Description
Self Portrait
Acrylic On Board
10 × 10 cm
R650
Self Portrait is a small, boldly coloured study in which Julie Tugwell turns her expressive eye on herself. A woman looks directly out from the board, her face and shoulders built from a mosaic of green, turquoise, red and pink dabs, all set against a soft, cloudy background of pale rose and cool blue. The result is candid and immediate, a self-image made of pure colour and feeling.
The painting shares qualities with expressive portrait traditions, where mood matters more than smooth realism. Dark hair frames the face in loose, energetic strokes, while flecks of warm red and cool blue play across the skin to suggest light, thought and emotion rather than literal shadow. The gaze is steady and unguarded, giving the small work real psychological presence.
Intimate in scale yet striking in colour, Self Portrait carries a lot of character in a compact format. Its lively palette and direct gaze make it a wonderful conversation piece for a study, a hallway, or a curated cluster of small original works, where its energy and honesty can be enjoyed up close.
Style
Julie Tugwell is a contemporary South African artist whose work shares qualities with expressive, painterly traditions, favouring energetic brushwork and an emotional response to her subject over strict realism. In her portraits she is drawn to mood and character rather than exact likeness, building each face from layered dabs of colour and confident, gestural marks. Working here in bold, lively tones, she captures the vitality and inner life of her subject, creating original artworks that bring warmth, personality and considered sophistication to contemporary interiors.
Please note: Images are provided as a guide to the artwork’s size and style. As each original painting is photographed under different lighting conditions and viewed on different screens, colours may vary slightly from the original artwork.
