Mug Shot: Italian Priest (14 x 12 oil on panel)

As soon as I saw this man I was beside myself to have his photograph. He graciously agreed to pose. I have another shot of him smiling but it is not as interesting of course. On this occasion he was returning to his hometown to receive awards and celebrate his retirement. Thank you, where ever you are.

Mug Shots 66 and 67 RT

These two  were done about a week apart, the top one done today.  I think his face is really as long as it is in the lower one, but I couldn't make my brain do it on a shorter panel.  I did use much much more pigment in the top one though -- I think it doesn't show so much in these photographs. I made lots of batches of paint with the palette knife,  so first I studied the photo carefully to see what areas could be generalized for color and then made it.  I think this keeps the paint cleaner and more pure.  Also, my brush work was better in the top one, I'm getting better at making the shape of the color fit the plane of the face.  Top one is better I think.

Mugshot 46: Halloweener 2

Here is another sort of head dress. This is one of the boys in my neighborhood on Halloween, at twilight. I gave out candy for photos on the street. I would like to figure a way to have the portrait more formal and yet not.... Maybe what I mean is, I want to paint like Velazquez, which I do, I do.

Mugshot 42: Worried Man

I suspect this is another iphone photo, but still pretty good to work from.

Mugshot 25: Jill W.

This is an honorary daughter who came for a visit and succumbed to the purifying mask.

Also, I want to thank all of you for your generous comments on these paintings. It's so exciting to open up the blog and see response. It helps to keep the fires lit.

Mug Shot 23

Ah, testosterone. You can see it at work.

I admit I was in a rapture working on this nose, It was so --- there, such a fleshy anchor for this boy's face. Also, since I have been getting in bad trouble with backgrounds that I add after the figure is painted, I laid in an acid yellow wash first thing to give me some color to relate to as I painted the head, and it was a much more comfortable way to go. I had to soften it tremendously later, but at least I was in the family of yellow at the end.

Mugshot Twenty Two

This is a great whopping 12 inches square -- intimidating to have all that room, but also really great, exciting. I feel like I have known this guy forever, he is life size and I have been in his nostrils and ears all day. Also need more stamina to get it done in one go.

Brianna's Brother

This is Brianna's tag along brother. His mouth was really that red. Tomorrow it is back to the criminals. Alleged criminals.

Mug Fourteen

This guy's hair was truly this big.

Mug Thirteen

This guy had such an unbelievably long face it was quite challenging to jam him into an 8 inch square. Since my own proportions are all short and compact, I naturally see things that way and had to keep checking the measurements and then make him longer and longer. He must have been 7 feet I figure.

Mug Shot 11

In this one I used a huge flat brush for the most part, with some effort to find larger planes of color and get that down in minimum stokes. I sort of forgot my intention as I worked, but it was a good beginning. These mug shots are great for practice -- maybe like running sprints, not that I have ever run one, but I think it might help mesh all the necessary skills.

Mug 10

This girl was cadaver pale. I actually got too much color in here, it was mousy grays everywhere. I will have another go at her soon.

Mug Shot 9

Mug shot number 9....

This woman had unbelievable hair, flowing and shiny and soft looking.

Mug Shot Six and Forms on Aluminum Foil

First the study, this is my entry for the challenge at Some Texas Artists Like to Paint, the topic this month is Upside Down, which these reflections are. To see what others have done, you will have to go to sometexasartistsliketopaint.blogspot.com. Blogger won't let me put a link in for some reason.

Next, the mug shot. I tried to find somebody mean looking to paint and to paint him in a mean way. I could have been meaner. It's hard to not be enthralled with a human being that you are scrutinizing, looking up their nostrils, etc. I know, I know, paint what you see. But that itself is a vast philosophical question.

Mug Shot Five

This is my first grapple with African American skin. For the first half hour or so of painting I was flying blind, no idea what to put together to get the right skin tones. Also, those mug shots, not to be whining, but the light is horrendous, so things have to be invented. This is good experience, but painful. Still and all, these are fun to paint.