Closer Still

"Closer Still" is part of a special collaboration with other talented artists on the makersplace.com platform and is bundled with a corresponding 1/1 nft.

This painting was inspired by a brilliant photograph by Olga Shpak, which was carefully selected by the exhibition curator Animus. As an oil painter who often paints everyday objects, my typical challenge is to find the beauty and drama within the ordinary. But when the source material is already extraordinary, as it was in this case, the challenge of painting is a different beast entirely. My desire was to focus on the essence of the image, to simplify and break it down to its emotional core. Much of my effort on this painting was spent adjusting the visual balance between the two portraits until I thought it was just right. I hope viewers can feel that balance, and place themselves within the scene as a result.