am working on a piece I often rely on my imaginary sense of touch to work out the form, rather than just my vision. It sounds strange, but I know a painting is working if I can feel the 2D form in my fingers.

“What interests me in portrait painting is the challenge of mixing brush stroke techniques and colour theory with the physical characteristics and underlying subtext of the people on canvas. In fact, I try to think of capturing a likeness as a secondary motive, because if I get those four previously mentioned
elements correct, the likeness will emerge, in the very least, as an essence of the individual.”

Neil Seeley lives in Durham with his wife and two sons, where he owns a design company called Viking Wheel Studio.