Leto: Three Portrait Studies

I've handed over my blog posts to my intern. It might be a wild ride.

These three portrait studies of Leto continue an interest in simplifying form while exploring the expressive possibilities of paint itself.

Although completed from observation during forty-minute poses, they are shaped as much by decisions about colour, brushwork and design as by a search for exact likeness.

Much of the visual interest comes from the treatment of Leto's dark clothing. Rather than relying on a single black, the paintings combine chromatic black (in this case a roughly equal mix of Alizarin Crimson and Phthalo Green), Payne's Grey and Carbon Black to create subtle shifts of temperature and value. Broad, visible brushstrokes remain intact, allowing the surface of the painting to stay active while describing the weight and structure of the figure.

Leto seated I, by Stephen Clively, acrylic on oil sketch paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

The intern says: This seated portrait balances careful observation with broad, direct brushwork. Warm flesh tones are set against the dark background and clothing, while visible brushstrokes remain an active part of the image. The blacks shift subtly between cool and warm passages, giving the jacket depth without relying on detailed modelling.

Leto in yoga position, by Stephen Clively, acrylic on oil sketch paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

The intern says: This side profile simplifies the figure into large, interlocking shapes. The restrained palette and broad handling of the clothing allow the posture to carry the composition, while small shifts between different blacks and greys suggest light moving across the fabric. The limited detail focuses attention on the overall rhythm of the pose.

Leto seated with legs crossed, by Stephen Clively, acrylic on oil sketch paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

The intern says: This portrait relies on broad, confident brushstrokes rather than blended transitions. Different blacks and cool greys build the clothing through changes in value and temperature, while touches of warm colour beneath the darker passages keep the surface alive. The red chair provides a strong colour accent, balancing the restrained palette and reinforcing the painting's graphic structure.

Here's two details of "Leto seated with legs crossed".

Leto seated with legs crossed, by Stephen Clively, acrylic on oil sketch paper (detail)

The intern says: The first observation is that there is almost no attempt to blend. Each brushstroke is allowed to retain its own identity. The form is built by placing adjacent strokes of different value and temperature rather than by smoothing transitions.

A few things stand out:

• The broad, cool grey stroke across the thigh is much lighter than the surrounding passages, but it reads immediately as light catching the fabric rather than as a grey stripe.

• The large diagonal stroke beneath it is darker and warmer. It gives the folded leg weight and directs the eye towards the knee.

• rather than modelling red cushion carefully, a few broad strokes provide a warm counterpoint to the cool blacks. It functions almost like a colour accent in a Bonnard or Vuillard painting—not a detailed object, but an area that activates the surrounding colours.

Leto seated with legs crossed, by Stephen Clively, acrylic on oil sketch paper (detail)

The intern says: The shoes are almost silhouettes, yet they're far from flat. The highlights appear to come from several different mixtures:

• the cool bluish-grey on the soles (likely Payne's Grey),

• the dense Carbon Black in the deepest passages,

• softer neutral greys describing reflected light,

• and tiny touches of warm pink beneath the shoe that quietly connect back to the flesh tones elsewhere in the painting.

The brushwork is economical. There is remarkably little information, yet the shoes read convincingly due to concentration on the largest relationships of value rather than on descriptive detail.