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.

Recent portrait of Danielle

This portrait of Danielle was painted in an Open Studio session at Southgate Studio in The Factory in Franklin, TN.  We begin painting at 9:30 AM or a little after, and stop painting at 2:00 PM. Danielle is one of our favorite models.  I previously painted Danielle at an Open Studio session last year, photographed her, and completed the painting in my studio.  That portrait won a first place ribbon at the Tennessee Art League Juried Show.  She is a beautiful girl and so much fun to paint.

Completed Cornice Repair

This beauty is completely repaired now and I only wish I could keep it. It's so big that I would have to add a room and I'm not sure just how I would use it. Two of them could support a table but, alas, there is only this one. It was in 4 pieces when I got it and I was asked not to do a complete restoration because the owner likes the signs of wear and tear. It does have the original paint which is simply beautiful. I used a combination of dental castone and elmer's glue to put it back together. I used common window screening material as reinforcement on the back side. The original reinforcement was straw and horsehair mixed with plaster. You can see by the yardstick leaning next to the piece just how big it is. I'll miss it.

Buffalo Girl

This week I traveled to Cleveland, Tennessee with fellow Chestnut Painter, Sandra Harris. We visited Gregg Vital's buffalo farm. Gregg placed his farm in the Land Trust so it will forever be as beautiful and untouched as it was this week. Gregg has six buffalo on his property. There is one bull named Bill, three cows named Peanut, Butter, and Jelly and two calves as yet unnamed. This photo is a painting of one of the cows. She has a beautiful head, so ancient and so magnificent. The second photo is a painting of early morning on the farm while the fog still covered the ground, a most beautiful time of day. Gregg's farm manager, Steve, was very helpful and informative as he introduced us to this beautiful property.

Completely restored heirloom plate

Heirloom Plate Rescue

You may remember a previous blog that displayed an image of a broken heirloom plate. Many weeks later and much sanding and painting have produced an image of the same plate as it must have looked prior to being broken. It is fully restored and ready to be displayed along with its' three matching plates. If you didn't know that the plate had been broken you would never know. After restoration, items may no longer be used to serve food but may still be displayed as the lovingly cared for heirlooms that they are.

Help for broken heirloom plate

You may remember an earlier photo of a badly broken Limoge plate, a highly valued heirloom. You see now the first stages in it's restoration. The photo on the left shows the plate after it was glued, cracks filled and sanded. It is now ready to paint. The photo on the right shows the back side of the plate. The cracks have been filled, but not yet sanded. There are some large missing pieces that must be replaced before sanding and painting can occur. You see the curved blue latex piece that is leaning against the plate. That is a mold of the plate rim. A product called "fast tray" will be used with the mold to fill those large empty spots. When dry it will be as hard as porcelain and may be sanded smooth to make a continuous unblemished rim after the back of the plate is painted. Be sure to watch this blog for photos of the finished plate.