Vidya Wolton

Art Book: Portraits of the mind

About this time last year I was producing ‘Artist’s books’ as one of my creative outlets and feature one here, continuing with the theme portraiture, both of myself and others. The image on the right is of me in the characteristic head gear. Again, it was a cold time of year and I was permanently attached to my hat or so it seemed! The middle image is of a client I was working with in the community. At that time I was also watching too much X-Factor and drew a spontaneous image of Cheryl Cole (see left hand edge). It’s a case of drawing on the many and varied influences that impinge on everyday life, which then find their way into my work – not rocket science, more like learning to drive a car. Confused? Feel free to leave a comment.

First painting of myself (dredged from the archives)

I was sifting through the archives and came across an early self-portrait produced some twenty years previously as part of my initiation to the world of Fine Art and art colleges with distance learning through The Open College for the Arts. Last winter, back in about February 2009 I produced this self-portrait in the format of a photofit. Hope you enjoy the contrast: then and now….

Will continue to sift the archives as you never know what might emerge!

Painted during cold snap Feb 2009

I have progressed this work with a few more digitally manipulated images. My paintings have a surface texture and and hopefully these appear as a digital equivalence to collage/paint.

Yesterday I travelled back from Liverpool with lots to think about following the DaDaFest. Whilst surveying the floods from the train window I thought, well just maybe I could do a self portrait from the reflection in the privacy of my little corner near the door. It seems like an apt response to Disability Arts, whatever that term might mean. I haven’t quite got a handle on this movement as I regard myself as ‘mainstream’ despite setbacks along the way.  At the festival was an exhibition of portraits by Tanya Raabe entitled WHO’S WHO? representing a number of individuals who have played their part in the movement. I have a bit of a lasting impression of this exhibition as I was able to re-visit it on several occassions. It got me thinking about portraiture and has triggered my own personal response.