Spencer

Spencer

24" x 18"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Rebecca kindly shared several photographs for this painting.

I wanted an executive type look

Spencer is thoughtful and engaging. I tried to create a more reserved look while still being friendly and approachable

The scriptures were not in the original however they seem to fit Spencer very well

This is the same painting with indoor lighting, therefore it appears much warmer.

Outside the sky color and the camera pull the blue tones forward.

Young Woman

Young Woman

20" x 16"

Oil on hardwood Panel

[click on the image to enlarge]

I'm so proud of this budding young woman

She has strong values and a living testimony.

Rebecca took a photograph and it lead me to create this reflection of her cheerful countenance and enthusiasm

She is inspiring

Bruges

Bruges

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Bruges in Belgium was one of our favorite cities.

It is an historical area while still having a wonderful, warm feeling about it. It was formerly a major port city although well inland. The controlled waterways typical of all the area allowed ocean shipping to reach them.

As in Amsterdam the people make extensive use of bicycles - and they firmly believe that the bicycle has the right-of-way rather than the pedestrian.

The whole area has wonderful clouds which are constantly on the move

The people like red roofs and build with stone

Grandmother from the Past

Grandmother as a Young Woman

16" x 20"

Oil on hardwood Panel

This lady fascinates me.

She is a maternal ancestor on Lori's side.

We know very little about her. She may have been partially or entirely native American.

This portrait is taken from the single photograph that is available. [and I have further altered that, however she is not around to object to my interpretation...]

Some painters will not do portraits if they cannot see the living, walking, and talking person and get a feel for their manner.

Some day I hope to meet her and be able to learn about her background and family

Her eyes suggest that she has many experiences to share

Watchtower

Watchtower

Zions National Park

24" x 36"

Oil on hardwood Panel

I found a reference photo that lead to this painting while doing some research about watchtowers.

I was drawn to the sunset contrasts and the more vivid saturated colors.

This painting is larger than most of my landscapes and it was enjoyable to work in the larger space

After several trials I was finally satisfied that the emphasis was were I wanted it to be

Watchtower at Sunset

Watchtower at Sunset

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

I love painting scenes which involve snow.

However this painting came from thinking about the watchtowers of life. There are many and I am grateful for them.

The Savior, His restored Church, the temple, the scriptures and those called as watchmen.

Our precious children, Lori and good neighbors and friends

They are all nearby and we can chose to let them be an important part of our life with a lasting impact

So this is a very prominent watchtower near a modest family home. The setting is beautiful but also vulnerable

It seems an appropriate painting for Father's Day

The palette here is limited with an emphasis on warm and cool variations.

Michael

Michael

2016

24" x 18"

Oil on  hardwood Panel

Poor Michael suffered being the first person in my continuing attempts with oil portraits. He remained good natured about it and very kind.

I shot some more casual photographs of him recently and later realized that I had a couple that could be used to set up a portrait.

The background is greyed from light yellow into violet on the right side.

I tried to feature his long, rather elegant fingers without making them dominant

I also took the liberty of adding a more lively pocket handkerchief to his suit

The dark glasses seemed to work well

It's nice to be related to such a handsome guy.

The picture above was taken after I reworked the hands.