John Holbrook

John Holbrook

24" x 18"

Oil on hardwood Panel

[click on the image to enlarge]

I tried this subject twice previously before getting a pose through the under-painting stage that I thought worked well

For this portrait I wanted a more typical corporate boardroom approach [although it must be admitted that I'm not always a great fan of such a pose]

John has strong features and I felt it was coming together well

The limited palette and the warm/cool balance seemed to express my feeling.

I hope that you can feel the vision and the warmth of Johnny

I like the 'presence'

The ultraviolet blue to his right is a bit more subdued in the actual painting. It got an artificial boost out of the processing.

Sleeping Princess

Sleeping Princess

16" x 12"

Oil on hardwood Panel

This was just a delightful painting experience.

Of course I love the little one.

I was also drawn to the bedding and the opportunity to experiment with that in a small way

This could be titled "Sleeping Angel" however I realized that she is a princess and daughter of a Heavenly King while working on the painting.

The skin tones were soft and yummy

I hope that you can share the feeling

Center of the Village

Center of the Village

12" x 16"

Oil on hardwood Panel

I was attracted to the basic setting of the American church in a setting with darker hills behind it.

This lead to modifying the design to get the emphasis that I wanted.

This could be New England or a small town in Utah, such as Wallsburg or Midway.

I find myself drawn to this painting - it speaks to me or moves me about what I value.

This is perhaps the last snow scene for  a time as I have other projects underway. 

Peaceful Home Valley

Peaceful Home Valley

12" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Another painting with a New England setting.

A peaceful design suggesting a more tranquil time.

A worshipful relationship with our Heavenly Father is essential to such peace.

Breakfast with Morgan

Sharing Breakfast

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

I've enjoyed working on portraits during the last year.

This painting allowed me to create a small group scene in a very everyday situation.

Two small children being fed or encouraged to eat breakfast.

I was especially pleased with the little girl's pajamas and all the clothes were interesting. 

And I'm loving working with hair

Still I have a good deal to learn about painting portraits but I'm enjoying the experiences

Cornish Hills

Cornish Hills

[after Metcalf]

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

Willard Metcalf painted this more than a century ago. It is one of my favorite landscape paintings.

In an effort to understand it's structure and unity, I decided to try to paint it myself. However Metcalf painted his nearly square and I'm not a great fan of square landscape, so I modified the design into a rectangle.

I wish I had the original to compare the surface control and brushwork.

It was a great exercise for me, as I discovered things about it in trying to create it that were not obvious to me just by studying it. Lots of great stuff involved in his creation of this masterpiece.

A photograph of Metcalf's original painting is below. And, sad to admit, better than mine

Vermont January

Vermont January

18" x 24"

Oil on hardwood Panel

This was a great painting to work on. I loved it, and I was sad when I considered it complete and therefore  it was time to sign and leave it.

Although complete is a relative term, I did make some minor touchups after taking this photograph.

It has lots of little things that are painterly.

And it has unity, partially reached by hiding some red in the dark accents in the woods.

The buildings are warm and for contrast [and unity] the shadows are a cooler value.

This painting and the Winter Woods painting are the same size. However this one seems larger. Winter Woods is closed in with no real sky visible. While this Vermont scene is an open vista with distant woods and clear sky

A few of you may recognize this as based on Jenne Farm.

This has been so pleasurable that I may do a couple more