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. 

Making it up as I go along

It’s the only way I know how to paint, but I’d forgotten until recently that it’s the only way to live too.

“Me-tail”

I didn’t make up the term, but it makes sense to me.  Traditional retail appeals to me about as much as much as making (or buying) the kind of open market art that has a factory-made, gimmicked-out feel to it. 

Something to sink my teeth into

As complicated as mouths are to paint, part the lips and the problem is only intensified.  Teeth are best hidden if you’re unsure of how to tackle them.  Nothing will make a painting look strained like a toothy mouth poorly painted.

Liberty, equality, and homeland security.

Everything I know about patriotism, I learned in grade school making handprint turkeys in late November. 

 

A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth.

The 19th century American portraitist John Singer Sargent famously said so, and, in many ways, he was right. 

A little pouch of love

Also known as a little pooch of love.

Gender profiling

Being mostly unseen means being largely uncelebrated for a couple of American icons.

160 years in the making

This portrait bag only took a few months to create.  It’s what it represents that’s been 160 years in the making…

Putting your best FACE forward

Certain expressions are better for portraits than others.  In choosing a source photo from which to work, it’s crucial to think of the subject’s character and what you want to say about her-him, but it’s equally important to pick an expression that will work well in paint.

A funny kind of family

I’m not the kind of artist who can work on just one painting at a time: my studio has to be full of half-made faces or I can’t paint. 

Before and AFTER: Heart Transplant

The story of a heart transplant surgery told in two paintings.

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