"100 Faces, No. 13"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

It is not my intent to paint 100 faces the same way - I look at it as exercise - to approach each one differently, in other words, switch around the steps from beginning to end and see what happens. And I like surprises. That's how I learn. The main constant is that I don't sketch any out before I go at it. I think that builds confidence.

Now with this guy, I used the background aqua to define the shape of the head first. Starting on one end and moving around to the other end. Surprisingly, it worked on the first try. What I was left with was a black, the ground color, as a silhouette of the head, then just filled it in. Very cool process.

Meanwhile, I'm working on another painting for the Charleston Art Auction in November, and these studies have really given me some helpful tips with what I'm doing. Yay. I love that.

"Pasturized"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

All this talk Neil Hollingsworth's been doing about painting cows persuaded me to put the felons aside for a bit and join in. There's a good reason artists love this subject - it's a patchwork of every color on the palette.

My aim was to keep loose, like with the faces, and keep the brush moving fast and furious. No sketching, no pausing, just motor on. Very fun and liberating.

and..... my good friend, Karen Hollingsworth, has small works on auction that are delightful. And she has a new blog.

"100 Faces, No. 12"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

I painted this on a bronze ground, ending up swaying towards coldish pinks and greens. A bit stern, much like the subject.

"100 Faces, No. 11"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

I painted this guy on a ground of metallic silver, slightly sanded to take the paint - I think it worked perfectly with the hair and beard. Very fun to paint.

"100 Faces, No. 10"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

If I had to choose a personal favorite of the 10 - it is this one. About a third of the way into it, I didn't think I could pull it off. A black person's skin contains multitudes of color, absorbing light more than reflecting light - making for rich grey-purples, maroons, blues with warm reds. It can be daunting - I try to think of it as a landscape of tones rather than a human face, something I remind myself of with any subject.

Meanwhile I'm working on a painting for the Charleston Art Auction - bringing to it some things I've learned from painting these faces. I think I'm on the right track.

"100 Faces, No. 9"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

I got a little bold with the palette knife. Seems like my brain tells me to follow the mood of the face itself - if it's intense, the surroundings could somewhat pick up on that.

"100 Faces, No. 8"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

The rules of painting are meaningless to me, as with the rules of color. It can bog you down, make you doubt yourself. Rely on instinct. Put a dab of paint down that you may not 'believe' is right and see what happens. Like that blood-red around the eyes. Last minute touch. I'm learning a lot.

"100 Faces, No. 7"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

I'm here to tell you - whatever subject you pick to paint multiple times, do it. You'll expand on different approaches, methods, starts, finishes. It's a good thing no matter how long you've painted.

a note about the 100 Faces paintings - a collector of my work has committed to purchase the entire series.

"100 Faces, No. 6"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

In the past seven days, I've had to replace a broken truck and the air-conditioner in my studio finally died. A brutal week to say the least, but it's done. And I'm back to painting in a much more pleasant environment. Yay.

"100 Faces, No. 5"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

Painted on a paprika color as the ground, great for skin.

"100 Faces, No. 4"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

My next victim to study.

"100 Faces, No. 3"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

Fabulous fun painting these faces.

"100 Faces, No. 2"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

My mom would always point out that skin contains all ranges of color, not just what you see at a glance. Something that I find most fascinating and fun when painting humans. Today, it's all about more exercises.

"100 Faces, No. 1"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

I have this habit of equating food with painting. Let me give you an example - I lost 51 pounds in about a year's time and I've hit a plateau. The advise is to change it up, increase my exercise. Hmmm........ okay. Painting wise, I've hit a plateau. So I'm changing it up and increasing the exercises.

Today I started a new series called '100 Faces' - a personal challenge to practice and study painting the human face. Good warm-ups to get the blood moving. My references are taken from mugshots all around the country.

"The News in Black & White"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

Reporting in, from an unintended absence - I did take about a week off from painting, went on a road trip to visit family and oddly enough, I didn't go off with my camera. I just enjoyed the time with my favorite people. Haven't done that in a l-o-n-g time.

When I got home, I jumped right back into the studio ready to work. I painted a new piece, which has been set aside for the Charleston Art Auction in November, then proceeded to paint two failures. I worked them over and over, liked them, hated them again and put my brushes away and sulked. Yes, it happens to me too.

So...... I did paperwork, worked on the details for my November workshop, cleaned my house, did my laundry and all those other mundane chores until I was ready to paint again. And I failed. Again. Yes, it happens to me too. I could blame it on the heat index for frying my brain - although it's just plain normal to go through these times.

What I do know is, when you hit a plateau, change it up. So I worked with a more desaturated, value study if you will - using thick paint, palette knives and brushes and just went at it. Tomorrow I'll face it again.

On a more positive note, I was interviewed by Southwest Art Magazine, for a featured article coming up in their October issue. I'm so excited. I am clearly not a southwest-themed painter, they do include events and artists east of the Mississippi. How cool is that?

This new painting is a scene from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, an elegant woman relaxing with the daily newspaper in the sculpture gallery.

"Bench Warranted"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite

I've recently done 8 new paintings which will be included in a grouping along with a favorite artists of mine, Pam Ingalls - please stop in the Howard/Mandville Gallery during August if you're in the area. Pam is one of the artists who inspired me to get painting five or so years back - I'm really very proud to hang beside her. You can preview my new work here - most of these pieces will be up on the wall by August 1st.

This new painting will be included in the collection, a young woman benched and reading in Washington Square Park in Manhattan.

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

ps ....... I'm taking a real break and will be back to painting next weekend.

happy trails.......

"A Little Too Close"

7 x 11"
oil on masonite
sold

From the Art Institute of Chicago, a young man gets a little too close to Vincent Van Gogh.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Green Space"

7 x 9"
oil on masonite
sold

Put on your shades for this new painting - a mixture of vibrant greens with lots of scrubbing, scratching, brushing, knifing around the New Yorkers enjoying Bryant Park, a sanctuary behind the New York Public Library. On a day like this one, you see what it means to us humans to have that greenspace in a big city.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Canopy Express"

6 x 14"
oil on masonite
sold

A slow and easy carriage ride under the canopy of palmettos and oaks, in Charleston, South Carolina.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Untied"

12 x 12"
oil on masonite

Generally speaking, I avoid faces on the figures - I usually find the body language more interesting and want to focus on that alone. In this new painting, with that stark contrast from the bench onto that empty, lit floor - that direct stare from the fellow on the right seemed to fit the atmosphere, as if they were 'on stage' and there for the viewing. Added to that is a lot of applied texture with the palette knife, which isn't as evident unless you can see it in person. Very fun to paint.

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

"Green Tee"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

I'm back in my hut again. There was a painting marathon of about three weeks, then a quick decision made to join my old high school friends for a mini-reunion of sorts - drove to Chicago with my favorite pillows, did that, went into the city for about five hours and drove back to Atlanta. Call me crazy, but it's good for me to take a break like that.

Now back to work with a quick, loose piece to get warmed up - a young man I spotted on a bench in the Art Institute of Chicago.

"All Over the Map"

12 x 9"
oil on masonite
sold

This is one of those paintings that I'd like to keep for my own. I'm completely in love with it. But ..... painting is my livelihood and the best I can hope for is they all get a good home.

From the upper floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Seating Arrangement"

12 x 9"
oil on masonite

I think some of my personal favorite paintings are these new pieces - I used a combination of brushwork and palette knife - and seems to add just the right amount of texture and bump up the illumination. It's tough, to stay in control - moving the paint around, coaxing it to just where I want it. The more I do it, the more control I have. In person, you can really see the impact.

This new painting, a woman resting on a bench on the upper floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will be arriving at the Howard/Mandville Gallery by the end of July.

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

"Where the Girls Are"

8 x 10"
oil on masonite
sold

From a sunny sidewalk in Little Italy, New York City - where the girls enjoy some outdoor dining.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Boogie Fever"

9 x 5"
oil on masonite
sold

I've painted this woman on a bike several times - I can't help it. It makes me happy. A scene from Hilton Head Island.

Please click here for a larger view.