A Parksville artist has taken home the Sooke Fine Arts People’s Choice Award.
The winning piece, titled ‘Ken’, was painted by Francine Street. She did the portrait of a model from a weekly portrait class she attended.
“I have been drawing and painting from life for several years. Ken sat at a weekly portrait session that I attended. I loved the ‘costume’ he wore for the session and knew I wanted to paint his portrait,” she said. “I did two drawings at the session and mentally composed how I envisioned the painting would look. I start by sketching out the main shapes to compose the scene on the canvas, then I make a monochrome underpainting.”
The underpainting, Street said, confirms the composition and lighting for the painting. From there, she glazed over areas with colour, letting the paint dry between layers. She said although the process is lengthy, she likes the end result – especially in the skin tones.
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Street, who has lived in Parksville for 12 years and in the area for longer, said she was initially surprised to receive the award but has warmed up to it.
“I wasn’t expecting to win the award,” she said. “Now I am feeling happy. It has been exciting to share this journey with Ken.”
Street is vice president of the Decosmos Fine Arts Society in Parksville, as well a resident artist at The Old Schoolhouse Arts Centre and active membership status with the Federation of Canadian Artists. You can see more of her work at francinestreet.com.
