Wow, so much time

I am apparently not good at this social media thing. I have been working on pieces. I finished my “dead wood” set of pieces and “practiced” on some portraits and then did a sunset. I like it all, so I don’t have a particular area that I want to concentrate on at this point. Currently, I have a commission! I am working on a double portrait of a dad with his daughter. It is pretty big, so I can get some details in and I have been really concentrating on skin tone. My mentor, Michael Cooley, said something really interesting about skin when I was in the studio. He said that skin reflects light from the external environment but is also many layered, so as the light refracts it changes color. Trying to capture that in paint is why portraiture is so difficult. I guess that is why the masters were considered the masters. I think about Rembrant, Titian and many others that seemed to have mastered the art of skin. I’m still working on it.

My other news is that I will be having an Art Show and Auction to celebrate my retirement and the 40th anniversary of the Ohio State University Couple and Family Therapy Clinic, where I have been a supervisor and program director for many years. I am inviting local artists to donate pieces which will be auctioned at the event in order to raise money for the clinic, which is one of the “cheapest” places to get mental health care in town. It functions on a sliding fee scale based on income. The funds raised will be used to support this important work in Columbus and greater Ohio. Stay tuned for more news on this event.