Congratulations to Sam Clayden for being one of four who were noted as Highly Commended for the de Laszlo Foundation Award with, ‘Tomas’.
The de Laszlo Foundation award, sponsored by the de Laszlo Foundation, aims to encourage young artists.
Award for an artist under thirty-five years of age judged to have submitted the best portrait.
Sam Clayden, ‘Tomas’
Q. Tell us a little more about the painting, where did it start?
I went to the client and completed lots of pencil sketches, different poses, angles and expressions to try and get the idea down. Then I went back to the studio and turned those into more complete drawings and I then from those, decided on the pose, composition, what I wanted to include in it and I just went for it.
Q. So for the later stages, did you see the sitter again or did you go off the material you had at this point?
I made some colour sketches from the initial documentation but some other bits from life to then, bring it all back together in the studio.
Q. What else are you up to at the moment/ do you have anything interesting coming up?
I have Wimbledon art fair which is for open studios so I’ll have my studio included and I get lots of people through the door but other than that, I’m teaching some workshops with one being in Lisbon which has sold out too so that’s good! Other than this, I’m mostly doing commissions and personal projects.
Q. Tell us more about your technique – It feels quite moody?
Well yes, I guess I’ve always been a moody guy, a moody guy with a smile. There’s deep feelings in all of us and I think, the work doesn’t always have to be the loudest in order to get to the depth of what it is. I like the idea of trying to say the most with the least.
Q. Would you like to share anything else about the work or perhaps the sitter?
The sitter is a commission. He was honestly one of the easiest sitters I have worked with, not fidgety at all! I asked him if he wanted to be a model in the future and he said “no, I want to be a dancer and a billionaire”.
Q. How long did the portrait take to make in total?
It’s hard to say as sometimes I come in and do an hour or so but it’s probably something like 30 hours or so. A good working week, you know. Something else I will also say is, the brief was to paint him in his Grandfather’s chair so his Father commissioned a portrait of him in his Grandfather’s chair and the lamp is his Great Grandfather’s.
