Commissioned Portrait

Just before Christmas, I completed and presented this commissioned portrait to a client. The portrait was of the client's mother, and also a relative of mine. Often times portraits depict a more serious guise, but when I think of this woman I see her smiling, so this expression was more appropriate. The finished piece is 20x16, oil on linen mounted on board.

What I've been up to...

Above is a snapshot of my recent portrait Josh that I just got back from the framer. I've also just completed three portrait commissions, but I do not have permission from the client to post them. I have a couple of commissions lined up for late summer and early fall, and I will be starting another piece soon, but I am debating starting it before or after the baby arrives (my due date is June 17th!) Stay tuned...

Portrait Commission

I recently finished the portrait commission shown here, 16" x 20", colored pencil. Prior to starting this portrait, I had begun work on a new figurative piece, and I am now making final touches. I should post this new piece sometime tomorrow or Wednesday.

Portrait of a Storyteller

I am nearing completion on a portrait of a woman who is a Storyteller, and I wanted to post a photo of my work area along with reference photos. In this case, I had several photos to work from, but I still chose a combination of three to use for the portrait. I don't have Photoshop, so the combining process is more creative than technical. In general, I used the photo on the top left as a reference for painting her face, while her hands and the book were based on the photo on the bottom left. The photo to the right of the portrait is one I used as inspiration, as I felt it showcased her personality. Though the portrait is not quite complete, I am satisfied with the likeness, as I feel it represents her essence better than any of the reference photographs.

Portrait from Black and White Photo

Above is a portrait commission I recently presented to a client. The first image is the main reference photo, a scan of a black and white photograph. Since this is a posthumous portrait, I relied on more recent photographs of the subject and also working with the client in order to get the coloring correct. This was a challenging but very rewarding experience, and I am thrilled that the client was very happy with the result.

Update on My Portrait Commissions

My blogs have been very sporadic lately - I apologize for that, but the reason is that I am really happy to be busy with portrait commissions. I realize that this is a difficult time financially for many of us, and I feel very blessed to have work right now. So, I am devoting most of my time to these commissions in order to do my best work. I just finished one that I mentioned earlier - the client had provided me with old black and white photos from which I created a color portrait. People often ask me which colors I use for portraits, but I do not believe in formulaic methods of creating skin tones - every person has unique coloring and facial contours. For this reason, I relied on referencing some newer photos of the subject at an older age, and also worked with the client to fill in the blanks. I will post this once the portrait has been presented to and accepted by the client.

Right now I am in the planning phase of my next group of commissions, which are more straight forward in the sense that I have color photographs of the subjects. I also have a couple of portraits where I have met the subjects, which is always my preference.

Busy with Portrait Commissions...

I haven't blogged recently as I have started working on a few portrait commissions. I did complete the pastel piece of Brian above just before starting on the commissions, and I really enjoy working in pastel - I find the process much more intuitive than working with pencils.

One of the portrait commissions is particularly interesting and challenging, as I am creating a color portrait based on several old black and white photos, and working with the client to get the coloring correct. I am posting all of the commissions to my online gallery, but only upon client delivery and approval.