'Portrait Without A Face' has been our first unit of work in my Wet Photography class.

We have an assignment which requires us to take 3-4 photographs of somebody to compose a 'portrait without a face'. We basically have to try and show something about that person - without showing their face.

Now, I've had an interest in hands for quite a few years now.... probably since I was about 11. I love hands with character - veiny and boney ones.... with scars or wrinkles.... I just love the narrative quality they have. How they can show something about the person and tell a little story.
It's sort of like my obsession with the rust, graffiti and all those other urban type layered surfaces - but the human form.

My tendency to look at peoples hands before their face to get to know them, brought me to realise something. Just like artisic people seem to have a certain style of handwriting, they also seem to have a certain kind of hand. This obviously doesn't include everyone, but most of the arty, musical and creative type people I've come across all have a certain kind of hands.

They have veins on show, and you can clearly see the bones as they move them. They seem to have scars, all with a little story.... they wear funky rings or bracelets, and their hands are often bigger than average, with long fingers. The structure seems to show, and they have wonderful form. Maybe it's because they use them so much, and their hands are very important to them and what they do.

So yes, I became interested in the idea of 'artists hands'. It's probably horribly cliché, but I don't really care.

When we were told about this assignment, I straight away wanted to do something with artists hands. A series of photographs showing the various ways in which artists use their hands while working.

These particular hands belong to my art teacher. He's someone who I admire very much and who has played a massive role in my artistic development over the years. He's also the most artistic person I know, so I was very honoured when he agreed to be my subject.

I took a whole roll, of him doing various art and art teacher related things with his hands - looking in art books, playing with sticky tape, loading a camera, handling prints and student artworks. I really didn't want to go with the whole hands drawing and painting thing, I think it's a little over done.

Anyway, I think this photograph came out the best. I really love the lighting, and also the little game in the picture....
It's a portrait without a face, yet you may notice the photograph in the book he's looking through is a silhouette of a photographer and his camera. Photography is my art teachers main area, and so I thought it would be interesting to do such a thing - show one of his great loves, and also create an almost anonymous portrait of a photographer. I also thought it would work well in showing a little something more about him - reflecting his playful and witty personality.

I think I was successful. Do you Sir?

I printed this yesterday, it's a scan. All complete traditional photography - film and darkroom. No digital except for a border in Photoshop. Yesterday was also the day I first printed one of my own photographs - a wonderful experience. I love the darkroom!

Anyway, I hope you like my photograph.

P.S. Thanks goes out to Mr. W for being a very co-operative hand model, and to Jess for taking time out from her lino cutting to hold the light for me. Go team!