Paul Robert Turner Artist statement - Attach [Viewers Choice Award, Kingston Prize Portrait Competition]

This painting was specifically created for the Kingston prize and was inspired by several things. My original intention was to capture the intensity of a central figure, compositionally supported or compromised by a secondary figure. The obvious choice for me was to paint a couple, and within this compositional tension explore the positive and negative dynamics of partnership, both emotional and physical. For this reason eventually the centrality of the female subject was shifted to incorporate the shadow on the wall and the empty chair that was present at the subjects house during the first sitting. The puzzle pieces were also added to the floor. The pose of the subjects was choreographed in such a way so that ones position and demeanor seems to be directly related to the other. A subtle balance between comfort and discomfort. Poise and candor.