"Lexye in Strawberry Fields"
Pastel on arches paper
12" x 16'
Commission
Spring in the Lowcountry is the time for picking fresh strawberries right off the plants in the fields of several farms open to the public.
This painting of a smiling young girl with hands full of newly picked strawberries buried deep in her lap for safekeeping, is a reminder of happy times spent close to nature.
A sunny spot and a good book are timeless pleasures. For this portrait, I used contrasting artistic elements to express a quiet, relaxed moment.
Warm red and orange tones in the sitter's face and hair stand out against cool blues and greens in the shadows.
The "hard" edge of the face in profile brings this area into focus as the softer, "lost" edges at the back of the hair cause that area to fade into the background.
The high value of the colors in the light adds drama and interest against the darker, lower values of the shadow tones.
Warm vs. cool colors, hard vs. soft edge treatments, high vs. low values plus the strong diagonal design of light falling across the picture plane are all artistic elements I used to add interest to this portrait of my mother.
"In the Light Reading"
Pastel on prepared panel
20"x17"
A Boy. A Tree. What could be more natural on a Saturday afternoon than...
"Just Hangin' Around"
16"x 20"
Pastel on archival sanded paper
"Portrait of a Sculptor" is a variably wiped zinc plate etching of a young sculptor hard at work in the studio. It's another example of the unique effect that can be gotten by using values of one color in a work of art.
The monochromatic treatment of the subject gives the portrait an expressive, timeless quality I don't think would have been accomplished if I had used a full color palette.
This portrait was included in a Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition at the historic Old City Jail in Charleston.
"Portrait of a Sculptor"
Sepia zinc plate etching
Image size: 13" x 10"
Price: $350.00
I have recently had the pleasure of talking with Clare Penny, a portrait artist working in Scotland. Clair and I have been discussing the many challenges of portraiture, including painting accurate skin tones in our works. We've also been talking about our tonal portraits.
Clare has an interesting one color portrait on her website www.clarepenny.com. of a laughing girl. See a link to her website in the "Recommended Links " right side column. She also has just completed a wonderful portrait entitled "Sianainn" that you'll want to see.
I'm posting a monochromatic (one color) intaglio portrait I completed awhile ago, to show how using values of one color can create an interesting portrait.
Portrait artists have long used monochromatic drawings as preliminary studies for commissioned portraits. In many cases these studies have become as popular and valued as their more formal works.
I'd love to hear from other portrait artists about their tonal portraits or tips they find helpful to create great skin tones in their paintings.
"Bradley"
Sepia intaglio etching
Price: $350.00
Contemporary portraits are taking on exciting, unexpected new forms. Modern portraits often show elements of a person other than a face that express a person's personality as much as a traditional likeness can.
The Post and Courier ran an article about Daily Painters in which my artwork and blog were included. The cover story "Art of the Deal - All In A Day's Work" by Kyle Stock generated much interest in regional art blogs. (Check out the link to this article in the sidebar "Recommended Links" The Post and Courier Article...)
Being interviewed for the article and seeing reporters at work in the darkened expanse of a busy, city newsroom were the inspirations for today's painting.
"Portrait of a Reporter"
10"x 8"
Oil on birch panel
Price: $125.00
The excitement of pirates and adventure on the high seas is the subject of this painting.
Sitting astride an authentic 18th century cannon in a setting that once was the site of real pirate activity, this child's play comes close to being historic re-enactment.
Many pirates including Stede Bonnet aka "the Gentleman Pirate" came to justice in Charleston during the colonial era near the location of present day White Point Gardens at the Battery on Charleston Harbor.
"Pirate Adventure"
Watercolor 15" x 11"
NFS
This is a sunny portrait with a timeless theme -The joy of childhood and youthful high spirits. Add to the excitement of the moment the fact that the young sitter is on horseback (well just a pony seems like a lot of horseflesh when you're 5 yrs. old) and you have all the right elements for a good time and a good painting.
"David-Robin Hood"
22" x 23"
Watercolor on Arches paper
Price: Sold
I was recently honored to be in the Portrait Society of America's (PSA) quarterly publication for my participation in the art show "The Art of Diversity Among Women" an event in the "Generations of Women Moving History Forward" celebration for Women's History Month.
I am pictured here with Bailey Gregorie, who was one of four generations of women in her family present at the opening reception in Charleston at the Medical University of South Carolina.
"Bailey In Blue Ribbons" 14"x11" portrait commission
This is a breezy painting to match the breezy weather we've been having in the Lowcountry on the "First day of hurricane season".
The subject of the painting is Miss Maura, a lovely young lady and the older sister of Miss Ella in " Charleston Child" (see posting for May 9).
"Summer Breeze"
Pastel on paper
11"x 14"
Price: Sold
I used a light touch and high key palette of colors in this portrait of a fair haired Charleston Child. The subject of the portrait, Miss Ella comes from a family of many southern beauties (see June 3 posting, "Summer Breeze" a portrait of Miss Maura). I'm glad to have painted the girls in this stage of life.
"Charleston Child"
Pastel on paper
11" x 14"
Price: Sold
Here is the finished portrait commission of Tyler, a handsome young man with a happy smile and a slightly quizzical look.
I used Judith Carducci's "under painting" with a pastel wash technique in the first stage of the portrait. (See postings from April 11 and 19 that describe Judith's work). This added a brightness to the color intensity of the finished painting.
Although I wasn't sure how the flag background would work when it was requested, I now think it adds color and interest to the final portrait.
I'm glad I was able to finish the painting in time for it to be a special Mothers Day gift.
Price: SOLD
