"Madison"

Detail of a pastel portrait on paper. July 2009.
In the private collection of Spencer & Heather Hess.

I was commissioned to draw portraits of two beautiful 8-year-old identical twins. Part of the challenge of this project was to show their unique personalities. In the full version of this drawing Madison is holding a book because reading is a hobby of her's. My goal was to emphasize thoughtfulness in her expression. BTW, Madison has one prominent freckle on her nose!

"MacKensie"

Detail of a pastel portrait on paper. July 2009.
In the private collection of Spencer & Heather Hess.

To address the challenge of drawing identical twins, I include a doll cradled in MacKensie's arms and tried to show her gentle compassion in her countenance. MacKensie's forehead is just slightly rounder than Madison's.

"Princess Louise"

2008, oil on canvas, 16”x 20”

This is a study with variations of the masterpiece “Vicomtesse Othenin d’Haussonville, nee Louise-Albertine de Broglie” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, (1780-1867) of France. (Don't ask me to repeat that without looking!) I took liberties with the image and background. I loved the delicate features, especially the light eyelashes.

Just in case you're interested to know how this very complicated painting was done -- the method I used is called "Verdaccio" and is a technique used by the old masters. I began with a detailed ink drawing on a board prepared with several layers of carve-able marble-dust gesso. The inking was followed by rendering the image in a full value charcoal drawing. At that point I realized I could build up the surface to give it an actual three-dimensional aspect in the closest points, like the right side of the nose, the forehead, cheek, lips, knuckles and arm. So that required sanding off the ink and charcoal layers I had already done so that I could build up the surface. I drew the girl again. About this point I began to refer to her as "the princess!" with an occasional sarcastic tone.

Finally the charcoal layer was sprayed and then painted over with oils using only black, white and green. With that finished one is tempted to leave it in this monochromatic stage as it's quite pleasant and you've been at it a long time! But no, we go to the next and final stage, which is to apply color over the gray-green tone, using identical values and leaving some of the gray-green showing in transition areas. Would you believe this "study" took me over 200 hours?! I learned a lot from Ingres (except how to pronounce his name correctly!) (Not for sale but may be available for giclees in the future.)

"The Dona"

2008, oil on canvas, 16”x20”

A study with variations after: “Dona Isabel Cobos de Porcel” by Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes, 1746-1828. Spain.

This was another study using the verdaccio technique. It went a lot faster and I freely make "improvements" to the image. I enjoyed using vibrant colors accented by black lace.

"A Blue-Haired Girl"

2007, acrylic on canvas, 18”x24”

She is named “A Blue-Haired Girl” since there could be others!
This was a playful painting where I let the acrylic paint wash and run like a watercolor. The chair was whimsical and the cat and girl were rendered with minimal strokes. The girl is based on my oldest daughter, Jennifer.

"Sunset Glow"

1995, acrylic on canvas, 11" x 14".
In the private collection of Dawn & Kerry Harding, Maryland.

As sunset neared I dashed to a nearby park to capture the hazy colors of the Maryland country side. I've enjoyed the results of this impressionistic moment.

"Forgotton Lane" (Forest Glen, Silver Spring, Maryland. Walter Reed Annex)

1996, oil on canvas. 24”x20”.

Deep in the overgrown forest in Silver Spring, Maryland, a wonderful hidden treasure laid just beyond view from the busy beltway. The estate in 1996 contained a pagoda, a castle, a ballroom, some other unique buildings and this European-styled lane. The place is called Forest Glen and has a history going back into the 1600’s. In 1894 it became a seminary for girls. The remarkable architecture was used to provide international educational opportunity for the young women without their ever having to leave the premises.

The school changed hands and eventually served its country as the Walter Reed Naval Annex. The LDS Temple is even built on part of the original property. As I painted this scene on location in 1996, the remarkable buildings were crumbling with neglect. You may be able to read about the fascinating history and current efforts to preserve this treasure on the web.