Photographing a Wet Oil Painting

Meet the Young girls, Olivia and Julia — the lovely subjects of an oil portrait that I completed a few days ago. [ Click here to view the image full size ]

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The Young Girls, Oil on Canvas, 24" x 24"

The girls' father (who commissioned the double portrait) came to pick it up on the very day it was finished, while it was still wet. (Parts were very wet indeed!) Nevertheless, I needed to record the work for my portfolio before it left the building. So within the short amount of time allotted, I endeavored to get a usable shot.

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My Portfolio — Now Available on the Web

Using a beta version of the not-yet-released Rodeo development platform, I created an app that allowed me to compile a portfolio of selected works and post it to the web! Click the Portfolio link (at the top of this page) to view it.

Simple Instructions

  1. When you open my portfolio, you'll see is a list of works (see first gallery image). Click any item in that list to view the work, title, dimensions, and other data.
  2. To navigate the portfolio, click the Forward or Back arrow — or click the Index button (identified by the red arrow in the second gallery image).

More New Links

Next to the Portfolio link are also links about me and my commission procedures.

  • Portrait: Describes the kinds of references I'm willing to use for portraiture, my procedure for photographing subjects, suggestions for creating your own photo references, and the use (and possible limitations) of pre-existing photos.
  • Process: Discusses the decisions that need to be made before I can give you an exact quote on a commission, my standard terms, your rights to the finished work, and a pdf of my standard Portrait Agreement.
  • Prices: Lists the base prices for Charcoal and Oil portraits.
  • Bio: Includes my artist's statement, exhibits, awards, and art education.

Your comments on all of this new information are welcome. And I would be very much obliged if you would let me know if you find any errors or broken links.

My Artwork on the Cover of a New Book

Bear Medicine • 18.5"x24" o/c  |  Read a FREE EXCERPT from the book

The Safety of Triangles (click the image below for a larger view)

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Composition is often the trickiest element in a work's success and I struggle with it as much as any artist. But I find that I can rarely go wrong with a triangular composition. 

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