Represention and abstraction

So happy to say that my portrait of Alex done at one of my portrait and life workgroup sessions was awarded "Best Portrait or Figure" at the ASOC Spring Exhibition.

Someone said that they liked how this work merges both figurative representation and abstraction from the wallpaper patterns.

The Country Gentleman and over 230 other artworks are on display at the ASOC Spring Exhibtion, which runs until Sunday 26 October at the Fitters Workshop in Kingston (next to the Old Bus Depot markets).

The Country Gentleman, by Stephen Clively, acrylic paint on wallpaper, 71 by 44.5cm (unframed), 74 by 46.5 cm (framed), 2025.

I asked ChatGPT to interpret this artwork. Here's the summary:

This portrait seems to explore themes of aging, memory, and identity with a mix of emotional restraint and stylistic expressiveness. The interplay between the man and his decorative environment blurs the lines between figure and setting, possibly commenting on how personal history and physical space intertwine, especially as one grows older.