Coffee Shop Sketches

I haven't posted many of these for a while. Just some drawings from the local coffee shop...

Tangled Thoughts

I just keep playing around with this one. First it was a sketch (bottom right), just an experiment in design. I liked it, so I did a digital color version of the sketch (bottom left). Well, I was still curious what it would look like as an oil painting, so here it is. If I can come up with more designs like it I may do more.

Tangled Thoughts, Oil, 11 x 24 inches

Kevin

You may remember him from other paintings such as... this one.

Oil, 16 x 20 inches

OPA Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition

I've posted this one before, but I just received notice that it has been accepted by the Oil Painters of America to this years Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition! The exhibition will feature accepted artists from the eastern half of the United States and will take place from October 15th - November 13th, 2010 at the Walls Fine Art Gallery in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Nightcap Chickadee, Oil, 16 x 20 inches

India Point Park

For something a little different, I went and painted this little scene "en plein air" a little earlier this summer. It was a beautiful day, but a little windy right on the river. One of the extra things to keep in mind while painting outside is that everything must either be held on to or taped down.

Oil, 10 x 8 inches

Hedi

Oil, 8 x 10 inches

Aaron

Another small one...

Oil, 8 x 10 inches

Julie

A little one, I prepare my own boards for painting on, and this week I had run out of the 16 x 20 inch boards that I usually take to portrait painting. All I had ready to go was this 9 x 12, but it's always good to mix things up when they become too routine. I like the ratio of brush stroke detail to the outer dimensions, so I should do some more little ones.

Oil, 9 x 12 inches

Francisco

Oil, 16 x 20 inches

Coffee Shop Sketches

Saba

Oil, 20 x 16 inches

Interesting to compare to the first time I painted Saba very nearly one year prior. I got a much better likeness this time. She was wearing the same earrings, but I don't think she was actually wearing purple either time, yet something made me choose purple in both.

Osmary

I debated whether or not to fill in her arm in the bottom right corner. Now that I see it on screen, I think I probably should have.

Oil, 16 x 20 inches

Mark Taber

Busy month here, but while I've got a minute, here is another portrait from the weekly model session I attend. This is painist, Mark Taber, and he was a lot of fun to paint.
I found some videos of Mark playing with a few bands on youtube. I'm not sure what year this was filmed, but here is a video of Mark playing with the Ken Lyon & Tombstone Blues Band, Mark's solo begins at about the 1:35 minute mark. And here is a write up of Mark in the Providence Phoenix.

Oil, 20 x 16 inches

Back from the OPA Show

I'm back from the Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition in Scottsdale Arizona and I had a great time. I met many wonderful painters and saw a lot of great paintings! Here are a few pictures from the event and some recent sketches.

Gerry Creates the Winds

I really didn't intend to deify Gerry as I seem to have ended up doing in this portrait. Suffice to say he visually fits the archetype of the wise old man as described by Carl Jung, so the wispy brush stokes seem to place him directly in the realm of cloud-sitters.

Gerry, Oil, 20 x 16 inches

Click here for an earlier portrait of Gerry, it's nice to see improvement over time.