Tahir, 2011 (76.2cm x 76.2cm, oil paint on masonite board)
In this portrait you see a small boy who is wise but do not irritate him because he will scream the house down, he is bossy!
When I was painting this portrait I thought I was going to make a baby doll face but no matter how I tried it was not possible. The portrait just did not resemble baby Tahir.
Sometimes when I paint portraits, I can see deeply what is not present yet but will manifest itself in the future and this is what happened here. We see a reflection of Tahir’s character more than his own face. His intelligent eyes already indicate the fact that he notices everything and everybody. He knows his place in his world. His skin is painted with multiple subtle shadings. His eyes reflect blue light that indicate clarity in how he sees the world. Clear like water though it is actually blue. Clear like tears?
All the skin tones are blended smoothly with the tip of my ring finger to give a photorealistic effect. The Bbackground was blended with very soft brushes.
My mother, who is a tapestry weaver, really liked this painting. She made a beautiful tapestry based on it that is just the same size as the original. It is included here.