This is number four in an ongoing series of portraits of people who sell their blood plasma for a pittance. The industry booms during tough economic times.
I did this painting back in 2005, from an image I saw by a South American artist named Gomez. I named her after my son's first girlfriend. It is 30" x 40" and hangs above my dining room table. It also appears in my self-portrait 2009.
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I would post a painting I did back in 2005 of my brother playing the bagpipes. It is often said that a true gentleman is one who knows how to play the bagpipes... and doesn't.
"A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant." (Wikipedia) I'm posting four portraits that were done sometime over the last four years. Painting a portrait can be difficult on a number of levels. Can you achieve a likeness? Is the goal a formal portrait or something more expressive of the inner being? John Singer Sargent once said: "Everytime I paint a portrait, I lose a friend." Loyal British subjects were quite prepared to send Lucian Freud to the Tower of London for beheading when they saw his portrait of the Queen. I can see why many artists do so many self-portraits.
Here are two more black and white portraits. It is a very dramatic effect. The painting time is quick but the set up is arduous. The difficult part is retaining the recognition factor of the individual with very few features.