Lisa

Lisa
30" x 40" Oil on linen

This was a portrait I did a few years ago of a friend of mine named Lisa. I loved working on this piece for several reasons. #1 she is beautiful inside and out and was so easy to work with because of her easy going personality. #2 I was allowed to do the pose that I wanted with no restrictions and #3 I was able to add a complex background that actually added to the beauty of the piece without being too distracting. This may  be my favorite portrait I have ever done.

Moody Blue

Airbrush acrylic and colored pencil

This was an experiment for me to see if I could paint two images into the same pic with overlapping. Very difficult to do using an airbrush. I called this one Moody Blue because that was the name of Elvis' last album.

Elvis4

Elvis Face
Airbrush Acrylic and colored pencil
Approx 24 x24

I wanted to see how little of Elvis' face I could render and still be able to tell who it was. It was faun challenge.

Elvis1

Elvis1
Acrylic airbrush and colored pencil

I love Elvis, always have. That is why I did a series of portraits of him... just for fun. I did the series of 4 several years ago and this was the first one I did. I will post the other 3 in a later post.

Tree of Light

Tree of Light
Oil on canvas 48" x 48"

I did this painting probably nine or ten years ago to display in a home that was to be put on display for the public. After that "house" show was over I took it to a private school art show here in Nashville to sell. It was my first year to do that show and as luck would have it the school actually bought it from me to hang in their school. I was quite honored because they had hundreds of painting there to choose from to purchase.
This was a pretty ambitious painting for me to do mainly because of the sheer size of it. I usually like to paint fairly small but this one was a rare exception.

Hay Wagon (small)

I have always been drawn to old photos of horse drawn anything. I loved the simplicity of this scene and the simple beauty of another time. This was oil on masonite 12" x 12" so the figures were pretty small. I mainly just wanted to paint it quick just to get the mood of the scene.

Rolled Gold

Oil on masonite
9" x 12" (I think)

Every once in a while I run across a photo that just begs to be painted and this the case for this one. I wanted to keep it simple and loose and mainly just try and capture the feeling of the light that came from this scene. I sold this piece at an art show in Nashville.

Graham

Graham
Approx 16"x20" Acrylic airbrush and colored pencil

This was a portrait of my nephew Graham that I did as a gift. He is an awesome intelligent kid who loves anything to do with the outdoors.

Colton

Colton
Approx 16"x20"
Acrylic airbrush and colored pencil

Another example of my "sepia" style. This was a portrait I did of my daughters boyfriend at the time. I love this piece because it was so casual which was him. I also love the idea of him not looking at the camera which in a weird way kinda draws the viewer in and wonder what he is looking at.

Fresh Strawberries

I did this little oil on masonite painting a few years ago for an art show and it quickly sold. I think it was probably around 6"x6". I enjoy doing small paints like this because I can explore doing just the details and not worry so much about the background.

Dapple Draft

Oil on masonite 24" x24"
I usually don't like to paint draft horse but this one just need to be painted. I did this one several years ago and I ended up donating it to a auction to support a college scholarship. It ended up selling for a fraction of what I normally sell these type of paintings for because there were so few people there to bid. I almost bid on it myself just to get it back. Can you tell I am still bitter??? :-)

Shedder

Oil on masonite 24x36"
I don't know the breed of this dog but he was beautiful and very regal. I did this portrait for a client in Atlanta. I remember going to the clients house wearing dark brown corduroy pants and leaving there with white furry pants! This dog was awesome in every way but he shed like no other. I chose to do a simple background just hinting at something in the background to make him the center of attention.

Double Dog dare

Another example of my sepia airbrush style. This was for a client in Lexington, KY. Although they look just alike they were actually two different breeds. I wish I could recall the name of the breeds but I can't. This portrait posed a new problem for me in that I had to do two dogs in one portrait. It was impossible to shoot them together because they would just not sit still long enough. So, I had to shoot them separately and come up with some kind of pleasant composition. The client was thrilled with the result.
This technique is actually pretty easy to do but is very unforgiving if you make a mistake.

Biscuit Lab

I love painting animals especially horses and dogs. This was an oil on masonite 24" x 24"biscuit colored lab sample I did to show clients. In the past I did oils on canvas but over the years I have developed a technique that I do on masonite that I just can't duplicate on canvas. The background for this piece is a perfect example of that. It almost has an antique leather look to it.

Whippet Good

This was a fun piece to paint. I did this Whippet a few years ago just as a sample for my portrait broker and later sold it to a client. It was done using airbrush acrylic and colored pencil. I call this my sepia style. I will show other samples of this technique in later post.
This particular head was unusual because it was done much larger than life-size. It was and still is one of my favorite pieces I have ever done and to be honest with you, I wish I had it back. Oh well, I guess I can always paint another one. :-)