Current Projects

The Set-Up

Step one, establish dark values

Step Two, Middle Values

Step Three, Lights Please…Stay tuned for the “finish”.

Still life set up in the barn loft studio. This was especially fun because the pears and grapes are picked, not bought. Grapes stems with leaves were added later, when the composition needed it.

A couple of sessions into the painting.

Close to completion. This photo was taken under different light, which makes all the colors look redder here.

A couple in Eden Prairie, Minnesota wanted a portrait of their beloved Yellow Labrador, Abby. The client chose this photo for me to work from.

The size of the finished portrait had already been decided because the frame had been chosen. I drew some loose charcoal sketches to scale, and had the clients choose the orientation and cropping they liked.

The finished work would be much larger than the photo reference, so I used a grid to enlarge the image.

Next step: a lay-in in sepia. The neutral color approach helps me work with form and to stay a little more abstract longer into the process.

The completed portrait. The owners were pleased, and have it framed and hanging above their fireplace.

Original photo, pizza oven

charcoal sketch, pizza oven

lay-in, pizza oven

Nearly done, pizza oven

“Pizza Oven”