Sunglass Series 


This series of oil paintings of men and women wearing sunglasses is indicative of both the cultural and psychological nature of our society. Sunglasses have become almost invisible to us, a part of the face of those who wear them. We are so accustomed to the glasses that we often communicate with people without looking at their eyes.

The images are cropped so that the paintings will concentrate on the face alone. However, the voyeuristic tendency of the viewer is thwarted by the presence of the glasses that allows the person to retain his or her desired persona, whether it is presented through a glance, an attitude or a pensive moment. Thus, it is left to the viewer to reconcile the intimacy created by this closeness with the distancing caused by the fact that the subject remains completely in charge of what is being conveyed.

This duality between what is revealed and what is retained by the person being photographed is what I look for in choosing the images for my paintings. The viewer can penetrate only so far into the painting before realizing that he or she is merely on the verge of the subject's consciousness and that the person's thoughts are not available for inspection.

The titles of the paintings further emphasize this. While a different title might give the viewer more information about what is going on in the painting, the use of the person's name is an indication that what is revealed is only what the person has chosen to reveal.

Shown on this site are some of the Sunglass painting. Unless noted, they are in private or corporate collections   As always, I credit the photographer from whose photograph I painted.  

Diane Remick

© Diane Remick 2022