Vermeer's Muse

Girl With The Pearl Earring - Scarlet Johannsen 16 x 20 Oil on Canvas

I decided to take a Portrait Painting Class at the Anchorage Museum to learn skin tones: colors, values and figure painting techniques.  We have a gifted teacher, Linda Infante Lyons.   This is my first portrait from the class so far.  It is a portrait of actress Scarlet Johanssen from the movie Girl With The Pearl Earring.   

I hope to attempt a full figure painting in the future, and am hoping this will be the stepping stone to that goal.

Ready For The Homer Show

Halibut Cove - 11x14 Oil on RayMar Panel - Available for Sale - 

Finished up two paintings this weekend.  The one you see and another 6 x 8 I started this morning and knocked off today.   Just got back from KAKM Public Television Art Showcase Preview, all the art that will be auctioned off Feb. 19th, 20th and 21st was out for public viewing, it was also a chance for the public to meet the artists this weekend.   I have on painting that will be going up for auction around 8:30pm Alaska Time, and they will be interviewing me for a few minutes as it comes up.   I have been donating art for their auction for 4 years now.   It is a great way to support Public Television in Alaska, and a great opportunity for buyers to get artwork for good prices and a tax write off also.   So tune in Channel 7 live on Air Auction.

Blood, Sweat & Tears

Seafarers Memorial - 18 x 24 - This is a Acrylic painting I have been struggling with for the last month off and on.   I am painting it for the Homer Alaska show I have next month.  This one has been a real struggle since the Statue is in the shadow you can't see much detail, its there but the shadow makes it hard to see.

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated, I am going to let this one sit for a week before I decide to call it done or not.

Energized and Excited

Golden Crown - Oil 8x10 on Canvas Panel - Available for Sale -  For the last 2 days I attended the Alaska Arts & Cultural Conference in Anchorage Alaska.   I can sum it up in one word "Awesome".   I do not know the attendance figures, but I do know it was standing room only.  The energy level was incredibly high, everyone was excited and thrilled to be there, speakers and attendee's were feeding off each others emotions and energy.   The conference covered information for Artists, Educators in Art and Art Organizations.   The conference sessions were very well thought out, there was information for all the different groups.   The willingness of the speakers to share their knowledge with us was incredible.   One aspect of the conference that I was thrilled to see, was that we had attendees from all over the State of Alaska, from the major cities to the smaller rural areas.   No one left early at the end of the conference, we all did not want it to end, but as all good things do it must.   The rally cry at the end was "Lets not wait another 10 years for another conference."   I came home energized, excited and thrilled to be apart of the art world in Alaska, what a great group. 

When I got home I wanted to jump in the studio and paint, but realities of life, I had to snowplow away the 18" of snow we had the day before out of the driveway and off the roof of the house.   But today even though the Super Bowl is on, I hear the Studio whispering in my ear, so..............................