Richard Foster

THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF PORTRAIT PAINTERS EXPLAINS HIS APPROACH TO THE GENRE, AS WELL AS HOW HE HOPES TO REINVIGORATE THE ORGANISATION HE LEADS. 

- Natalie Milner

Why do you choose to work from life? 

The stimulus is the sitter, why paint a photograph? When there’s a living person, there’s life. I use my camera to take a snap of the setup and then blot it off on canvas. It’s just quicker. You can get the heads where you want, it’s a much easier way to get the size and the people in the right place.

How did your studies at the British Institute in Florence influence your practice? 

I went to Florence when I was 18. There were just two or three of us and we were very integrated in the painter’s environment; we all spoke Italian. We were taught to do small pictures rather well. We tried to reflect the life or scene rather than impose on it, allowing the object to sing or talk to us. I feel the painter should be anonymous really. You can’t, but, even so, you don’t need to impose yourself.

What influence do the sitters have over the painting? 

I don’t think you can do it by yourself. You have to have input. A lot of people have good ideas, especially if it’s in their own house. It’s a bit like a garden: if you have a gardener, you wouldn’t let him just do it, you’d say, “Oh no, I don’t like that colour.” It’s the same with a painting. You have to find out what they want. It’s also interesting to see where the painting might hang. Once you have the spot, you’re three quarters of the way there – it lays out the plan.

Can you talk us through your process?