Upcoming Children's Art Workshop!

In response to many requests for a kids' art workshop, I'll be leading a two-week extravaganza July 20-31 in Purcellville, Virginia. Click on the flier or visit my website for details.

This isn't your average craft event, either. I'll be teaching the kids the essentials to creating great art: size-shape relationships, perspective, shading (values), color, composition, design, how to mix colors, etc., along with some great techniques for increasing your drawing aptitude such as memory drawing exercises, and so on. Kids will come home with a framed masterpiece, ready for parents to proudly display at home, along with their own sketchbook displaying what they've learned for easy reference as they continue practicing on their own.

I anticipate a great turnout, and look forward to an energetic, fun, productive time together. See you there!

Fruit- Gentleness

This is the first in my Fruit of the Spirit Series. Gentleness is so rare in our rush-rush day and age. When we do receive it, we are caught by surprise, and sometimes we may even relax and let down our guard. What a difference gentleness makes to our day, to our lives! "A harsh word stirs up anger, but a gentle answer turns away wrath." All of us- children, parents, grandparents, neighbors and strangers- need to experience gentleness to remind us that we are precious and life can be sweet. I am excited about this new series of paintings.

There will be a total of nine paintings in this series- all the same size (approx. 8" x 8"), all depicting in some way one of the nine fruits of the Spirit as depicted in Paul's letter to the Galatians. Prints of these are available here. I hope you enjoy these fruits as much as I do.

New art prints available!

For those of whose collections include fine art prints of your favorite paintings, you can now purchase two of my equine paintings. Just click here to view a variety of prints available of my work at FineArtAmerica.com, which features fine art prints on acid-free premium papers and canvases that, with proper care, will last for generations. Another thing I like about FineArtAmerica.com is their a 30 day no-questions-asked return policy. You can also view original paintings that I have for sale as well. Take a peek! FineArtAmerica.com

"Painting By Her" Oil on Panel 8" x 10"

This is one of my most favorite memories of the past year. One day while I was painting in the studio my wife Kim comes in and says "You have got to go with me to paint down the road!" I gathered the easels, Kim rounded up the kids, and off we went. Though Kim is not an artist, she wishes she were, and has a great eye for beauty nonetheless. Drew and Chloe also produced colorful paintings, and it was really cool to see four distinct takes of the same scene. I was Painting By Her (Kim), and it's her painting you see in the bottom right corner my painting (hence the title). A beautiful day, and a beautiful memory that I'm happy to share with you. Hope you enjoy the painting as much as we enjoyed painting them!

Click here if you'd like to order a print of this or other paintings of mine.

Group portraits- a primer

Mrs. Landau with her Flemming & Sydney

There are two kinds of portraits.

Individual. And group.

I'd like to talk about the latter. Having painted portraits now for almost twenty years, I know that artist Joanette Egeli was right when she taught me "A portrait of two people is many times more difficult than two individual portraits." What Joanette was teaching me was that the complexity of individual personalities is a complex thing. Successfully capturing one person on canvas is a feat in itself. Capturing multiple personalities on one canvas is, well, really difficult.

I believe a group portrait is about relationships. As such, group portraits are the cream of the crop, for I believe they truly tap into the essence of life: relationships. How we relate to one another, even how we relate to God, is what makes life sweet or sour, a pleasure or, well, a pain. A good group portrait captures the essence of a family's relationships. I'll be sharing a few examples over the next few blogs to show what I mean.

Today's portrait is one of my favorites. It started out as a commission to paint the older daughter, Flemming, but ended up as a beautiful statement of the love between the mother and her two daughters. This happened sort of by accident, but I love the result.

When I started the sitting with Flemming, I felt that I she wasn't quite relaxed, but stiff. We headed back to the house to discuss options, and sitting in the living room with Mrs. Landau when Flemming came and sat next to her. What was missing in the garden was very evident here. Next to her mother, Flemming was very relaxed, fluid. When her younger sister Sydney joined them on the sofa, also very much at home and secure next to their mother, I was inspired by what I saw. This is what I was after- the love and security that Mrs. Landau offered her children. I proposed we consider painting the three of them together, and I believe the result speaks for itself. I have to say, though, the image you see her doesn't even compare to the original work. It really is a beautiful portrait, and captures in a group portrait what never could have been achieved in an individual portrait, even three individual portraits.

Stay tuned for more on group portraits- from the artist's viewpoint.

This is Claire. She's a sweetheart, and the sister of another sweetheart, Kate, whom I painted a couple years prior.

I love the gentle smile, the welcoming eyes, that so capture Claire. She's the kind of girl I imagine will always be a faithful friend.

The frame is similar in style and size to others that I use for my Children's Head & Shoulders portraits. For such, I include the frame in my portrait fee, so customers know the bottom line when considering me for their children's Head & Shoulders.

I select my frames to best complement each portrait. A frame should be the last thing you notice when you view a portrait- not the first thing!

Up close and beautiful

click on image to enlarge

I often make use of Internet technology to give clients a preview of their portraits. This means that I shoot a digital image of my paintings, edit the image on my computer, then shoot an email to the client with images of their portrait. One of the cool things about digital that I appreciate is the ability to have fun with seeing the amazing detail of a painting, whether it's my own work or that of another artist I admire. When you're looking at a work up close (like 300% normal size!), you really get a feel for all the knowledge that goes into each brushstroke. It's like eavesdropping in on a private conversation. You can see the intricate details that went into the eyes and mouth of Carter (shown in previous post).

One note of caution, though: never proof your portrait this way! Portraits are meant to be viewed from a distance, not under a magnifying glass. However, viewing up close allows one to see the little details that make up the whole, just as we view one's attire, for instance. Enjoy!