A portrait of Lone Germer Kristensen was commissioned by her husband Mikael André Kristensen in the summer of 2023.
I spent the following months creating a 130×170 cm portrait using 3776 squares of 0.7 mm patinated copper sheet. These squares, with their subtle differences in patina, shine, pattern and evenness, at times give a highly dynamic and abstract feel to the portrait. Viewing the portrait from different angles and distances, coupled with multiple reflections of light from the individual hand-processed squares and the choice of background patterns, allow it to be experienced in many different ways. As such, the portrait of Lone Germer Kristensen is not one artwork, but many – alive and ever-changing.
One of Lone’s most inspiring achievements was cycling to Paris from northern Denmark multiple times to help raise funds in aid of child cancer charities. The determination required for such an achievement is captured in this portrait by the metaphor of a bicycle chain. While chains are normally restrictive and limiting, a bicycle chain is very much the opposite. It makes long journeys possible, it is tough and resilient and it couples components, with strength. Stylized patterns of a bicycle chain were used to create the one-of-a-kind cloudscape backdrop for Lone’s portrait.
You can read more about what went into this portrait and see photos from the process of creating it in this downloadable PDF: Creating the Portrait of Lone Germer Kristensen [20 MB] The PDF is best viewed in the two-page mode of your PDF viewer of choice.
The process of creating this copper portrait was not without challenges and curved balls. There were moments when it felt like it was only a few steps away from being an impossible mission. Here are some behind the scenes shots of what took place (with the help of George Simon Attard and Mattias Nilsson) in the studio on a stormy Thursday night just after the portrait was completed…