3D illustrative paintings

Working on the front and back of glass. Sometimes with two glass panels, separated by a 20-50 mm gap and then a painted backboard acting as the ‘distant view’.

This process can be applied to nearly any subject matter, not just golf…or for that matter, sport.

The best thing to do is to tell me what you’re thinking and I can make some suggestions as to how it might work. I’ll show you what images can really work and from what angle, so let’s begin!

email: slesterart@gmail.com

However, this is how it began. In 2021 I was given special permission to take photographs on Royal St George’s golf course, Sandwich, Kent, prior to it hosting the 149th Open Championship that July.

Pondering on how to give a feeling of depth and space in a painting in an unusual way, I experimented with perspex panels specially designed to float in front of a landscape backboard.

Capturing the essence.

What interested me was capturing the unguarded, unposed moments of, in this case, golfers. Whether you like or hate or are ambivalent about the game of golf - more often than not it is played on a dramatic natural stage with elemental weather all around.

What fascinates me is the interaction between humans, the quiet moments. With a very long lens and a good working knowledge of how not to get in the way and get whacked on the back of the head by a stray shot I was able to catch some moments - surreptitiously.

One of the best bits was the golf dog - patiently and perfectly enjoying their day on the course too!

Archie silently observing Alex just before teeing off to the famous ‘Maiden’, Par 3, 6th Hole.

With bobble hat and wind cheaters on you can almost feel the Sandwich Bay bluster.

These two 30 somethings now have the painting as an annual trophy and rotate it between them every year - depending on who wins of course!

Acrylic, oil & perspex on board. Floated in a deep (5 cm) Oak frame. Framed size: 68 × 82 cm. SOLD £1200.

The Starters Hut(s) with the instantly recognisable St George slaying the dragon weather vein and prevailing wind direction rising high over the thatch roof. Both huts are iconic images of Royal St George’s, along with their special fire engine red tee boxes - and the ubiquitous golf dog.

What I didn’t know when I took the photo is that the man with the hat and his black labradors was in fact a long-time local living member and when in 2021 Andy and I moved from Sandwich 15 minutes inland to the village of Ickham that Adrian and his wife Amanda were to become close village friends - living an 8 iron’s distance from us, and more importantly very close to the pub, The Duke William!

Acrylic & perspex on board. 2 layers of perspex floated separately from backboard to create depth in deep (5 cm) Oak frame. SOLD £1400.

They’re on the 17th tee with scaffolding behind - months before the Open Championship the staging crew start constructing the huge grandstands and hospitality marquees.

Details matter: notice the special shape of the Tee box on the 1st hole and I de-cluttered the final image by removing one golf bag.

“I’m just going to keep looking out to sea, how about you, Pippin?” - with a bit of artistic licence I could include the very identifiable member’s red St George’s logo on Adrian’s golf bag.

Later that summer and very suddenly, they lost one darling dog. I gave this to Amanda and we both went all tearful.

Pen & Acrylic on glass and backboard. Framed size: 20 × 25 cm.

“Is it a double or triple break? - this to go all square”.

This green really had so many breaks, humps and hollows, so with 2 separate pieces of perspex I was able to create almost an impression like the sea swirling around. You can just pick out in the centre top the sign posts for The Open Championship directing the crowds - they are all around the course as it is very easy to get lost out there!

Acrylic & 2 separate perspex layers floated on board. Framed size: 58 × 72 cm. SOLD £900.

I have yet to see a painting which captures the real feeling of being on a green with multi undulations and breaks.

“My partner putted and I chipped back…that old nightmare chess nut!”

Father and son heading towards the 1st.

This became a commission. It began life with these two figures ambling towards the putting green as I liked the dynamic, had no idea who they were but guessed it was a father and son. I decided to place them in a more interesting backdrop with one of the thatched huts, and a view out to sea towards Ramsgate.

Take a look at the images below…

During the show in the foyer of the clubhouse of Royal St George’s, the gentleman’s wife saw the painting and promptly commissioned a version of it for her mother-in-law. The thing was, the father in yellow plus 4’s and cloth cap was carrying a white plastic bag full of practice balls. Sarah, I like the image but can you have me carrying a golf club instead?

No problem - the beauty of painting!

Acrylic & Perspex floated on board. Framed size: 70 × 120 cm. Commission.

Version 1 - thatched hut and Ramsgate.

Version 2: They could have been heading towards the Par 3, third green with billowing clouds and France in the distance.

Depending on where the painting hangs and the light upon it, you might get an added bonus of shadows - a further 3D effect.

Placed in the entrance lobby where everyone walks in meant that even if they weren’t going to play golf, they might be heading down the corridor to the bar and then lunch.

The inner sanctum

Preliminary work on site beside the starter’s hut. For once we managed to ‘snap’ the snappers snapper - David Cannon (who was down shooting stuff prior to The Open). Early on in my golf writing career, I was lucky to be able to shadow David and learnt a lot about how to be ‘in the right place at the right time’ to unobtrusively get ‘the shot’.

‘DC’ with his 60 foot extendable pole and drone - he’s almost as tall as it is!

Capturing or creating a unique moment in time.

Moving to glass

Working on both perspex and glass is very different from paper, canvas or board. Paint can be temperamental and adhering it to the surface is a delicate procedure. I wanted the figures to sit comfortably within their vast landscape and this meant using tiny brushes and knives to apply the paint - it feels a bit like producing a miniature.

Celebrating - The Irish way.

The Backstory:

The client lives in San Francisco. The guy playing the Irish fiddle in beach shorts has terminal cancer and, as you can see, is not old. He has a big family and all five of them and is wife love a particular beach in Ireland - their ‘special place’.

I asked to be sent photos they liked. Telling me he loved to play the fiddle near the beach at sundown, they sent me a video. From that I took stills and captured a great image to work from.

Rather like patchwork, fiddling, chopping and re-imagining groupings went on until I had the final proof. One daughter wanted to be in her own wedding dress too. At this point the mother was not in the painting, so I asked “shouldn’t she be?” - so she went in, minus her wedding hat.

Micheal was painted on the reverse of the 1st glass panel looking back towards his family. They are painted on the front of the 2nd glass panel looking fondly out. Behind all of them on the backboard is their ‘special place’ - and if you poke your eyes around the sides of the deep box you can get different glimpses of the beach, sea and headland.

2 months later the large, very carefully packaged, heavy painting is driven by limo from me in Kent to the Midlands and hand delivered to one of the sons. He then drives it over to the Emerald Isle.

Micheal is now celebrating with his family forever.

I had to double check that everyone in the group photo still looked the same and it was then confirmed that the brother holding the pint of Guinness and the sister next to him had both ‘slimmed down significantly’ - so alterations took place on the glass.

Micheal’s favourite view

Acrylic on 2 glass panels, spaced 20 mm apart. Figure 1 (Micheal) is painted on the reverse of panel 1. Figure 2 (family group) is painted on the front of panel 2. Foliage is painted on the reverse of panel 1, front & reverse of panel 2 . They are set into the coastal background, painted on board.

Framed size: 54 × 64 cm, in Ash.

The price of complex pieces similar to this are best discussed, but as a guide, £2000 - £2500.