Half-Hour Portrait

My friend Phebe recently asked some really great questions. Her first one might be the hardest for me: Do you think the portraits you are doing now are different from your earlier work? If so, how? 

So I went back and looked at some portraits from 2010. And yes, they’re definitely different. But I’m having a hard time putting into words just how. I’m more confident, for one thing. That shows in stronger lines. I take a good chunk of time at the beginning of each portrait to get a basic drawing that captures a likeness. Once those lines are good, I stand by them. It also looks like I’m using slightly larger brushes, which probably is the case. No messing around with little strokes trying to figure out if the color and value are right. I’m not taking as much time figuring things out on the painting. That frees up a little time for what I see as the third difference, which is a little more attention to what’s going on in eyes and lips and shadows. OK for a start, Phebe?

Oh, and I've been wanting to paint this boy's eyes for a long time. 

Half-Hour Portrait No. 203-ish

People sometimes ask me how many half-hour portraits I’ve painted. And I have known for a while that I should be keeping track. But when I started, I didn’t foresee how much I would love painting them, or how they would take off. And record-keeping has never been my strong suit. So, after a pretty un-scientific count, I estimate the number to be somewhere between 203 and 228. (This is just humans—dogs and cats get counted (or not) separately.) Let’s err on the low side and call this half-hour portrait number 203. And I will keep track from now on. I hope.

Half-Hour Portrait

Loved painting this adorable, serious girl.

Half-Hour Portraits on Saturday

I've had a hard time getting it together to post anything about painting for a while, but thankfully Jen Rutheny's Jewelry Extravaganza this weekend has forced me to roust myself. I'll be painting half-hour portraits at the show this Saturday, surrounded by some of the most creative jewelry designs around. The show goes on all weekend, with a wine and cheese reception Saturday night, so come by and say hi. If you'd like to schedule a portrait, just let me know!
Show hours:
Saturday, Feb. 11: 11:00-9:00
Sunday, Feb. 12: 12:00-4:00
Reception: Feb. 11: 6:00-9:00
80 Brook Street, Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Half-Hour Portrait

Beautiful sister to the last couple of boys. I love her lips!

Half-Hour Portrait

Little brother to my last post. As the portraits were to be a gift to their mother, I asked if she’d want the nose ring included or not. I love how they gave it some thought and decided it should stay.

Half-Hour Portrait

Look at this gorgeous young man! Those features… Man, I loved painting him and his brother. Even better was witnessing how sweet they were with each other.