Artist's Statement

My current work is photo-derived portrait painting. I draw inspiration from paintings of this type made by Chuck Close, Gerhard Richter and Andy Warhol. There are two important elements in my work - process and subject matter.
The process has arisen in response to a question - "How can I create a painting that makes it clear that it is a painting of a photograph?" I employ a self-developed technique that includes computer manipulation of digitised black and white source images. I make use of a palette of standard shades of grey that mimics the rigour of computer-generated tones. Finished works are devoid of brush marks and surfaces are flat. Small abstract elements in the paintings condense into images that on the large scale suggest a figurative realism. Square canvases deny the familiar choice of format; they are neither 'portrait' nor 'landscape' and all paintings are 40 x 40 inch, purposely quoting Andy Warhol's regular use of this size for his silk-screened portraits.
The subject matter, that of Warhol and those associated with him, is something I find fascinating. Warhol's Factory art studio, the hub of a creative community that involved music, fashion, literature and art seems representative of a spirit that suggested freedom and creativity. These paintings are a celebration of those people and their spirit.
Recent and future exhibitions:

2002 Northern Graduates 2002, The New Academy Gallery, London
2002 'I'll Be Your Mirror', Warsaw Project Space, Open Artists Studios, Manchester
2002 Visual Arts Degree Show, Salford University, Salford
2000 Wigan Visual Arts Festival (History Shop, Wigan; Turnpike Gallery, Leigh)
2000 Roominations, Islington Mill, Salford.

Howard Haigh

The University of Salford, BA (Hons) Visual Arts