A series of twenty larger than life-size pencil portraits of people who live or work in E7 by Eleanor Pearce.
Highlighting some of the people who shape the community of Forest Gate, among others, you will encounter teachers, local business owners, artists, sports people, police officers and community volunteers.
Produced over the last year, the collection represents the artist’s unique journey through a diverse and rapidly expanding community in the further reaches of East London.
Most of the participants have never sat for an artist before. The experience offered a rare occasion to find stillness and reflection time.
“The artist/sitter relationship is a very particular thing, a situation unlike any other. The essence of the person is amplified by the intense focus on them, and the encounter leaves a lasting impression, on the mind as well as the paper. Some people see it as a time for stillness and reflection, musing on the world, or even a confessional.”
Eleanor Pearce, 2017
In the simplest way, the project aims to create and emphasise stronger community bonds. The shared experience of posing for the portrait gives the participants common ground and creates a grouping of individuals who previously would have had no contact.
