I don't know why my pictures look faded when I post them on my blog, but they do. Anyway, this is my latest painting and I think I'm finished with it now. A friend of mine, Fran, came up with the title; sort of Alice in Wonderland-ish.
I went to my life painting group today and wasn't in the mood to paint so I drew this charcoal of our model. Her name is Ann. I'm really enjoying drawing more these days. I do so many paintings, but with charcoal it's fun to start and finish something so quickly.
I just completed this charcoal drawing of President Obama as he was being sworn in. I was asked to do this by a client in Washington. The nation is very hopeful and I wish our new president the strength and ability to carry out this new responsibility with success.
I finished Herschell this morning at 4 am. I'm just a little tired. Anyway, this is my final creation before the new year. I figured out that I have done about 40 paintings/ drawings this year. I've been very busy. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
This is my last oil portrait before 2009. This beautiful little girl was very fair with the most beautiful blue eyes and impish kind of smile. I thought the red dress may be too much for such a delicate child but I think it works well with her complexion. I will deliver it tomorrow so they will have it for Christmas. I still have 1 more drawing to do before Christmas; it's a charcoal of a Basset Hound named Herschel.
This offer is to my friends who want something extra special for the holidays. It's only for December and it's first come, first served.
My family, my sister's family and my cousin's family always go to the mountains just after Thanksgiving dinner and stay through the weekend. My boy's look forward to it every year. The photos above are of my boys and my nephews (the big boys that are actually juniors in college) and my cousin's girls, Ginny and Allie. We were in Brevard, North Carolina this year. It really doesn't matter where we go it is just a special time to be with all of them. When I get a group picture I will post it too. This time, I spent some time drawing while the other girls went shopping. I did a very fast charcoal sketch of Ginny and Allie and a drawing of my son Stokes in red pencil. As always, it was a wonderful trip and we can't wait til next year.
I took a beautiful drive to Royston, GA yesterday to give the portrait I painted of Spc. Ryen King to his family. I talked to and emailed back and forth with Carmen Jordan, Ryen's mother, but I had never met her. Her husband, Harold Jordan, had sent photographs of Ryen for me to work from. I was a little surprised at first that Carmen wanted me to paint Ryen's portrait with him looking down. I told her that the eyes are the window to the soul and that she might want to select another photo. She really loved the photo of Ryen with his catcher's vest and his long hair. There really is something telling in the photo. As I painted his portrait I began to really feel his presence. I'm so happy that his mother chose the photo that she did. The painting has a special feeling and I love the way it turned out.
This is Nicholas. It was a real challenge to get a good photograph of him. He had such a sweet disposition and was very content playing with his trains. He wasn't at all interested in having his pictures taken. The toy trains in the portrait seemed to be his favorites. We settled on this photo but his body was in an awkward position so I put the body from another photo with this face and used a different background. His mother said it captured him perfectly. I wanted to capture him the way he is now for years to come - and I think I have done so.
I am finished now. I darkened the lower corner areas to draw the eye higher. I also pushed the orchid back a bit. I din't want to eliminate the table legs completely since it is her grandmother's. I also worked on the hands and shadows a bit and softened some lines in her skirt. These are small changes but I think it helps. Now that I look at the photo, I might take back the flower a bit more. I used a glaze so it might just be a reflection that makes it look lighter.
This is a portrait I have been working on for while. I signed it today but now I see some things I will change. I will post it again when I make the changes so you can see the difference. These are the children of a dear friend of mine, Alexis Vear, a gifted singer/ songwriter. Many things in the portrait signify things that are important to her and her family. Her mother grows beautiful orchids, the piano represents her music, the picture in the background was her grandmother's, as well as the table. I added the box and the shell on the table for composition - the shell represents renewal. BTW, if you would like to know more about Alexis' music visit www.AlexisVear.com.
Atlanta Fine Arts League's "Simpy Drawn" reception was a very nice event. The exhibit looks beautiful; it's refreshing to see just drawings for a change. The calibre of all the drawings was very high. The exhibit goes until September 25th, at the Art Station Big Shanty in Kennesaw. In the photo I'm standing with juror John de la Vega next to my drawing "Joe's Boys". -Thanks to Carmen & Joe Kissack for allowing me to borrow it for the exhibit.
This is a charcoal that I just finished yesterday. Cole's grandmother commissioned me to do this portrait for her daughter in law. Another artist drew her granddaughter and she found me 2 years later. She loved it and said that I really caught his likeness and personality. Hey, what more can I ask for? It's nice to be able to create charcoal portraits while having an oil painting on my easel. Changing mediums keeps portrait painting more interesting.
My twin sister, Lynne, and I celebrated a BIG birthday in August. Our husbands threw a huge party and lots of our friends came. My husband's band, Uncle Mike, played and had everyone on their feet. Lynne & I wore tops that said "I am not Lynne" and "I am not Leah". Before the party was over, we switched shirts and caught a few people off guard. It was a great celebration! BTW, the black & white picture was set up at the party. We were 25 years old. It's hard to look at.
My artist friend, John de la Vega, held a small advanced portrait workshop at my studio. You can see some of John's beautiful work on portraitartist.com. We had 2 models and 7 students. My home studio was the perfect space for the workshop. - I'm also represented on portrait artist.com (A Stroke of Genius)
