I have been making paintings all my life…many mediums, many methods, many influences. Several years ago, however, I decided to focus almost exclusively on portrait painting in oil.

Never a very timid painter, I have always had a keen sense of design and a bold use of color. My portrait paintings have a similar signature. My goal is to make both a strong painting and a great portrait. The challenge is to make the painting a compelling yet intimate one which depicts the special nuances and personality of an individual. Happily, I have found that a good deal of the pleasure I get from this genre is the connection I make with the children and families that I paint. Painting portraits meets a need I have for social interaction, something missing from the far more solitary experience of most professional painters.

The actual process of making the portrait begins with a thorough discussion regarding its specifics including size and other expectations. A photo session is scheduled at which time many shots are taken exploring a variety of poses, expressions, background and lighting. A subsequent meeting allows for selection of photographs, after which I usually have what I need to begin the portrait in my studio.

Employing a palette of rich yet delicate colors, I begin painting the face in a fairly detailed realistic manner, paying particular attention to capturing likeness and subtlety of expression. As I continue working through the painting from the body into the clothing and background, my brush work becomes looser, more suggestive and almost impressionistic. This is a technique that I think works well and produces the best portrait/painting.

After years and years of showing work in galleries and exhibitions, I no longer feel the need to be represented by a gallery, nor am I represented by a portrait broker. As a result, I am able to keep my pricing reasonable and more affordable, thereby appealing to a much wider market. It also allows me far more flexibility with scheduling and other painting projects and commissions to which I am always open.

While I am pleased with the positive response and success I’ve had with portraiture, I have to say that my ultimate reward comes from seeing the delight, and sometimes even tears, in the eyes of clients when they recognize the very essence of their loved one in the finished portrait. Never before in my professional painting life have I felt the sense of service to others that I feel with this venue. It is gratifying to create something that brings such joy and lasting pleasure to others. It is, as they say, not just another job. It’s an avocation