Troy Smith 20" x 16" Oil on Canvas

This one turned out way better than I thought it would. It was difficult because I used three different photo references-- including one of him sitting at the press conference when they announced that he won the Heisman Trophy. Like most of my better portraits the head is just slightly smaller than life size.

In Progress-- Troy Smith

I was wondering if I would have trouble with Troy's skin. I've never painted black skin before-- although this week's model at open studio is supposed to be --coincidentally-- a black athlete. I used the same procedure I use when I mix all my skin tones: I ask myself what color I am really seeing- if it's green I use it. If it's a violet I throw I paint what I see. Painting is like the ultimate puzzle. It's all a series of shapes interlocked together and it's up to the painter to figure out what size and value the shapes really are.
The background for this painting is just wild and I'm having a good time painting it. I'm almost finished with Troy. I want to list this one Thursday while the Woody Hayes auction is still running so I need to finish it tomorrow.

Woody Hayes 11 x 14 Oil on Canvas

I knew I was going to do a portrait of this icon sometime this month after all the questions I got following the last OSU football player (A.J. Hawk) I auctioned off on eBay. I was very happy with the way this turned out and I am pretty sure I can sell some prints to some die-hard Woody fans. I just love this guy's face- I think I'm going to paint another one.
The really awesome thing about this painting is the light on his glasses and the way it glances off his cheek. What a fun piece to paint and I think it shows when I have this much fun.

Barbara in a Red Hat

Saturday was the last time Barbara was going to pose with her husband, Jim, for our portrait open studio and I wanted to paint her, I spent an hour and a half on this 11" x 14" and I was very pleased with the results. It turned out looking just like her. I put it in my store for a pretty hefty price - I mean nothing compared to what a lot of artists ask for a 11" x 14"- usually they want $300-500!! I think this is one of my best portraits ever and I just hope I can continue with the artistic growth I'm experiencing.

No. 4 - Bagel Lady- this one is paired up with the bagels in the post from a couple days ago

My Newest Cat Painting

My daughter's kitten enjoys sitting at the window and watching the birds at the bird feeder. This is Cocoa at about five months.

No. 2 in the Diner Series

This bagel and jam study is a contrast between violet and yellow. The butter looks like it would melt in your mouth, doesn't it? I've included a photo of the set-up too, just to demonstrate once again that photographs cannot compare to the human eye when it comes to capturing subtle nuances of color.

Two Pretty Good Paintings from Students

Sue worked on the same painting she began last week and was able to finish it. A very nice pastel. Kathy was new and she had not painted in many, many years and she wanted to use oils so I had her copy a painting of a tree in a Dawson book. Here are their two paintings.

Jim's Third Sitting

Yesterday I worked primarily on his face. I added the cards at home after asking him to hold them and taking a photo. Now I am thinking about adding a casino background. It just seems a bit blah with him sitting there holding the cards. I think it might be cool to have someone standing behind him- maybe his wife-- who is also posing for us. Their last pose is this week so I need to make this decision. I think some bright lights behind him would add quite a bit to the overall feel. I really;y like the expression on his face though. He seems to be worried- not a really great poker player maybe. I've included a photo of Jim here to explain what I mentioned in an earlier post about how photographs can be dull and unappealing compared to the excitement of a painting, especially a life size painting like this one. Faithfully copying a photograph to produce a painting will invariable yield a dull result.

Work in Progress - week one

Our portrait group is hosting a western couple this month. I decided to paint the gentleman. I am considering the possibility of having him pose with some cards in his hand because Scott said he looks like some poker player on TV. I think it would be a nice touch. This is where I am at after the first two hour session. Oil on canvas 22 x 28.

Finishing up the Crow Indian

Here is the final image of the Crow Indian.

Crow Indian - untitled

I started this one Friday and worked a bit more on it today.. It is based loosely on an Edward S. Curtis photograph of a Yakima Indian. I am adding Crow jewelry and clothing. So far, so good. I probably have another couple hours work in it to finish it up--hopefully I'll have time tomorrow.
Not the best photos.

Winter Horse Painting

A newer painting that is listed on eBay this week for the rock bottom price of $149 as a BUY IT NOW. We haven't had any snow this year. It's been unseasonably warm so I decided to paint some. I love painting snow: the warm and cool reflections, the deep violet shadows.

Pancho Villa in Living Color

The newest oil in the Mexican Revolutionary Series I have been painting for Mr. J. Arce is non other than Pancho Villa. Painted using four small black and white photos, a lot of this was very interpretive. Although it was a challenge to get the likeness right, it was also fun to invent the man's mood. I plan to offer limited edition prints toward the end of this month, and I should have limited edition prints of Emiliano Zapata, Villa's comrade in arms available in my eBay store by the second week in January.