An authentic glance
Scale portraits, intense colors, thick strokes, and energetic movements are only some of the characteristics with which the painter invites to decipher the penetrating and, perhaps, lost look of those he captures on his canvas.
Before dedicating himself to painting, Jimmy Law worked at a printing company, designed costumes, manufactured surfboards and was a freelance illustrator; common activities for a graduate in Graphic Design, since 1993. This occurred because painting was not a part of Law´s life until 15 years later when he decided to replace his professional tools with brushes and dedicate himself fully to what is in his words, "the right direction". Law admits, nonetheless, that his studies on design have strongly influenced his canvas. "This makes my work unique until a certain point, I suppose. If you think about it, all beautiful art has somehow participated in design. Designing means planning and all good art requires a share of it, too. However, painting is much more complicated, since it is built on many constructed layers, and has an interaction which is often delicate and complex. Learning to paint well is much more difficult than illustrating", the artist says.
Law´s work, today full of inaccurate and energetic brushstrokes, shyly began with a more realistic style that took several days of completion. "I was very concentrated on making each piece a very precise replica of the pictures which I was working with. These works were perfect, but boring" he comments, and because of this he decided to change his style in order to enjoy the energy and quality of an expressive job, one that separates itself from rigidity and limits in order to fully experiment a sense of freedom.
Changing from small to big brushes, which can be between six and fifteen centimeters wide, has been a key decision for the artist´s actual work, obliging him to abstain from outlining every point of the figure, and focusing instead on the realization of bold and strong strokes using bigger brushes. On the artist´s words: "I load my brushes with paint and apply enough pressure on the canvas. I also force myself to reduce and simplify the number of hits so I don´t get stuck trying to create every small detail. My objective is to give the audience enough information in order for them to complete the details." This way, he creates a startling and original work, based on his self-taught artistic endeavor.
Overwhelming presence
To Law, a person´s face is a key to his identity. The artist builds up, on a two-meter canvas, the faces of whom he considers interesting, but not necessarily beautiful or perfect. This has allowed him to explore the personality of his models, and he states: "it is like reading a book or taking a trip inside another person´s personality. Faces reveal our mood, our emotions and the lack of them as well; a state that I explore in an effort to invite the viewer to make questions about the subjects´ aura or condition. By not showing obvious emotions in my themes raise questions in viewers, it makes them question themselves, and I like that."
Moreover, the model selection process for his portraits is based on their physical traits, to which he adds: "I particularly love big eyes and healthy mouths. In some cases I have found that a particular characteristic, such as a slightly bigger nose, alongside other characteristics of a determined person, are very interesting. Though this is difficult to define, I know when I am looking at the right model." This way, the way a person stares is essential to this south African painter, who asserts that eyes are the feature that provide more information about a person and his personality.
On the other hand, the vibrant colors overlaid through a palette allow him to incorporate the amount of paint necessary to achieve the desired texture, and are chosen according to the objective that the artist wants to transmit. For this reason, it is possible to find some very colorful oils and acrylics, and on the other hand, some very neutral ones. "In spite of my choice, colors must work together in harmony. The use of strong colors and a neutral palette can work together very well, it all depends on how they are applied" adds the artist.
Even though the different details with which the artist builds his story are a key to his paintings´ finishing, the size of his canvas -between a meter and a half and two meters- is the feature that most strongly helps to express the overwhelming presences of the men and women who pose for him. "I love to work with big pieces, because they are much more impressive to stare at than small paintings" declares the artist.
Standing in front of a painting, and even more, in front of a portrait, is accepting an artists´ invitation to perceive that special feature which made him decide to paint it in the first place: a gesture, a trait, or even a small light inside a person´s eye that disturbs those who stop and stare. This way, Law is moved by the big or absent energies that the models are able to stir inside him. A feeling he tries to capture with the necessary amount of paint, and invites those who observe it to freely interpret a sense that may never be defined or decoded with words, but will surely be perceived by them.
