This is a painting of Madison, who modeled for our portrait group Saturday. She had a really different hairstyle that I could have allowed to take over my painting. Instead I chose to paint her face first and add the hair when I was finished. Those are actually feathers sticking out of her wrapped dreadlocks but I minimized them because they don't add much to the portrait. I changed the direction of her glance. She was looking off to the right and I moved her eyes so they are looking at us. The direct stare makes her pose more personal and encourages empathy. Another change I did when I got the painting home was finish the background in a series of colors all the same value, but different hues. There was a red backdrop behind her on the model station and I thought it overpowered the muted colors of her clothing and skin.

A Dear Couple

Irene was a dear friend of mine for fifteen years. I met her when I first moved to this area and we became fast friends. She volunteered at a church where I worked and I have seldom met a more giving and considerate person. Her contagious grin and twinkling eyes were irresistible. She has been gone for almost a year now and I still think of her often. The family asked me to do a portrait of her with her late husband, Dwight, and I was happy to do it. They had one good photo that was not formally posed so I scanned it and enlarged and sharpened to see the detail better.

A real plus with a painting like this is that you can change the clothing and minimize signs of aging quite easily. We did not care for the shirt Dwight was wearing so I decided to use colors that complimented Irene's outfit.

11" x 14" oil on linen    Dwight and Irene

Carmen circa 1914

I paint a few commissioned portraits. This portrait of a client's grandmother turned out extremely well. I love her expression, the skin tones, the clothing and even the hair. She has so much "class", you can see it in her gaze. This is oil on Old Holland linen, the best surface I have worked on to date. It really does help to have a great surface when you're painting portraits in oil.