Mother

Despite appearances, this post is not about cruelty to animals.  It’s about a Madonna and child. 

My father’s world

I learned a lot about art from my father.  That’s a little unusual if you consider that he is a retired civil engineer, but what he’s taught me doesn’t have anything to do with the finer points of making artwork.  His wisdom is all on the appreciation end of art, and, since I can remember, my papa has loved Andrew Wyeth’s work. 

Shepherding in a new era

This copycat poster using the French President’s likeness proves that Los Angeles artist Shepard Fairey’s iconic image of Barack Obama makes waves in the real world as well as in the art world.

Visiting my childhood…

This is Bubry, France.  It’s the reason why I made Apple Pie.

The tools make the artist.

The tools an artist chooses to use define not only the process but also the results.  Three tools have been especially formative to me: a digital SLR camera, a specific kind of flat varnish brush, and acrylic paints.

In search of specificity

I can very easily make a pretty painting of a little girl: it’s much more difficult to make a portrait of one particular little girl.  That’s what makes portraiture so much more interesting than plain figurative work. 

From life

Is a portrait more true if it’s painted from life instead of from a photograph?  I don’t happen to think so, but I know a lot of people who do, so I decided to learn more about the logic of working from life by asking artist Tom Loepp about his more traditional—and maybe more romantic—way of painting a portrait. 

“Welcome to my hanging.”

There’s a scandal going on in Washington, and, for once, it’s got something to do with art!  When George W Bush unveiled his White House portrait recently, the President’s painted likeness was just the latest in a string of overpriced official portraits. 

Buying my work should qualify as an “official duty.”

While I was away last month, this portrait of Commissioner Randy Leonard apparently got itself into a bit of trouble.  Reporting by Nick Budnick of the Portland Tribune.

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