Portrait of Emmett

It is difficult to sit still for 20 minutes at a time and to do that for 6 hours is impossible for a young person.  Emmett at 14 was okay about photographs but not oil portraits from life.  His grandmother provided the photo and we painted from the photo in the recent Portrait Workshop at the Tennessee Art League.  There is no substitute for painting from life.  Having experienced painting from life makes it possible to paint from a photo and to understand what adjustments are necessary. 

Portrait Demo

This portrait of Richard was done in 3 hours at the LeQuire and Company Gallery in Nashville, TN.  He was a wonderful model and I enjoyed painting him.

Another exciting Portrait Painting Workshop was completed over the last weekend.  Students concentrated on painting a portrait in the traditional representational style.  This is my painting of John Cranshaw, our model.  I call it "All Hat and No Horse".  There will be another workshop focusing on painting portraits in oil to be held sometime this Spring.  Watch this blog or the Tennessee Art League web site for details.

Portrait Painting Workshop

If you ever wanted to try your hand at portrait painting, now is the time.  I will be teaching a Portrait Painting Workshop on September 21, 22, 22 at the Tennessee Art League.  Here is a little information about what you can expect.  With some instruction, achieving a likeness is easier than you might think.

Class size:     maximum of 8 students
Location:       Tennessee Art League, 219 Fifth Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37219
Dates:            Friday, Sept. 20, 2013           6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
                      Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013       10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
                      Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013         1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Cost:              TAL members:                      $200
                       Non-members                       $250
Contact:         Jean Gauld-Jaeger      jrgjaeger@aol.com

Students may expect to learn the principles of portrait painting, including color mixing for a variety of skin tones.  Students will paint from a live model and will concentrate on head and shoulders only.  The Friday evening session will consist of a demo and instruction by Jean.  The remaining sessions will have students painting from a live model with individual help as needed by the instructor.

OBJECTIVES:

• Learn to SEE differently
• Learn the composition of the HEAD
• Learn to SIGHT-SIZE
• Learn to mix SKIN TONES
• Learn to identify VALUES
• Learn about EDGES
• Complete a PORTRAIT FROM LIFE

Not being a techie I'm not sure what to do with the new blog format.  Hoping that this image will post, nevertheless.  This is a recent painting done in a pleinair workshop taught by Matt Smith.  He is a terrific painter and teacher.  The scene is one that is recognized by everyone in Leipers Fork, Tennessee.

"Singing In The Rain"

Those in Nashville will recognize The Bluebird Cafe on a rainy night.  Rain or shine the Bluebird is the place to hear good music.  Whether established musicians or newcomers, writers and performers always shine at the Bluebird.  This painting was done in preparation for an exhibit at the LeQuire & Company Gallery at 3900 Hillsboro Pike. The opening reception will be on Friday, February 15 from 5:30 - 7:30.  The theme is "Nashville Nightscapes" a nocturnal journey through the city.  Hope to see you there.

New Portrait

Sharing a new portrait painted last Monday at Open Studio at the Factory in Franklin.  Each Monday eight artists paint a model from 9:30 AM until 2:00 PM.  This is Reisha.  She frequently models and is very creative about costuming and posing.  In this one, we asked for a pensive look.