Commissioned Portrait

I just finished and delivered the portrait show here, Charlotte, oil on board, 12x16.

Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition

I am thrilled to announce that my oil portrait, Sophia, has received 10th Merit in the Commissioned category of the Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition! The complete list of winners will be posted to the Portrait Society of America website by December 15th.

New Oil Painting

Pictured above is my latest oil painting, Story Time, oil on Gessobord, 20" x 16". I enjoyed using a more vibrant palette than usual for this piece, and may try a similar approach again in the near future.

Sophia (Oil Portrait)

My newest portrait, Sophia, 12x16, oil on panel.

Spring Colored Pencil Piece

A while back I completed several seasons-themed pieces, including Winter Blues, but I never did a spring themed piece until now. Here is my latest piece, Spring, 12x16, colored pencil on sanded paper.

Looser Oil Painting

I just started working on a new oil painting, and this is only a few hours work. It's very rough, but I am trying to focus more on getting the overall values and shapes right, and worrying about details later. This is 16x12 oil on board.

New Work

I just completed two new pieces. The first, shown above, On a Crisp Day, is 14x11, colored pencil on sanded paper. I haven't worked in colored pencil in a while, and I enjoyed using the medium to create interesting textures in this piece.

The second piece, another self portrait, appropriately called Another, is 24x18, oil on panel.

SP Work in Progress

Here is a snapshot of a self portrait I'm finishing right now. It's oil on linen mounted on panel.

Award at WHMA Members Exhibition

I am so thrilled that my colored pencil drawing Elise was announced the Winner of the Edith Burger Award for Artistic Excellence at last night's reception for the Whistler House Museum of Art Members Exhibition! Above is a photo of me by the piece, as well as my wonderful model, my sister, Elise.

I also had an oil painting accepted into the exhibit, Father and Son, pictured above with my other two wonderful models, my husband and son. 

The show is full of amazing artwork in a variety of media, and well worth the visit. I also recommend checking out the rest of the museum. For more information, see http://www.whistlerhouse.org/

Latest Oil Portrait Scan

Pictured here is a scan of my most recent portrait, 28" x 18", oil on linen mounted on panel. I used Richeson Shiva Series oil paints, and Art Boards oil primed lined art panels.

Two Pieces Accepted into WHMA Exhibit

I am honored to have two pieces accepted into this year's Whistler House Museum of Art Juried Member Exhibition: my colored pencil portrait Elise, and oil painting Father and Son. The exhibit runs from November 13th through December 21st with a reception on November 16th. For more information, see my Events page or the Whistler House Museum of Art website.

Oil Portrait ...

I'm putting the finishing touches on an oil portrait, shown above. This was a joy to work on - I loved the pose and expression. I hope to varnish in the next week and then get a high resolution scan.

Next I have a portrait commission in pastel, and then I want to do something in colored pencil. Working  in various media keeps me on my toes!

New Portrait Commission

I recently completed the portrait shown framed above, which was given as a Father's Day present. A scan of the portrait can be seen on my website, but I wanted to post a photo of the framed piece to show how a harmonious frame can enhance a portrait.

What is a Portrait Painting?

Many people ask whether I work from photographs or from live sittings. The truth is that I would love to work from live sittings, but real life makes working from photos more feasible in most cases. However, I do not merely "copy" these photos. The point of a portrait is to capture the essence of the subject, which is always my goal in each painting. A photograph, on the other hand, is a snapshot in time, and can be very limiting in terms of illustrating one's true self.

When I take reference photos, I try and get to know the subject (if I do not already), and take hundreds so that I have plenty of material from which to paint the final portrait. The portrait is usually based on one or two photos only, but having many gives me more insight into one's personality. Here are couple of portraits and their reference photos that demonstrate how I've gone beyond the photo.

Final Scan of CP Portrait

Below is a scanned image of the completed portrait of Elise, 20x16, colored pencil on Fisher 400 sanded paper.

Almost Done...

I'll probably finish this tomorrow and get a scan sometime shortly thereafter.

Getting there

An update on my 20x16 colored pencil portrait (slow progress due to my working on it only about an hour a day!)

Highlights in colored pencil

Here is an update on my colored pencil portrait work in progress. In the past, I used many dark colored pencils for not only shadows, but also highlighted areas, using a light touch. For this portrait, I am using more light colors on the light side of the face, and finding the whole process a lot easier and smoother-looking. I just try not to go too light too soon, or else really bright highlights do not show.

Re-Learning Colored Pencil

I'm starting a new colored pencil portrait, and remembering a few things that I had forgotten - like reserving white areas and color mixing - very different from oil! I'm working on sanded paper so I can apply lights over darks, but the resulting color is always a mix of the colors used, so it involves a bit of planning. Luckily, I work in layers, so I have many opportunities to adjust value and color. Here you can see the underdrawing done in dark umber, and the beginnings of some layers. The earlobe on the left and the scarf are pretty much done, though I may alter them later after working on other sections.

Upcoming CLWAC Members' Show

My piece Danny will be included in the exhibition.