Bethany

Hello Friends:

I loved painting Bethany in this deep purple hood. She has such a sparkly vivacious personality, but as soon as she donned the hood and cast her eyes down, the effect changed completely. I chose to paint in muted colors to convey her moments of serenity. As soon as break time arrived, off came the hood, and the sparkle reappeared. Someday perhaps I'll paint the other side of her personality!

DeLawn

Hello Friends:

This portrait of DeLawn was painted in two sessions. I painted him on a very loose, colorful background and then tried to continue with that theme into his hair and shirt. The color on his face is extremely chromatic, which is also a departure for me. You would not have believed the blinding colors that were mixed on my palette-- they didn't appear to have anything at all to do with the model sitting in front of me! I resisted the urge to knock it all down into a duller scheme, and in the end, I liked the brightness and the energy it had. I wouldn't use this technique for a more formal portrait, but as a painting, I think it's pretty interesting. I'd like to know if you like it too!

Ethan With a Cap

Hello Friends:

I painted Ethan, a young teenager, in open studio last night. I like painting with a time constraint because it forces me to use lots of paint in broad strokes from the beginning. I try to get the major shapes right in the beginning, and spend most of my time doing this. The details aren't addressed until maybe the last 15 minutes of the session. I never know until the very last few minutes if the portrait will be a success or not. But one thing is for sure: if I didn't spend the time to get the structure right, the details won't help a bit.

As John Singer Sargeant would say, "The features of the face are like the spots of an apple". In other words, the structure of the head is the most important part of the portrait.

The Olympian (sold)

Hello Friends:

This beautiful horse belonged to Nancy, a dear friend and horsewoman who lives in California. The challenge in this painting is to put the focus of the viewer entirely on the horse, making the rider secondary. To do this, I darkened the background behind the rider and lightened it behind the horse, giving the horse the most contrast and interest. I also softened several edges to give the impression of movement and energy.

I do miss being part of the horse world, but for now, I'll be content to study and paint them whenever I can!