Portrait of Tom

Tom 10 x 8 acrylic on gallery wrap canvas  NFS

This is a portrait of Tom, painted as a gift for his birthday this weekend. Please keep it to yourself -- it's a surprise.

Here are some progress shots -

Light sketch in dilute acrylic paint

Begin to place darks

Define shadow side of face

Delineate features

Add midtones/further refine features

Cover rest of canvas to judge balance of color

Add more midtones and begin lights

Balance and refine fleshtones

Final portrait 10x8 acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

Demo in Acrylics

Demo at Muskoka Arts & Crafts Spring Show 8 x 10 acrylic on gessoboard

This little painting is the demo I did at the 39th Annual Muskoka Arts and Crafts Spring Members' show held this past weekend. The show features hundreds of pieces of artwork and runs from Friday evening through Sunday night. It was great fun and I was thrilled when my three acrylic still life paintings received the show's penultimate award for Best Use of Media. 

I often do a demo at the show. It's very informal, and really involves painting between chats and QandA with folks who attend the show. Usually it's a three-hour session of painting/chatting, but this year  -- to my dismay -- I accidentally left home with everything EXCEPT my paints! Fortunately, I'm married to a treasure of a husband who dashed home again to retrieve my paintbox. Here are some photos, including some shots of the little painting in progress.

Clivia and Shells

Clivia and Shells 30 x 24 acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

This is the third of three paintings I'll have at the Muskoka Arts and Crafts 39th Annual Spring Members' Show. The show begins with the opening reception and awards presentation Friday night and runs through the weekend. I've been part of this wonderfully-diverse showcase for more than 15 years. Sunday afternoon I'm doing a demonstration -- something I always enjoy because people come by to chat as I paint.