Vanessa Lemen

Vanessa isn’t overly bothered about achieving results. Instead, she’s far more engaged in the process of creation for its own sake. The main appeal of painting people for this artist is all about the humanity of the subject – finding a connection. “My perception of drawing well has evolved over the years. But I can say that when I feel like something clicks the most, it’s basically just when I really enjoy the process of making it.”

This process can be very personal. “When I was a child, starting to draw, I don’t think I thought of things as being difficult to depict accurately,” Vanessa says. “Take hands for example. There was a point in my early childhood when I drew them huge – as big as the rest of the entire body!” The artist is aware that the logical reaction would be to say, “That’s wrong.”

“But if you really think about it,” Vanessa continues, “I was being as accurate as I could’ve been, based on what I knew at that time. It turns out that those who I’d drawn with huge hands, were the people who I thought were strong and capable.

“As we learn to depict accurate proportions, I think we shouldn’t lose sight of the ways in which we perceive things as well. Eventually, these two aspects of our experiences, along with a few other aspects, join forces to become our means in which we speak through imagery.”

When the art clicks, it’s also when I’ve really enjoyed the process of making it