A New Look: Why I'm Immersed in Portraits

In my previous blog post, I took you on a journey through my artistic journey so far—how I started, what I encountered along the way, and what my education has taught me. Lately, I've noticed my focus increasingly shifting to portraits. Not because I can already do them, but precisely because there's still so much to discover.

For me, there's something simultaneously vulnerable and powerful in a face. Something that moves me. And yet I find it exciting. Because how do you bring skin to life on canvas? How do you capture a look without it becoming stiff? I find myself searching for ways to create the right tones—but not necessarily with the usual skin tones. I want to dare to play with color, with contrast, with unexpected shades that still work.

Even the background is no longer just a background for me. I want to create an abstract underlayer that can truly play a role in the final result. So not completely covered by paint, but visible and tangible. As if the layers beneath the portrait reveal something you don't immediately see—an emotion, an atmosphere, a story beneath the surface.

It's a bit of a search sometimes, and honestly, I often get stuck. The proportions aren't right, the colors clash, or I paint over them too much. But that's all part of it. I want to keep practicing, experimenting, seeing what works. And also: what doesn't. Because it's precisely in that process that I keep discovering something new—about painting, about others, and also about myself.

In the coming period, I'll continue experimenting. Combining portraits with abstraction, letting my intuition speak, making mistakes, and moving on. Maybe it'll get messy. Maybe it'll work.

I don't know yet, and that's okay.

If you're curious where this leads, feel free to check out my website or follow me on Instagram. I share not only my final results there, but also bits of the process. Because I believe there's beauty in the search itself.

The attached photo is my first portrait from the Milan Art Mastery program. I wasn't completely satisfied with it and actually didn't dare take any more portraits. Fortunately, things are going a bit better now, and I've found the courage to keep going. Hopefully, this will eventually take me a step further and help me find my own voice. It's still a matter of trial and error, though.

👉 Follow my process via Instagram @merelalphenaar