Humorous portraits go on show in Cardiff

If you ask Meirion Ginsberg what drives him to create his unique brand of surreal portraits, he will tell you it is not the story or narrative in the picture but the intrigue generated by each face he captures.

His latest series of work goes on show at the Martin Tinney Gallery in Cardiff this week and features 30 paintings in which the figure is the main focus.

Sometimes with swan-like necks, drawn faces or wrinkled eyes, each subject conveys a comical truth. These are not beautiful faces but faces with their own idiosyncrasies set against a background of bold colours and patterns which Ginsberg uses to emphasise the depth between the figure and the space.

The 28-year-old grew up in Bethel near Caernarfon and trained at Cardiff College of Art. Since graduating he has exhibited in London and New York and last year enjoyed a successful solo show at Oriel Tegfryn in Anglesey.

“I was never inspired by landscapes,” he told me. “It’s the interest that the face holds that inspires me and trying to identify the thing that makes it human.

“I used to ask friends and family to sit for me and I guess my work is an autobiography in some ways.

“Now I look for images from elsewhere, old photos or fashion magazines and I’m always on the look-out for striking new patterns and colours.”

Although some of the images in the exhibition feature more than one figure, Ginsberg is adamant that he doesn’t want to distract with a narrative element or an imagined conversation between the characters.

“I guess, like Francis Bacon, I just want the energy the picture is conveying to shock. I admire his painterly quality and the way he invents an image.”

Other influences Ginsberg cites are Van Gogh, Cezanne, Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning and Lucian Freud.

Now based in Chester, he works prolifically and admits he is delighted he can paint for a living.

He added: “I hope younger artists will feel inspired by my paintings and I can speak to a younger generation because so many of the exhibitions that are out there feature the work of much older and more established artists.”

You can find out more about Meirion here: www.maginsberg.co.uk