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Lighting and draping play a pivotal role in every Harrington painting, creating a fine balance between this world and its ethereal counterpart. “I’ve painted many people draped with backlit fabrics,” he says, “living sculptures in a sense, attempting to reach an iconic quality.” While the artist may have established a reputation for himself in telling famous tales on canvas, he strives to have his subjects speak for themselves whenever possible. “It’s those that I am painting that are telling the story, I am only trying to capture it,” he says. “It’s necessary to observe and decide when that moment or pose or mood appears that strikes you as real, as a characteristic that makes that person unique from every one else. I’m continuously amazed at the variety of faces on our planet.” One of the faces that Harrington admires most is that of his niece, Maria. She can be seen in many of his portraits, in different periods of history, always telling a story that’s all her own. “She is so at ease and emits a quiet beauty in the way she moves,” says Harrington. “She knows what to do because she has a sense of what the viewer is seeing while at the same time remains completely uninhibited.” |