Why the Eyes Become a Central Space in My Work
Eyes are one of the most immediate focal points in portrait art, and in my work they often become the place where the emotional and surreal meet. I tend to enlarge them, decorate them, or repeat patterns within them because they act as entry points. Instead of functioning realistically, the eyes become openings that connect the outer appearance of the figure with the inner dimension of the artwork. Viewers often describe these eyes as otherworldly or symbolic, not because they are dramatic, but because they contain a sense of depth that feels slightly beyond the physical face.
Patterned Eyes as Symbolic Passageways
The repeated dots, rings, lines and small marks inside the eyes are not random details. They build a structured pattern that behaves like an internal landscape. These designs guide the viewer inward and create the impression of movement or quiet vibration. The eye becomes a layered surface rather than a flat expression. Patterns suggest something happening beneath the image, as if the figure’s mind or spirit is visible through these shapes. This transforms the gaze into a passageway rather than a simple expression.
Surreal Gaze and the Feeling of Looking Beyond the Physical
The surreal quality of the gaze comes from how the eyes relate to the rest of the portrait. The shapes around the eyes are often soft or dreamlike, while the eyes themselves hold sharper detail. This contrast makes the gaze feel like a window that does not belong to the same world as the rest of the face. It creates a quiet tension between softness and intensity. Even when the eyes appear calm, the viewer has the sense that they are seeing something slightly expanded or shifted, as if the gaze continues beyond the artwork.
Spiritual Associations and Symbolic Openings
Eyes have always carried spiritual meaning in many cultures, often representing awareness, intuition, or access to non-visible layers of experience. Even without referencing a specific tradition, the structure of my eyes naturally leans into this symbolism. When an eye feels like an opening, it suggests that the figure holds some kind of internal world, emotional state, or symbolic truth. The gaze becomes less about facial expression and more about revealing a quiet interior space that the viewer can sense rather than identify clearly.
Why Enlarged Eyes Create Emotional Contact
Large eyes create a particular type of emotional presence. They slow the viewer down, draw attention to detail and make the face feel receptive. Instead of being passive, the gaze becomes active; it meets the viewer in a way that feels personal. Even when the expression is neutral, the enlarged gaze creates a feeling of connection. It encourages the viewer to hold the gaze for longer, which strengthens the sense of intimacy between the artwork and the person looking at it.
The Eye as a Visual Anchor in Surreal Composition
In my more complex or colourful pieces, the eye often functions as the stabilising element. When the background is textured or when the colours move into neon territory, the gaze becomes the grounded centre of the composition. It offers clarity inside visual complexity. No matter how surreal the surrounding elements become, the eye maintains focus and gives the viewer a stable point from which to navigate the rest of the artwork. This anchoring effect is one of the reasons the eyes carry so much weight in my visual language.
How Viewers Interpret the Gaze as a Portal
Different viewers bring their own associations to the eyes in my artwork. Some see windows, some see patterns reminiscent of spiritual symbols, and others interpret them as emotional metaphors. This variety of interpretation is part of why the gaze feels like a portal. It does not impose a fixed meaning, but it opens a space for the viewer to engage. The gaze becomes an entry point between the viewer’s inner world and the symbolic world of the artwork.
Why the Gaze Feels Connected to Another World
When all these elements — enlarged shapes, patterned interiors, symbolic intention and surreal contrast — work together, the eyes naturally become more than simple facial features. They turn into openings that connect the figure to a broader emotional or symbolic dimension. The viewer senses that the gaze is looking from somewhere deeper than the portrait, which creates the impression of another world behind the surface. This effect is deliberate, not because it aims for mystery, but because the gaze is the most direct way to express interiority in a surreal portrait.
