Sasha Sokolova: Direct Painting

Sasha Sokolova’s dynamic compositions develop through intuition by letting her brushstrokes take the lead.

I love to paint from nature and I love the challenge of plein air, but with portraiture, I only work in the studio and I have to say it’s my favourite subject. It’s exciting when you not only show the likeness of a portrayed person but go deeper and show their real character and thoughts, so the viewer can know the person without having met them.

My grandfather is an artist and my father is a photographer so my work methods reflect this. I am always taking photos, even just with my phone, sometimes for inspiration, sometimes for future reference. Other times I will shoot specifically for a series like this one. I used a high-end CSC camera and exposure bracketing to catch different details, shadows and structure. These photos become references for my paintings, and for one painting, I might use dozens of photos together with my feelings. I usually don’t process the images, I just choose the ones I like straight out of the camera and then flip between different images as I work, taking highlights from different ones.