The two drawings I have made for L’Ultima Cena are directly based on the painting itself. ‘Thomas’ is based on the ‘Judas’ character and ‘Two Hands’ is based on hands that also appear in the painting but separately.
During the execution of the drawings, Alan Dyer, one of the artists in this exhibition, brought to my attention a verse in the Bible, 21, Luke chapter 22:
“But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table”
This text seemed to me to be very appropriate for the images I was creating for this project, although I haven’t titled the portrait, Judas but Thomas.
The way I draw has evolved over twenty-seven years. Essentially it is the process by which I ‘find’ the image and this process can continue for days, weeks and sometimes months. I use fresh white paper to cover previous unwanted marks and continue to draw over the top. White paper, like black charcoal and pastel becomes a tool for mark making much in the same way that a painter might use black and white paint.
This method is the way in which I search for the inner ‘spirit’ or emotional ‘self’ of a human head and the attitude and feelings that are behind a depiction of hands.
