Merry Christmas

I had hoped to do another Christmas painting this year but I have been too occupied with the Governor's portrait. Instead I am posting our Christmas card which was designed and printed by my wife Lauri. For a number of years now she has been producing beautiful and very unique cards and it is always a pleasure to send them to friends and family.

I want to sincerely wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Near Year!

Kelsey in Dark Glasses

I finally got around to finishing this small study of Kelsey. There is a similar version that was posted last November. In this one I enjoyed how the light washed out the color in the sleeves of her shirt.

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#65

Haley Roberts

Haley is part of the team at the David Klein Gallery, and it is a pleasure to work with her. It was her idea to base this on Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, and I think it was a good one. The clothing and headdress were also her inspiration. All I did was apply the paint.

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#64

Governor Jennifer Granholm

I am happy to announce that I have been commissioned to paint the official portrait of Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm. This is a major project that will demand most of my time for the rest of the year. Therefore, blog postings will be sparse. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has followed and supported this blog since its inception. It has been a very rewarding project for me and I expect to continue it in some form well into the future.

Jack

This is Jack, Sofia's brother. It was fun to have them both in the studio, and it was remarkable how attentive they were to what we were trying to do. Having their father there helped, of course. If you are interested in commissioning a portrait, you may contact me at [email protected] for pricing and other information.

oil on linen panel, 7.75 x 5.75 inches, 2010
#63

Sarah

Sarah is another new model that I hope to work more with this summer. I'm still trying to capture the effects of a live flame. It's not an easy thing to do.

oil on canvas panel, 6 x 8 inches, 2010
#62

Sofia

This is a recent commissioned portrait, a Mother's Day surprise. I also painted Sofia's twin brother, Jack, which I will post in the near future.

oil on linen panel, 7.75 x 5.75 inches, 2010
#61

Apryl

This painting is from Apryl's first modeling session with me and I was very happy with how it went. She is a natural with an imaginative wardrobe and I look forward to working with her again.

oil on canvas panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#60

Mirror of Melancholy

This is derived from an earlier, larger painting. I continue to be interested in how paint might suggest a reflected image as opposed to an actual one. It's a subtle difference that I want to continue to explore.

oil on canvas panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#59

Green Hat

In a recent painting I was mildly criticized for depicting a redhead in a red hat, a fashion blunder it seems. On Amber's next visit to the studio she presented me with this green hat, which she kindly donated to my collection.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#58

Happy Easter

NFS
oil on canvas panel, 6 x 8 inches, 2010
#57

Figure with Vanitas

I am still toying with multiple light sources and was somewhat pleased with this result. Currently I am trying to learn to effectively illuminate a scene entirely by candlelight. It requires lots of candles, but fortunately the fire department is just down the street.

SOLD

oil on canvas panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#56

Gabriel

This is a portrait of my son Gabriel, who just graduated from college. He is a very talented artist himself, though he decided to major in linguistics. Please contact me at [email protected] if you would like information about commissioning a similar portrait.
NFS
oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#55

Second Light

Here I was interested in the dichotomy of sunlight and candlelight. The wide brim straw hat and Amber's shroud of hair serve to separate these two worlds of light.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 6 x 6 inches, 2010
#54

Ben's Trains

This painting was for a little boy who loves trains, and whose father is a distinguished art collector. Trains seem timeless in their fascination for children, even as their role has declined, at least in America.
SOLD
oil on linen panel, 6 x 8 inches, 2010
#53

Magnolia

 

This flower painting went to a little girl who admired it in my studio one day. I like to think of her growing up and blossoming with it.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010

#52

Kristin in Red

 

It's difficult to achieve a full value range with a true red, at least for me. It wants to turn brown in the shadows and pink in the highlights. I added the light on the wall in an effort to balance the composition.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 6 x 6 inches, 2010
#51

Julia

 

This is a portrait of my daughter Julia. I have drawn and painted my family members a number of times over the years, but now I wish I had done so even more. They are treasures to look back on and I know too that they will be passed on to future generations. If you are interested in having a portrait painted of yourself or another, please email me at [email protected] and we can discuss details.
NFS
oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#50

Portrait Commissions

I am now accepting commissions for portraits. The commissioned work will be similar to the small paintings I have been featuring on this blog, and tomorrow I will post an example. For more information please email me at [email protected].

The Millinery

 

Amber brought in this striking green crushed velvet dress, and I immediately thought of the red hat that my wife found recently at a thrift store. I don't know if the composition really conveys the sense of a shop, but I went with the title anyway.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010

#49

Amber Sipping Tea

 

There wasn't really anything in the cup. I was going to add steam rising from it, but thought better of it. However, something is missing in this painting. What is it?

SOLD

oil on linen, 8 x 6 inches, 2010

#48

Parasol

 

Finally I'm back in the studio and today I was able to finish this study of Kristin in pale pink. I was somewhat uncertain about how to handle the background color, but ended up going with a slate blue that was neither indoors nor out, and I left it at that. It reads a little lighter and bluer than it reproduces here. 

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010

#47

Shoulder Injury

I have not been able to paint for a few days due to a shoulder inflammation. I expect to post again later this week. Thank you all for your continued support.

Amber in Red

 

I cropped the figure more than I thought I would at first, but I still think that the conch shell serves to restate the femininity of the form. The chair is one that I have used many times because its subtle curvilinear design always seems to rhyme with my subject. Someone once said that the problem for modern painting was what to do with the background. I think they were on to something, but in this instance I can live with all the open space. If anyone can attribute that quote I would appreciate hearing from you.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 6 x 8 inches, 2010

#46

Repose

I enjoy working with more than one light source. It's challenging, but it creates a more complex mood that suggests multiple readings. Here Amber is indeed at rest, but her expression is perhaps not so tranquil. I like to think that the cool and warm light sustain this ambiguity.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#45

Tea with Kristin

The scarlet hat and lipstick are attention grabbers in this painting, but what I enjoyed painting most was the delicate lacework of Kristin's blouse. The intricacy of her fingers and the warm light coming from the right also added interest for me.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010

#44

Equanimous

I know the title is a ten dollar word, but I think it describes her best. She was remarkably poised and self-assured from day one. Everything she did was elegant. We even tried some poses where she climbed into an old trunk, and it seemed to fit her like a glove. For all her presence however, she remains a mystery. All I have is this painting.


oil on canvas panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010
#43

Ennui

The idea for this painting came from an old Vogue magazine. I added the mirror however. The hands belong to my son, Gabriel. Regarding the theme, I think the title says enough. We've all been there.

SOLD

oil on canvas panel, 6 x 8 inches, 2010

#42

Haeley Huddled

This pose seems to be characterized by a drawn, even a tense quality. Haeley's raven hair and dark top frame her disquieted face, and her body is compressed by the expansive background. Absorbed as she is, she remains alluring.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 7 x 5 inches, 2008
#41

Kimono

The thing I enjoyed most about doing this painting was picking out the intricate pattern on the blue robe. I can have difficulty generalizing complexity in parts of a composition, but in this case it was necessary. I wanted to bring attention to her face and torso, and not so much to what she was wearing. I used a variety of brushes and hues, and just flicked or dabbed the marks to represent the floral motif, and it seemed to be enough. I also liked how her leg fell abruptly into shadow, forcing attention on her well lit torso. Sometimes these strong contrasts can be distracting, but in this case there was something intriguing about it.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2010

#40

Morning Light

It wasn't really morning light, but the pale pink sheet I draped over the window cast a rosy glow on the figure, and I liked the effect. It was a challenge to render its translucency, along with the watery sheerness of her blouse. My studio windows face west, so I am always dealing with changing light, and always looking for ways to control it. In this instance the sheet did the trick.

SOLD

oil on gesso panel, 6 x 6 inches, 2009

#39

Samantha in Red

This painting continues my interest in the tension between the formal/symmetrical and the natural/worldly aspects of posing the figure. I discussed this in an earlier post entitled Kristin Criss-Crossed. Here the tension resides in the angle of her head, exposed leg, and the palm branch. I imagine Samantha stepping into a pool of water, but instead of the traditional white garb she is wearing red.

SOLD

oil on linen panel, 8 x 6 inches, 2009

#38