Max

 

I painted this portrait of Max today from a photo I took the same day as I took his sister Becca's. I love the serene, pensive look on his face. He's got the face of an old soul dressed in small boy's clothing.

Becca

 

I painted this portrait from a photo I took of Becca when she was about 8 years old. I was curious to see if palette knife painting lent itself well to childrens' portraits. It's so interesting to me that a looser format is actually more expressive. It's as if more of a story is told about the sitter than a completely realistic, detailed rendering.

Jess

 

Hello Friends:

I stumbled upon a photo that I took of a model a year or so ago, and decided to paint his portrait with a palette knife. You may have noticed that I've changed my approach a bit-- I'm starting the painting with a very wet brush and letting the paint drip to the bottom of the canvas. Then, I apply very thick paint with a knife on top of the wet paint. I think this process gives the painting a nice moody quality. I hope you like it too.

Mike

 

Hello Friends:

This painting was done in a two hour session with the model. I started the painting quite wet, with paint and turpentine flowing and dripping off the canvas. I then went in with a palette knife and dark paint to establish the placement of the dark values. From there, I applied the lights with a knife, then went in with a brush to give some definition and detail. I stepped back from the painting and decided to stop there.

Lisa

 

Hello Friends:

Here is a portrait I painted this morning at Mainstreet. I had so much fun painting this one-- the lighting was a challenge, since she's lit from underneath, so everything that is normally in shadow was thrown into the light. I tried to keep it full of energy and light, in keeping with our model, Lisa, who kept smiling and animated the entire time she posed.

Palette Knife Portraits

 

 

Hello Friends:

I've taken the plunge and started to paint portraits with a palette knife. The painting of the girl with the scarf is a reproduction of a painting by Jeffrey Watts. The second painting was done from life this morning. I'm going through tubes of paint at an incredible rate, but having a blast with it. I'd love to know what you think of this style...

And thank you!

Grace

 

Hello Friends: I painted Grace in class in two separate sittings, a total of about six hours. The challenge for me was to emphasize her beautiful eyes and cheekbones while keeping the rest of her features soft. I really like the tilt of her head and the distant look in her eyes.

Olivia

 

Hello Friends, This is a drawing in Conte pastels that I did last Wednesday at Open Studio at Mainstreet in Lake Zurich. Our lovely model, Olivia, is from South Africa, and she can't wait to get back home by Christmastime to celebrate the holiday with her family. In her country, Christmas merits a brand new outfit every year, and she was sorely disappointed to celebrate it last year next to a swimming pool with everyone wearing bathing suits. This year, she's determined to do it right!

Late Summer, Illinois

 

This is a painting of a scene we've all stumbled upon here in the midwest when we drive just outside of suburbia and hit the open country. At this time of year, the leaves on the trees haven't changed yet, but the grass is high and we feel the change in the weather is just around the corner.

Rose and Sugarbowl

Hi Friends,

I thought I'd publish another photo of this painting, since the previous photo looked quite yellow to me. This one is a better representation!

A Wistful Experiment

 

Hi Friends:

As many of you know, I've been painting with palette knives lately instead of brushes, and I've been enjoying myself immensely with this new process. I started this beach scene the other day, and was happily working along, when I was suddenly overcome with a wistful feeling. I stood back and looked at it and then it hit me-- the little girl running away from her mother hit a bit close to home, now that daughter Emily is away in Vancouver for a year! I know she's not exactly a toddler (she's in graduate school), but still...I think I'll stick to fruit and flowers until I can pull myself together!

Teapot with Orange

 

Hi Friends:

I'm still having fun painting with a palette knife. This one was inspired by a photo I saw in an artists' magazine, and I thought I'd have a go at the reflections on the glass and metal. There is so little control with a knife-- I can't get bogged down by detail-- and there's no blending!

Veggie Still Life

 

Hello Friends, Yes I know this is not my usual type of painting. This one was done using a palette knife instead of brushes, and I enjoyed doing it so much that I thought you might like seeing it too. Applying paint with a knife forces me to use lots of paint and not "overwork" it. I made a conscious effort not to blend anything at all-- quite a departure from my usual way of doing things!

The Sparks Family

 

Hi Friends,

Here is my latest completed portrait. As you can imagine, the setup was pretty complex so it took me quite awhile to complete this one. In fact, I had started this portrait initially with a completely different pose. It was much more formal, with everyone looking directly at the viewer. After I started painting it, I decided it just wasn't a good representation of the Sparks family, and asked them to pose for me a second time. The card game turned out to be a perfect activity for them, and everyone relaxed and became "themselves". In the end, it was alot easier and more fun to paint them like this than in the more formal, staged format.

Rebecca

 

This painting of Rebecca was commissioned by her mother for her 16th birthday, next week. I have known Rebecca since she was in preschool and she used to visit my house on a regular basis to play with my son Jordan. What a joy it's been to watch her grow into a lovely thoughtful young lady, and then to have the opportunity to paint her. I had hoped to capture her quiet intellect in this painting and her connection with nature. I hope I came close...

Tara

 

I haven't published much to my blog lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy! I have quite a few live model sittings to share with you, both in charcoal and paint. Here's one of Tara, a high school student that I drew in an open studio last week. I love taking my time with charcoal, focusing on getting the drawing right and paying close attention to the dark/light values. When you have a limited time situation as I had last week, adding color to the equation can muddle the process quite a bit. I'm glad that I could take my time, and I think that the quietness of this model shows in the drawing.

Gizelle Portrait

 

The Gizelle portrait is finally complete! I didn't want to sign my name to the painting until I felt that her charm came across on the canvas. Unfortunately, sometimes perfectionism keeps me from moving forward-- there's always one more thing to add or to do to make it just so. But like all things in life, there comes a time to let go, so I'm packing Gizelle off for Tulsa today!

Jess

 

This is a charcoal I drew last night of Jess, an art student in high school. Drawing from a live model is really important to me. My hope is that my paintings are more true to life, since I'm not relying strictly on photos for my references. And as any artist will tell you, photographs lie!

Corporate Portrait

 

I've just completed this portrait of a CEO in St Louis. Although it is a formal portrait, I tried to keep my brushstrokes loose and painterly. He is holding a device that his company manufactures, which I think makes the painting more meaningful, although I was never quite sure what the device actually was!