Alyssa

This is one of the pieces on display at Classic Center Exhibition. 'Alyssa' is 11''x14'' in oil on linen. I enjoyed painting this quiet moment. I like the warmth of her ears in the sea of cools. A portrait without a face can be a refreshing approach every once in awhile. It helps me to remember the interconnectedness of all my subjects and see that the portrayal of a person, in this instance, also includes a drapery study, a still life and an assessment of color and temperature. However, somehow the inclusion of a face can sometimes be a game changer and command too much attention in relation to the rest of the painting.

I have three paintings on display at the Classic Center in Athens, GA for the next few months. 'Taormina Vendor', a portrait of an Sicilian street vendor, is in Lyndon House's permanent collection which is on exhibit. Then two other more recent paintings are included in the show as well. I will post images, but go see them in person along with some other wonderful work!

Victoria

I have been missing drawing lately. Though my hand has been busy,  I haven't had/made time for my first true love art-wise. So, I dug up this drawing from open studio to inspire myself and others to return to the fundamentals. I'm a firm believer that those drawing skills must be honed in order to do all the other fun stuff like painting, sculpting, etc. Happy Friday! Happy Creating!

Bentley

Bentley's head and shoulders portrait was such a fun work in process. Those incredible blue eyes rivaled old Frank Sinatra's himself. It ended up taking a touch of pthalo blue to get us there! Bentley's talented mom helped me in creating Lilla's birth announcement. She did the gorgeous calligraphy and I painted the flowers in watercolor.

White home

This house portrait of a well-loved Augusta abode was fun but a bit of a challenge with its great width. I incorporated more of the trees and lawn than I might have in another work in order to balance the strong horizontal.

Samuel

It took until the end of our time together for Samuel and I to find the "magic" needed for this portrait. In the final few photos, it all came together and we had just what we needed for the lighting, relaxed feel and pose. One of my favorites!   

Approaching storm

Approaching storm, 15in. x 30in., oil 

This landscape depicts a summer thunderstorm fast approaching along the Intracoastal waterway in South Carolina. It was such a dramatic sight in person, I aimed to relay that drama in the paint application, scale and color selection for the painting.

Eli

This portrait takes the prize for the most adventuresome photo shoot award. Around a lake, over a bridge, climbed down a bank, balanced upon a rickety dock, all for some portrait-perfect photo references of two of the most cooperative and well-mannered young men with whom I've ever worked! Eli, 20in. x 24in., oil on linen

Summer play

As summer's end so quickly approaches and school bells start to ring again, this carefree scene of children at play on the beach is a memory their parents wanted to hold onto year round. Such a happy painting to do!

Kinsey home

This charming abode is in Charlotte, NC and brought it's proud owners great joy while they lived there. Now in Augusta, it was nice to be able to paint them a remembrance of where they spent their newlywed days. It is 11in. x14in, pen and watercolor. 

Leighton

I particularly recall painting each portion of this portrait because it involved some piecing together as we didn't come away with everything needed in a single image from the photo shoot. It should always be the goal to keep in mind how the whole is affected when executing the individual parts of a painting and in this instance I had to pay special attention to shaping the parts so they would fit together to create a successful overall picture.

Cambodia

This 16"x20" painting was commissioned by a friend wanting to commemorate his travels during the year he spent abroad teaching in China. The scene he wanted painted was of two Cambodian children looking out over a rice field and it proved to be refreshing little deviation from my usual subject matter. I enjoy switching from a portrait painting to a still life to a drawing, even simultaneously. I find it helps me to delve into each piece with fresh eyes and keep doing my best work.

Spencer

Spencer, about whom I previously posted, is the precious little guy who knew how to make a photo shoot fun!  I was pleased with the simplicity of this head and shoulders and felt it captured him well. Sometimes it takes paring down some of the information, colors, etc. to appreciate the complexity of the actual portrait itself. 

Hellabores

Shown above is one of the paintings I exhibited at Anne Irwin Fine Art. 'Hellabores', 11"x14", oil on linen My model is friend and fellow artist, Kym. We were inspired by the gorgeous flowers in her yard and the idea of a still life/portrait fusion. 

Helen Randall

This little girl has spunk! Had lots of fun chasing her around on a summer afternoon, snapping pictures right and left in preparation for her portrait. Pigtails and a little white dress, does it get any cuter? 

Adair

Miss Adair was the most delightful young lady to work with during the preparations for her portrait. She carried herself with such poise and was a natural in modeling for me. Love her gorgeous hair!

Jenny

I so enjoyed portraying my dear childhood friend in this bright red coat that just begs to be painted. "Jenny" is a 12"x12" oil. The painting was recently selected by juror, Rose Frantzen, to be in included in the Portrait Society of Atlanta's Summer Exhibition at Roswell Visual Arts Center. The show runs August 22nd - September 26th.

And we're back!

Though you wouldn't know it from the activity on the blog, this past year has been my busiest in the studio yet. But first off, I have to show off my most special creation as of late, a masterpiece you might say!

                                                     

                             

Meet Lilla Sanders Mantini

She makes life all the sweeter and gives me incredible joy and inspiration every day.

 I'll be regularly posting my other works of art over the next few weeks, so be on the lookout. Excited for more adventures in art with my new little lover of the arts by my side.