Reviews and articles

"James Dignan's latest exhibition focuses solely on portraiture, with paintings from 2003 to 2009.Working in a photo-expressionist style, Dignan digitally alters photographs through tonal separation and uses these as the basis for his portraits. With some works this alteration takes physical representation to the extreme. In Cynthia Mask, for example, the contours of the face have been reduced to a solid maroon silhouette on a glowing orange background, creating an almost surreal depiction not of a specific individual but of an abstracted form.

"The intimate, close-up format of Dignan's portraits would suggest a personal relationship between the artist and sitter. Many of the subjects of his works are, however, drawn from the internet.His close scrutiny can, therefore, be considered a desire to focus the viewer's attention, drawing them in to establish their own relationships with each individual. These relationships too, vary, in the way the viewer is invited to interact with each face. Some, like the woman from Rosanna Knows, stare directly out with an intense, almost accusatory glare. Others, such as the title work The Unguarded Moment depicts a moment of personal contemplation, the young woman's inward gaze making her potentially vulnerable.

"The shared format, however, gives these works a sense of connection, as if each individual is part of a larger unified narrative. As such, when standing amid their stares, some confident and confrontational, others private, the viewer almost becomes the subject of their own unguarded moment."