Portrait Practice as a WIP

Portrait practice, alla prima, oil on linen sheet

Loose oil sketch directly on canvas establishing light and shadow

Mostly done but I decided to add a quick pinkish background

Finished - oil on linen, 12 x 16

I did this portrait today as I am having a crisis of subject matter - nothing seems to be catching my imagination and demanding to be painted. When that happens (and it does from time to time) I tend to fall back on the basics and wait for inspiration to hit.

Sukhjit Life Portrait

Sukhjit aka Serj / 14x11 / oil on canvas

What an interesting and challenging model we had at the Portrait Society Wednesday. He has lived in the US for over 20 years but is originally from India. He was elegant, charming and totally likable and I was so excited to paint him. His face was quite handsome with glorious skin tones and wonderful angles and shapes. He held his pose beautifully for the entire session and was a complete joy to paint. As always, I had trouble fitting him on the canvas but decided to go with the flow and am not unhappy with the result.

Multiplicity of Humankind

Slender, young, delicately beautiful Stephanie posed today at the Reno Portrait Society. She is tiny with elfin features that are dwarfed by her mass of dread-locked hair. She presented an interesting juxtaposition of the sweetness of her face with the tangled harshness of the matted hair.

I also spent a day at the easel with my oil paints doing this portrait practice with the intent in mind of capturing expression and something undefinable - perhaps about the character of the subject. This painting was hard work and I kept wanting to scrape it off but decided to go the whole way with it. Its an imposing presence in my studio while it sits drying on the easel. 14x18 oil on linen.