A Character Portrait in Oil Finished for Today

"Yes, Mr. Selznick!!"

(Miss Poppenghul, aka Jessica Leatherman)

9" x 12"

oil on canvasboard

Finished this one and I must say, 

and it turned out JUST the way

I wanted it to.  This is my daughter.

She played this part in the play "Moonlight and Magnolias" 

presented by Open Stage in 

Fort Collins in March of this year.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Practicing Portraits in Oil

This is a work in progress from today - it's a character that my daughter acted recently
in the play "Moonlight and Magnolias".
I have a long way to go - I so wrestle with skin tones and
there is not much contrast with the straight on pose for the camera -
but that is why I tackled it.  Those photos are NOT good for portraits, but I love the challenge.
If it works out, I will be pleased.  Likeness is getting there - still quite a bit to do on that.
Tomorrow is another day!

Funny how MUCH needed to change, see Sunday post above.

An Oil Painting of the Sunrise

"Sunrise 165"

oil on wrapped canvas

11" x 14"

This morning, I gessoed over about 12 used canvases. 

My intention is to have substrates to 'practice' on for portraits.  

Off to a good start!  (Wait a minute - this is a landscape...)

As I was putting away a stack of 'maybe's' - 

this one was still propped up on my easel.

I decided to dive right into it, as I had lots of landscape colors left 

on my palette from the 'wolf' painting.

This is a sunrise on my dirt farm road.  I loved the colors in the sky. 

One thing I need to say about Kansas - it has sunrises and sunsets

like no other. 

This one really caught me!

An Oil Painting of a Wolf Pack

"Hanging in the Balance"

12" x 24"

oil on wrapped canvas

Caught a few steps of this painting - as I went along, below.

Started a week ago and have worked on it almost every day

Wolves in the U.S. ~ have been taken off of 

the 'endangered species list'.

They have flourished and are great in numbers and no longer

at risk, although ranchers/farmers still consider them a 

threat to their livestock.  Many - want them 'gone'

due to the threat they pose for other wildlife -

like deer, elk and moose.

I wish that huMANs could leave wildlife

to 'balance' itself without interference.  I believe 

wildlife management is key, but not in a  

'micro-managed' or 'over managed' sense.