Laura

Hello Friends:

A portrait painted while the model is sitting in front of the artist gives an entirely different "feel" than one that is painted from a photograph, and that is why I'm continually returning to this setup. I don't think I'll ever be to a point where I say that I've painted enough paintings from life. Every single time I face a new model, I learn something new, and I never want to stop this learning process. In Laura's case, her face has the beautiful youthful quality that is so difficult to replicate. I struggled in the studio and finished the painting later at home after I had a chance to slow down and take my time with it.

You may notice that I've painted the portrait on top of a very textured background. My artist friends may be interested to know that this background was achieved by spreading gesso very thickly with a knife on top of a canvas panel. I let the ridges dry and proceeded with the painting as I normally do. It gives the painting an aged look that I find appealing.

Monochrome of DeLawn

Hello Friends:

I realize that DeLawn keeps popping up in many of my paintings and studies. He is a fantastic model-- his bone structure, skin tone, and that waist-long hair make him a joy to paint, so why not?

This painting is a departure for me. I started by applying very thick gesso on top of a canvas with a palette knife. I let this dry completely so that all those ridges would give the painting a nice texture when the paint was applied on top of it. For the painting itself, I used only two colors, Burnt Sienna and Black. For the lighter areas I lifted the paint off with a rag or a brush, so white was never used. I'd be very interested to know how you like this technique. I'm very tempted to paint other paintings on top of this type of texture in the future.

Oil Sketch of Eli and Harper

Hello Friends:

Before I launch into a complicated portrait, I like to have "buy in" from the clients to make sure that I'm on the right track. Are we on the same page as far as the composition and feeling of the portrait are concerned? When the portrait has two or more people in it, the painting becomes more about the relationship between the people in it than about the individuals. Positioning and expression become very important.

This is an oil sketch on a board that I did as a preliminary piece to show the clients before I start on the final portrait. I hope that they like it, but if they don't, I won't have wasted time developing a painting that won't be appreciated! With their input, I would develop a new sketch to work from. Portrait painters can't be inflexible in their thinking, I've come to learn.