Deirdre West admits it would be a compliment if someone mistook one of her oils for a photograph. Trained in the Raphael school of portraiture, she strives for extreme realism.
But she admits the “arrogant little artist” inside her thinks what she captures on canvas goes beyond a photographic image.
“The only reason I say that is simply because for one of the paintings in the show I spent eight months with the model,” she says. “I was able to hire her every two or three days to come in and sit for the portrait. What you end up with is not a single snapshot but the essence of that person. It’s still highly realistic, but you’re picking your moment, when it’s perfect.”
West’s journey to Northwest Arkansas took much longer than any of her creations. From Alaska, she’s traveled to more than 30 countries, all the while painting on the streets or hiring local models.
She was headed toward the Middle East when she surprised herself by agreeing to marry Justin West. They moved here when he took a job as a brewer at a Fayetteville brew pub.
Now, West says, she’s fi nally got her foot in the door of the regional art scene, with a one-woman show, “A Return to Classical Realism: The Figure,” showcased in January at the Arts Center of the Ozarks, and her work for sale at Poor Richard’s in Rogers and Bella LuElla in Bentonville.
Whats Up, Pages 15 on 01/04/2013