What happened to the Agencies?
Having ran into difficulties finding suitable models to paint from life I was glad that I had not put all my eggs in one basket. From the outset I intended to paint also from found images and to include these with life paintings. However with a lack suitable sitters and time running out found images became my priority and focus.
There were many problems with communication with my chosen agencies, it has been difficult to contact people often due to their time constraints and heavy workload so visits to homeless centres have become less and less frequent.
Added to this many people have been reluctant for various reasons to have themselves painted or photographed, those that were enthusiastic have often been unsuitable due to problems such as scheduling and things just not working out compositionally.
The process of finding sitters for life paintings with this subject matter is a very very slow one when relationships and trust must be built, but much important and valuable work has been done and this remains an ongoing commitment of mine.
I am glad that I committed from the outset to include imagery from other sources. The found images have proved to be an extensive education. The sheer scale and variety of people with accompanying histories, interviews and stories have increased my knowledge and understanding immensely not just of this huge and complex issue but of humanity and society itself. They have truly been a revelation and I have felt privileged to portray these people.
