Ruth Fitton

Courtesy of the artist and ARC.

Second Place Figurative and Honorable Mention Portraiture in the 17th International ARC Salon® online exhibition;

17th & 18th International ARC Salon® Exhibition at Sotheby's New York, July 17-27, 2026.

Art Renewal Center, International Realism: 17th & 18th International ARC Salons (Woodbridge, UK: ACC Art Books Ltd, 2026), pp. 68, 94, illustrated.

“Precipice is a psychological piece, exploring the fraught connection between two people on the brink of the unknown. We do not know what they are looking at, but we see behind them the potential of a fall into empty space. Above them, the promise of flight.

I wanted the connection between the figures to feel precarious: their faces overlap without touching, and the grip of their hands is loose. To emphasise the feeling of height and open air, I compressed the values of the composition into a high key and compressed the chroma so that the only strong colour is in the sky. I enjoyed painting the faces of the figures with as little definition as possible, to complete the ethereal effect. I wanted this painting to leave the viewer breathless and full of questions about the figures and their narrative.” – Ruth Fitton