The Portrait Process

9 x 12 sketch sample for client

 More and more I am establishing a reputation of being the town portrait painter. I am currently experiencing the Christmas crunch with about 7 commissions of various sizes and prices.

 Mrs. North passed away recently and her husband has commissioned me to paint a 24 x 30 portrait. What I do for them is provide them with a small 9 x 12 color sketch. This is the portrait in miniature and with this sample I tell them that the finish will closely match this in layout and color. The sketch was taken to the wall where it would hang and we were able to judge if the colors in the painting would work with the surroundings. The North's are very influential in Auburn and Mrs. North was a patron of the Auburn Symphony and they would host piano performances by virtuosos in their living room. It is elegantly decorated.

 They approved the sketch and I will now proceed to final.... after I finish a horse portrait.

Tiburon Arts and Crafts Faire

 

 Its that time of year again and I will be showing with FX at the Tiburon's Landmark  Holiday Arts and Crafts  Fair.  Marin is pretty PC and Christmas is a bad word ..... but its this coming Saturday from 10 to 4 approx. I'll be there until 2:30 and then I have to drive back to Auburn to host my Gallery Christmas Party. If you are in the area .... consider yourself invited. The party at the Gallery is from 5 to when ever we quit. Right out side the Gallery , Auburn will be hosting its annual Festival of Lights Parade which is a real treat and always packs the street. It usually is freezing at this event and this time around we will be able to enjoy the parade behind the warmth of the Gallery Windows.

 I'm painting a scene of Tiburon Ca every day now until Thursday. On Friday I will be in Marin County hanging out with FX and enjoying the Mediteranean Climate.

 Blessings to you all .... don't stress .... but bless!

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A man called Warner .... a Thanksgiving Story

Many people have excuses. They will tell you in excruciating detail why they can't succeed. My dad was cruel and he beat me.....I was born short and could not string words together properly..... etc , etc , etc.

 Yesterday a man walked into the Gallery. He had keen eager eyes that probed and scanned the walls. He was watching me paint a portrait through the window and knocked on the door and asked if he could come in. Politeness has a reward. He told me that he was also an artist and admired anyone who could paint people. Painting portraits was something he just never mastered he said. Some people can come in and talk and essentially  be a time drain. Something gnawed at my spirit and told me to listen to this man. He was missing a tooth and at first I thought by his skinny appearance and peculiar smell that he might be a homeless tweeker ( thats code for Meth Head ). But his story took a turn, he had relocated from Humbolt County and was on a journey to help homeless people by showing them the mercy of God. Hmmm  .... I says .... okay .... that's a different take. He motioned to my paintings of Jesus and asked me if I was a believer and of course I said I was. He began to tell me his story of Redemption.

 Warner was discovered in the garbage. His mother , whom he has never known , discarded him like trash to be dumped. He grew up a ward of the state and lived in Foster care for all of his growing years. I noticed no bitterness or hate or anger from this gentle soul. In fact his eye had a gleam and sparkle that was disarming. I stopped painting and started to listen intently to what he was saying. He said he has experienced the love of God and is now on a mission to help those that are Society's waste see the Light and saving Grace of Our Lord. He says that he reads the Bible every day and that it is his Lifeline.

 I tend to be very focused when I paint and I can't remember all of the story he told me yesterday but just as I was settling to paint today Warner walked in again. We talked some more and I asked him what he was going to do for Thankgiving. He said nothing. I asked him if he would like to join our family for a Wonderful Thanksgiving Feast. I would love to he said.

 So after Thursday, I will post his story of Thanksgiving. How a Life can be redeemed from the Trash and can be valuable and useful and have purpose.

 Count Your Blessings and give thanks to the Most High.

And the Winner Is.....?

 This year I did something a bit out of the norm for me .... but it is something I should have done along time ago. I raffled off one of my Plein Air paintings of No Hands Bridge. All the proceeds , every dollar , went to a local ministry called Acres of Hope in Applegate Ca. They help battered women with children get back on their feet and hopefully break the cycle of repeat relationships. I raised $404 dollars during the Tour. I would say that 90% of the people who came through my doors donated. I felt proud.

 The winner was Helen and I was so glad she won. She has come to several of my Studio Tours in the past and she gave with a cheerful heart.

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Poses and Stares

 

 One of my mentors, Norma Yocum , kept a scrapbook of all my newspaper clippings and goings on about my career. After she passed on this Summer she gave the scrapbook to me. It is one of my prized possessions as it chronicles our extended relationship over the years. I looked at it the other day and I was struck by 2 newspaper photographs taken about 40 years apart. I seemed to be caught in a moment of concentration in both images and my gesture and expression is eerily the same.

 So, begs the question. How much do we actually change in our mannerisms?

 

 

 I used to scream and howl when I was 13 if family members around me made any noise. Kinda like a prima dona golfer. Quiet please .... the artist needs his attention uninterrupted! Those days are gladly gone and I can paint in practically any environment these days. But I still seem to have that intense stare when I concentrate.

 I painted this a couple of years ago as I stared into a mirror. The frown might be one of those reflexive East L.A. carry overs.....

 Tomorrow is the start of our Autumn Studio Tour. If you are in t he area.... I would love to meet you.

843 Lincoln Way Auburn Ca. 10 -5  Fri , Sat , Sunday.

 

 I finally have both walls set up. I hope to see you when I see you!

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La Droma

Dear Reader,

 Years ago while I lived in Marin County working for George Lucas , I used to wash my clothes at a Laundromat in Fairfax Ca. Some of you may have experienced the social phenomena of walking into a space with wall to wall washing machines and street view windows and folding tables in the middle of a damp room. If you have , then you can probably smell the detergent in the air as I type this. I did not grow up going to a Laundromat. But as a bachelor in Northern Ca I had to learn pretty quick about getting filthy clothes clean the day before I was going to wear them. Working in my Gallery/Studio somehow reminds me of those soiled days in hippie land.

 I used to engage strangers in conversation while waiting for my clothes to get dry. Invariably, they would ask and I would tell them that I worked at ILM in San Rafael. Often times they would querie me about what was going to happen on the big screen next or what movie star I had seen behind the walls at Kerner Optical ( Code for ILM ).

 We called the Laundromat " La Droma " . Some of the  letters that ran across the front of the funky stuccoed building had ceased to light up and the letters that were visible at night spelled La droma. It seemed appropo because this urban washing hole seemed like a Fellini movie set. One of my most vivid memories is talking to Brad Bird. He was a fledgling animator and he talked of one day making it big in the movie business. I can still see the frustration across his face as he worked hard to come up with an animated idea that would crack the Hollywood Security Glass. As it turned out, I helped him and his partner at the time Jerry Reiss get inside ILM and have a chance to talk to Steven Spielberg. We were working on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Spielberg was at ILM filming and going over the effects we had created for him. Security was VERY LAx at that time.

 I had a chip on my shoulder back then and pretty much gave Brad Bird a hard time. If we fast forward to today, Brad is responsible for such monster Animated hits as the Incredibles, Ratoutouille and the cult classic Iron Giant. He has made it to the top. Not long ago, I was at Pixar visiting and we crossed paths. He looked at me and pretty much dismissed me as I had dismissed him back then.... Oh Hi FRank... see yah......

 What do we take from this. Well.... don't be an idiot like Frank Ordaz. Treat everyone that comes across your path kindly. You never know how the future may bring back the past.

a plein air of my Gallery in Auburn Ca

 With this in mind, I enjoy every chance encounter I have with my guests at the Gallery. I try, to the best of my ability to treat them with the utmost respect and dignity. So far, my experiences have been wonderful and I now have more portrait commissions than I can handle. I feel blessed. My goal and aim is to paint a wonderful memory for them that will be a welcome and treasured momento for their family. I count it a privelidge and honor for strangers to allow me to paint someone of value to them and have me memorialize their memory in a painting. At the end of the day, they cease to be strangers and become welcome friends.

--------- I will add more photos of events to this post .....

 This is my new entry in the Canvoo Art Competition. I just discovered the Raymar Art Competition and the artists there seem to be of a higher caliber ... so I plan to start throwing in some artwork there. Let's see how it goes......

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