Girl #2 (2005)

Pencil (2H & HB) on acid-free paper

This sketch is from a school photo.
At first this sketch looked a lot older, but I went back and
fixed the size of her chin, the nose, the eyes...pretty much
everything. I think it's much closer now.

Self-Portrait (2005)

Pencil (2H & HB) on acid-free paper

My first self-portrait, from a photograph taken by my wife.
In the photo I have a goatee which I have since shaved off
because of the startling amount of white in it. Hair is hard
enough to draw when it's on top of the head so I omitted the
crumb catcher altogether.

Tango I (Adding colour)

Oil on canvas, 16" x 25"

Having roughed in the sketch with a mixture of Burnt Sienna
and Ultramarine Blue, I started to add some colour. The
dress is Cadmium Red with Phthalo Green to darken it for the
shadows, while the highlights on the shirt are pure Titanium
White. I also extended the background colour to separate the
dancers from the space around them.

Smiling Boy (2004)

HB pencil on acid-free paper

This was the second sketch I did after starting my oil
painting class, and to me it is still the best. It
captures the essence of him with just a few strokes of
the pencil.

Girl #1 (2005)

Pencil (2H & HB) on acid-free paper

I sketched this from a school photo. I still haven't quite
mastered proportion in sketching faces, and as a result she
looks a little older in the sketch than the original photo.

Tango I (Initial sketch)

Oil on canvas, 16" x 24"

This painting of tango dancers, after a photograph found on the
Internet using Google Images, is a work in progress.

The base coat is Raw Sienna acrylic. The photograph was projected
onto the canvas and sketched using pastel chalk which dissolves when
painted over with oil. I'm now filling out the sketch with oil,
using Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue.

Alstroemeria I (2005)

Oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

Painting of alstroemeria (sometimes called parrot lilies)
after a photograph taken by me. The flowers are about 5 times
life size.

No base colour was applied, in order to keep the white of
the primed canvas for the bright highlights of the petals
in the foreground.

Mortal Game (2005)

Oil on canvas, 24" x 12"

Portrait of the boys playing chess, from a photograph posed
specifically for this painting. The name of the painting derives
from the position of the chess pieces on the board; they are
laid out in the endgame position of The Immortal Game between
Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky in London in July of 1851.

The boy on the left has his finger on a piece, ready to move.
Unfortunately, this is not the move which actually won the game
in 1851, so we are reduced to a mere Mortal Game.

The base coat is Bright Yellow acrylic to give the feeling of
bright sunlight coming through the central windows.

A Portrait (2004)

Oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

Portrait from a photograph posed especially for the
painting. The base coat is raw sienna acrylic and the figure
was built up from a sketch in burnt sienna and ultramarine
blue, with colour and white highlights added in the later
stages.

The painting is photographed on a slight angle because I
found that the flash reflected off of those areas where I used
Liquin to glaze colour on.

Lemon Girl (after Weistling) (2004)

Oil on canvas, 9" x 12"

This was an exercise assigned by my painting teacher
in our class. It is a copy of a painting by Morgan
Weistling, an extremely talented American portrait
painter. The original can be seen here for comparison.

Possibly my most successful painting so far. It is
currently on private display in my sister-in-law's
entranceway.

First Portrait (2004)

Oil on canvas, 12" x 16"

My first oil painting.

Note the poisonous green acrylic base coat: this
was a mistake. Also, the tendons in the neck stand
out more than I would like, but it took many layers
of paint to smooth them to the point they are now.