"Twin Arts:" Almost Finished!

I haven't had much time during the past two weeks to work on "Twin Arts," but I thought I'd post an update anyway. I worked on the piano and piano bench quite a bit (sorry about the glare in the picture - this painting is so large, it's somewhat hard to photograph). Then today, in between several hellish sessions of trying to leash-train the dog (she's an angel indoors, but a devil as soon as you step outside with her!), I finally found some time to work on "Twin Arts" once again after a two-week hiatus. I've posted a detail shot, since mostly what I worked on was Emily's hair, back, and arm. More to come - this piece is almost finished! Read more »

"Twin Arts:" Almost Finished!

A Trip Home; Fresh Inspiration

I just arrived home late Sunday night from a week-long trip to Wisconsin. Emily and I drove up there together and spent some quality time with family, getting to see our brand new nephew (as well as our 2 and 4-year-old nephew and neice), our two teenage brothers, and our college girl sister, Cara, and our parents' new dog - all the while enjoying an escape from the 90+ degree weather in Dallas! Wisconsin has gotten so much rain in the month of June that everything looks incredibly lush and beautiful, and unlike Dallas, it cools down at night to a pleasant 65 degrees. It was wonderful to be out in the country again; my parents have 80 acres of land, complete with meadows, woods, streams, and a scenic bluff, where my siblings and I have countless memories of exploring, hiking, and rock… Read more »

A Trip Home; Fresh Inspiration

"Twin Arts," Part 3

The big project is coming along nicely. I think Emily's and my faces are just about done. I was shocked the other day when I stood on the opposite side of the room and looked at Emily's portrait. It's really her! And the fun thing about it is that her face is mostly in the shadows, so there are very few details. Meanwhile, the rest of her head and body are lit up by the light. My face is turned towards the light, while the rest of my body is mostly in shadow. It's an interesting dynamic... The latest progress, besides faces, includes starting the palette, working on the carpeting, and the dresses. And finally, Emily was able to come over and model for me! There are many subtle details especially in her back that I was able to work on. Here is a picture of the work in progr… Read more »

"Twin Arts," Part 3

"Twin Arts", Part 2

Even though I have other projects going right now, I've been working almost entirely on "Twin Arts." Usually I have to move on to something else after several hours, because my painting needs time to dry. Well, this painting is so big that I can work on it in sections without having to set it aside! With the block-in complete, and the addition of color, I started on a new layer that continues to refine my drawing, values, and color temperature, allowing myself to use more and more paint as I go so that my lights get really built up (although you won't ever see huge globs of paint on my canvases - I still paint relatively thinly!). Unlike the most traditional of classical artists, who focus on nailing their drawing before committing to color, I tend to correct things as I… Read more »

"Twin Arts", Part 2

"Twin Arts" Part 1

Last week I began my most ambitious project to date, a 48" x 40" double portrait of my twin sister and me (which I explain in last month's newsletter ). This painting has been a long time in coming. Emily and I were actually apart for about two years after we graduated college...I was working in Madison, WI, waiting for my husband to finish school before we got married, and she was living out in Colorado as a flight attendant. Somehow God brought us back together again, a little over a year ago, and we now both reside in the Dallas area. The benefits of seeing her almost weekly have been extended to my art career, as she has modeled for me several times. This portrait is no exception, but I feel that it's particularly meaningful because she and I have something truly spec… Read more »

"Twin Arts" Part 1

Commissions and Goals for the Summer!

I'm not sure where time has gone this month, but one thing's for certain: I have never spent more time in my studio! Yesterday was especially long: the work day started at 8:00 and continued till nearly 10:00 at night! However, this is not a complaint. Time is flying because I'm busy with commission work, and I couldn't be more grateful, and excited, to be working on these projects. One of my latest commissions is finished and now in the hands of a very happy client, another is almost done and will be shown to the client in person next week, and another is currently in the works, with a new canvas ready to be started on. My clients really took advantage of this time of year, with the beautiful Texas wildflowers, the lovely temperatures, and even certain holidays (like Moth… Read more »

Commissions and Goals for the Summer!

"The Art of The Portrait Conference" - April 22-25. 2010

I've just gotten back from the PSOA's annual portrait conference in Reston, VA, and I feel excited and renewed as an artist - ready to dive back in to the difficult challenges of painting portraits! There was such an amazing energy there all weekend, as hundreds of artists congregated in one place and talked about the one thing they all had in common: that one thing which drives us all. It's that beautiful obsession with skin tones and shapes and relationships between values and colors. It's our inward desire to create impressions of the beauty that surrounds us. We can't live without it, and yet we struggle with its complexities and our own limitations. Being a portrait artist is an amazing calling! In my latest newsletter , I talked about portfolios and how having a c… Read more »

"The Art of The Portrait Conference" - April 22-25. 2010