The end is nigh

I finally managed to finish the other portrait pieces begun way back around November time last year. These had sat upstairs in the spare room, discarded whilst I diverted my attention to the teddy images. I was really uncertain how I could turn them around, I was so unhappy with them at the beginning stage. But with a bit of perseverance I feel really pleased with the direction in which they have gone. I'm particularly pleased with the 2 larger pieces (the colour one posted yesterday and the black and white piece at the top left). These were so dark to begin with, I wasn't sure if they could be salvaged at all. But on looking back through my sketchbook I found inspiration, using gridded lines and boxes to fragment the face and interconnect the various elements of the pictures. The black and white image uses the same numbers as the colour image mentioned yesterday and works as a companion piece, the dark to the other pieces light. The 2 red pieces have been treated with a similar paint quality, simply over-working the original photographic image and breaking up the background to create a fractured quality. I think they represent the different facets of my personality very well, it's just a shame they probably wont be seen by a wider audience, as I think I'm likely to stick with the teddies for the display at Modern Art Oxford next week. Anyrate, I've put a poll in, so if you visit, please feel free to let me know which work you think is stronger. It will be interesting to hear your views.