"Irish Lass" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 9")

Sarah with a resolute expression is of Irish descent. Can't you tell by her fair complextion, reddish brown hair, and green jacket? I had fun painting her in one-week session in Danni Dawson's portrait painting class at the Art League School in Alexandria, VA.

"Detail from Velazquez's 'Juan de Pareja'" (oil on linen; 12" x 9")

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In 1648, as court painter to Philip IV of Spain, Diego Velázquez was sent to Rome to purchase works of art. Velázquez brought with him Juan de Pareja, a slave, who served as an assistant in the artist's workshop. During his stay in Rome, Velázquez executed an oil portrait of Juan de Pareja.

Velázquez painted the portrait of Juan de Pareja, who was of Moorish descent, in his workshop, as an exercise in preparation for his official portrait of Pope Innocent X. The Pope, a ruddy-faced man who would be depicted in the bright pink and crimson robes of his office, presented a tricky study in both color and composition. Additionally, since he would be executing a portrait from life, Velázquez would be forced to work quickly while still capturing the essence of the pope's character.

The "Juan de Pareja" reflects Velázquez's exploration of the difficulties he would encounter in the Pope's portrait. To compensate for a restricted palette of colors, Velázquez adopted a loose, almost impressionistic style of brushwork to bring an intense vitality to his subject. Juan de Pareja (circa 1610 – 1670) became an artist in his own right, and in 1654 he was freed by Velázquez.

The Portrait of Juan de Pareja was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum in 1971. At the time, the purchase price of over $5.5 million set a new record for paintings at auction. (The above information is from Wikipedia.) The hefty price tag tends to blind the viewer's eyes from truly seeing the portrait. During the three-week-long study of its detail of head and shoulders, I was mesmerized by Velazquez's brushstrokes and his penetration of the subject's intelligence.

"Detail from Rembrandt's Self-Portrait" (oil on linen; 10" x 8")

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The painting is the copy of a detail from "Self-Portrait" by the Dutch Old Master Rembrandt van Rijn. The original hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Rembrandt painted many self-portraits in his lifetime. He painted this self-portrait in 1659, after he had suffered financial failure despite so many years of success. His spacious house and other possessions had been auctioned the previous year to satisfy his creditors. In this late work, the deep-set eyes that bore into those of the viewer seem to express inner strength and dignity.

"Detail from Titian's Ranuccio Farnese" (oil on gessoboard; 10" x 8")

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The painting is the copy of a detail from "Ranuccio Farnese" (1542) by the Italian Renaissance master Titian from Venice. The original hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.  It has always been one of my favorite Old Masters' paintings, so when Danni Dawson gave us a grisaille/glazing assignment, I decided to make a copy of a detail from it.

This portrait of twelve-year-old Ranuccio was painted in Venice just after he had been made prior of San Giovanni dei Forlani, an important property belonging to the Knights of Malta. The grandson of Pope Paul III, Ranuccio was the youngest member of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Italy.

Ranuccio became cardinal of Santa Lucia in Sicily at the age of fifteen, and he was granted several bishoprics before his untimely death at the age of thirty-five. In this perceptive portrait, Titian brilliantly captures the image of a sensitive pubescent boy about to embark upon a very public life.

"Julia" (oil on stretched linen; 10" x 8") gift

gift

This beautiful young lady is my daughter's best friend since middle school.  She is a straight-A student and an accomplished pianist and artist, which makes her choice of college major difficult.  For now, she will be an "arts and sciences" major at the University of Virginia.  Hopefully, the two girls will share a dorm room.  The portrait is my graduation present for Julia, as she embarks on her higher education and adulthood.  I wish you my very best!

"Baseball Player" (oil on stretched canvas; 14" x 11")

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As I took a month off from blogging, not from painting, I have a backlog of paintings to share.  The above portrait was done in two-week periods during Danni Dawson's portrait painting class. 

The handsome model posed as a baseball player at rest, without a shirt.  Cropped as a head-and-shoulders portrait, it didn't quite make sense.  So I made him up as the St. Louis Cardinals player!  Somehow, I dropped the letter "t" in the cap; my apologies to the Cardinals fans.  Don't you like the model's sly, side-long glance?

Collage of My April 2016 Paintings

Collage of My April 2016 Paintings

In my garden, azaleas have peaked and irises started blooming.  That's how I follow the progression of season.  And there is of course a monthly collage of the paintings from the previous month.  Last month I did a lot of local Washington cityscapes, plus some still lifes and portraits.  Which painting is your favorite?

"Jacques Brel" (oil on stretched canvas; 10" x 8")

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The late Jacques Brel, my favorite muse, was a Belgian singer, songwriter and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson.

The portrait is based on a black-and-white CD cover.  Considering that I had to make up the colors, I did a pretty good job, don't you think?

"Civil War Lieutenant Colonel" (oil on stretched canvas; 14" x 11")

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Steve is a military history buff and reenactment actor who also models.  He is costumed as a Civil-War lieutenant colonel in this portrait.  There was a little flutter of excitement last Thursday as a couple of gentlemen approached me at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria, VA.  They admired this painting, quite wet and yet unfinished, and showed an interest in purchasing it.  To my disappointment, they never called me back; nevertheless, I felt flattered at the compliment.

"Belly Dancer" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 9")

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This beautiful woman is a professional belly dancer.  She was wearing her costume with sequins and all, but I had only time for a small head-and-shoulders portrait.  Two-day sessions are not enough for a full-length portrait, but gave me a sufficient time to mess up her mouth: her gentle smile now looks like a smirk!

"Peter" (oil on stretched canvas; 9" x 12") nfs

nfs

During the campus visit to the University of Minnesota, the alma mater of both of us, last summer, I caught my dear husband at a pensive moment.  I don't know what he is thinking.  He looks melancholy.  Perhaps he is a little sad at the prospect of his baby growing and leaving her nest.  The University of Minnesota is our daughter's first choice; I am happy to report that she is already accepted. 

"Smell the Roses" (oil on stretched canvas; 8" x 10") nfs

nfs

 The New Year's resolutions: paint often, paint better and smell the roses!

The Collage of My October 2015 Paintings

The collage of my October 2015 paintings

I was super productive last month until my accident!  Which painting is your favorite?  This month I will be probably busy with custom pet portraits for the holidays, but still intend to squeeze in a few watercolor florals.  Wish me luck!

"Firebird" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16") nfs

nfs

A beautiful young model in an unusual leather outfit came to Danni Dawson's portrait painting class two weeks ago.  She is apparently a "fire spin" dancer!  Although her outfit of vest with harlequin patches, opera-length black gloves, and laced-up red boots were fascinating, I decided to focus on her even more fascinating face.  Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, I could not capture her likeness.  Her face exuded the audacious and vivacious spirit, which was beyond my ability to transcribe in paints.  Perhaps I will try again as this is supposed to be a five-week pose.

The painting looked like this after the first week.  During the second day, I gave more life to her flesh tone, strengthened the shadows on her face, and made the background flat and redder.

"Man in Salmon" (oil on stretched canvas; 11" x 14") sold

sold

Back to Danni Dawson's portrait painting class.  Last Saturday was the beginning of the five-week pose, but the model couldn't make it.  We had instead Ed for one week as a substitute.  Lucky us!  I love his don't-mess-with-me look. Put a helmet and armor on him; he will look like a Renaissance-Italy general!

Step 1: After 40 minutes!  I used a gray-toned canvas for this portrait.

Step 2: I got this far during the class.

Step 3: The drawing was off, so I corrected the drawing and color temperature errors from a photo I took.

 

 

 

 

 

"Young Van Gogh" (oil on stretched canvas; 14" x 11") sold

sold

As I finished "Livia in Straw Hat" in two weeks, which was supposed to be a four-week pose, the teacher Danni Dawson suggested that I should paint the other model in the adjoining room.  Excellent!  This red-haired and bearded young model in a cool Havana hat reminded me of Vincent van Gogh the moment I saw him a few weeks ago, so I readily accepted the offer.

The head-and-shoulders portrait fell into place quickly, but it was the background that troubled me.  In the end, I painted it in the hot, van Gogh-like colors, because that's how I felt about the model--a brooding artist himself.