This is a portrait of a beautiful young woman with short hair swept back wearing an Art Deco emerald and diamond earring. In this painting I wanted to evoke the mood and style of the decadent, glamorous era between the two World Wars.
This is a portrait of a handsome man in strong light. I wanted to evoke the glow of skin bathed in light in this spontaneous study. I kept the brushwork broken and sketchy in this one. It still ended up looking quite realistic but with much of the loose initial brush strokes remaining. I love the soft edges and glowing light I accomplished in this one.
This is a portrait of Renée Perle, inspired by a black and white photo taken by Jacques-Henri Lartigue circa 1930. She is outdoors in full sun, perhaps in a park or outdoor cafe. I wanted to convey a sense of dazzling mid-day light and how I imagine she must have looked in it. I gave her a bright red sweater setting off a fuzzy white beret and an adorable necklace that wasn't very clear in the photo but I decided it should feature Tahitian black pearls because she would probably have enjoyed those. I have painted Renée several times before and her chic, distinctive style continues to fascinate me.
In this painting a handsome nude man stretches with his hands clasped behind his head. Light pours from a window to define his lean body which stands out from the shadowy interior. He gazes outside, his expression distant and enigmatic. The darkness of the background has a deep green tint. This is a classic figure study yet steeped in mood.
This is a painting of a beautiful man with a distant, dreamy gaze. I gave him a background of deep cobalt blue to complement the warm golden skin tones and add to the dreamlike feeling. I am pleased with the expressive impasto brushstrokes while capturing beautiful features like his dazzling pale blue eyes. It's an energetic, textured painting.
In this painting a handsome man stands in darkness, his pale skin glowing. He looks a bit shadowy and sinister. But is he truly dark? Or is he the light within the darkness?
I wanted to focus on mood and atmosphere so I kept the colors and values within a limited range. I am pleased with the subtlety of the shadows which simultaneously accentuate and obscure his sharp features and lean body. There is texture and visible brushwork, especially in the background. I'm not sure if the images sufficiently convey the mood and depth of this painting is as darker paintings are difficult to photograph. This is a small but evocative painting with a powerful presence.
This portrait of a young man is perhaps the most classic I've done thus far. I was thinking a lot about Renaissance art while painting him. Although he is a contemporary man there is a timeless feeling to this painting. I placed my subject outdoors before a deep blue sea with a moody sky, a distant brightness at the horizon. I like how the blues of the water and sky set off his warm skin. I'm happy to have achieved a thoughtfulness and subtlety of form in this beautiful face.
This is an original oil painting with a moody, vintage feel of a beautiful woman holding a glass of wine at a dimly lit bar. Shrouded in smoke and mystery, she recalls a long ago era. I wanted to evoke a film noir mood and create a world-weary yet seductive femme fatale...particularly beguiling after sunset.
This painting is part of a series of portraits of women of the 1920's and 1930's. From flappers to starlets, I am very inspired by this glamorous and classic era.
This is a classical study of a red haired seated nude holding calla lilies. The figure is viewed from behind with a side profile. There is a lovely twist to the figure, and the soft light catches her face and flowers, dropping down her body to a classical sculpture next to her.
Painted alla prima on a colored ground, there is a golden glow beneath the cool blues of the background. This painting is serenely elegant, unusually expressive and detailed for a small figure.
This painting is a study of a sleeping man with light pouring across his back and the bed. I wanted to present the warm colors of the body in contrast to the cool tones of his surroundings. I kept the brushwork quite loose and painterly while maintaining a high degree of realism. I love painting sleep, trying to capture the essence of that peace and comfort.
This painting is a study of a sleeping man in a room with light pouring in, highlighting his back and the sheets on the bed. I wanted to present the warm colors of the body in contrast to the pale aqua tints of the surrounding room. I kept the brushwork quite loose and painterly while maintaining a high degree of realism.
Fine quality prints of this painting are now available here.
This figure study captures the direction and movement of morning light on a reclining nude. I don't normally crop figures this way but I like how it emphasizes the angles and shapes. I also enjoyed observing the light and shadows both on the figure and in the light and dark areas of the bed and background. I like how it turned out. I think the closer focus on the figure allows for more detail at the same time it creates bolder shapes which gives this small painting great presence.
There is a certain intensity to this girl. She's a bit fierce. This may be a result of the slickness of the board surface that results in the paint strokes keeping a certain edge. This makes for a bold look that's a bit different from my work on canvas. I'm not sure I have complete control of the paint on this surface yet but I like some of the accidental results.
This painting is another in a series of what I think of as "creative portraits". They aren't any existing person but are usually inspired by old B&W photos and stories of the past. They start to take on a life of their own as I paint and become about an imaginary character and mood.
This girl reminded me of the taxi-dance girls in the dance halls of the 1920s and 30s. Paid a dime a dance, it was a somewhat scandalous yet relatively lucrative profession for young women in an era where opportunities were limited. I think anyone who was able to make a living that way had to be tough yet charming. This girl looks like she's got a lot of spunk and wouldn't take any nonsense from drunken louts.
This is another view I painted of Claude Monet's gardens at Giverny. His estate and garden are beautifully maintained and walking through his gardens was like being inside an impressionist painting. The dahlias were in full bloom and even the clouds looked perfectly impressionistic and painterly.
While painting this one I focused on the angles and the light falling across the figure. It's a serene seated pose but I like the energy produced by the various angles of the arms and legs. The unusual vintage chair and the paneled interior add to the timeless charm of this painting.
This painting is a classic figure study. Figurative subjects are my favorite and I love the challenge of painting nudes. Especially male nudes as they tend to have more defined musculature. There are few things more difficult to paint than the human body and I have to admit that the contrapposto stance gave me some trouble...but I think I pulled it off.
Playing with color again. The starting point for this painting was an old black and white photo so that left a lot of room for invention. I'm not sure where the red hair came from but she seemed to want to be a redhead and it was fun to paint. Perhaps with St. Patrick's day around the corner Irish types were on my mind.
Experimenting with mood, expression and color combinations. Trying to create a completely new painting frequently is quite a challenge but I love when I find it taking me in different directions.
I like the hesitant quality of this woman's stance as she looks out at the water. The water might be a bit cold or the waves look a little rough and she's just not ready to dive in. I also enjoyed that first day at the beach sunburn on her shoulders which pops against the cool tones of the foam and contrasts with her still-pale lower half. I'd be quite happy to be sunburned on a warm beach right now.
