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 Browsing
through the internet one afternoon I came across this young Russian
bride, caught candidly by the camera, looking up at her husband.
Her expression, mostly portrayed in her eyes, really caught my attention.
I had seen that expression in many biblical portraits in such places
as the National Gallery. It reminded me too of some of the preparatory
drawings from Edward Burne Jones for his epic paintings. As the
portrait got under way the name 'Hope' best summed up the portrait
and so, for me, she became the personification of hope.
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 |
 Leafing
through an old Sothebys catalogue a few years ago I came across
a small print of a William Bouguereau painting called Letoile
Perdue. The central character was a superbly
painted female nude. To practice my drawing technique I decided
to do a pencil study of this figure. It was one of my earliest experiments
at pencil and watercolour wash. After completing the study I put
it away. I recently picked up the drawing and drew a landscape around
it. The result is this picture called The Siren. I don't see this
as an original work. It owes it's creation to William Bouguereau
rather than me.
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