Please Forgive My Absence

So, it suddenly occurred to me this weekend that I unintentionally left things hanging her on the blog.  I got so busy with starting the new school year at Bethel University, that  it slipped my mind that this blog needed some closure.  Well, the show as installed in September, and I just took the work down yesterday.  It looked great in the Playhouse gallery, and I was very pleased with the setup.  All of the verbal feedback I got from people who saw the show was positive.  However, I never read anything about it, so I imagine it didn't get a write up in any of the local papers.  Oh well!  Below are some shots of the installation:

Thank you, again, to everyone who helped out with the project.  I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

Sixth (and Final) Portrait Sitting: Jennifer

Jennifer came to my studio to sit today, August 26. I appreciate her making the drive up from Memphis. Jennifer and I are former co-workers. For a while, she was even my direct supervisor. About a year ago, she transfered to another job at another location within the company, so we don't see much of each other anymore. Especially since I've moved to Jackson. As she sat in front of the camera, Jennifer and I reminisced about past experiences, talked about her new home and semi-new car, and got caught up on the goings-on of each other's lives. She was quite expressive while talking, leading to some nice images in with some great gestures. These are the photos that I particularly like:

Working On Christy

I thought I'd let you in a little on the process. Here are a few images, taken in sequence at increments as I've been working on the portrait of Christy. I am very nearly finished with it. In fact, the actual painting is further along than the final photo in this series, but I want to wait until it's actually complete before posting any more images of it.

Finally, A REAL Update!

Ok, so it's about time I actually put a real update on this blog. Forgive me. I've just been so busy with so many other things, that keeping the blog updated has slipped big-time. Well, since the last time I actually posted something here, I have finished the portrait of Rebecca, made some sketches of Christy and Nikkila, and have a good start on the portrait of Christy. I WILL post an image of it when I finish it.

Below, I have an image of the finished painting of Rebecca and images of the sketches made of Christy and Nikkila.

5th Portrait Sitting: Jessica

On Wednesday, July 6, Jessica came by the studio. She was the fifth portrait sitting (and first in Jackson) for the series. I got to know Jessica through my wife, Megan, who is friends with Jessica's fiancee, Kris, who also works for the same company where Megan and I work. The four of us began hanging out a couple of years ago or so, and both of them have great personalities that I am drawn to.

While Jessica sat in front of the camera, the two of us talked about her job. I actually didn't know until that day that she is a videographer! She's done a lot of advertising work for local companies around Memphis for commercials airing on cable. It was very cool learning that Jessica is an artists herself!

Jessica was definitely expressive, with her hands, face, and posture, which made for some WONDERFUL images. Below are my four favorites from the session:

First Finished Painting

I HAVE FINISHED THE FIRST PAINTING OF THE SERIES! This is the portrait of Megan. I'm still trying to get things right on the portrait of Rebecca. I am VERY happy with the way this painting turned out! This is the kind of aesthetic I'm going for in all of the portraits. It feels SO good to see progress like this. So, now I think I'll get started on the portrait of Christy while I continue to work on Rebecca's. This way, I can keep the work staggered and make the best of my time.

Here's the finished painting:

Feedback is welcome.

This Morning's Work

I made some good progress this morning on the portrait of Rebecca. Below is a snapshot of the painting as it looks now. Below that is a quick time-lapse video of some of the work I accomplished this morning.