It's been a while since I painted a portrait, almost a year actually. I hadn't realized how much I miss it. After all my photo montages and Japan inspired watercolors, it was a welcomed commission to start this portrait. And I'm working in oils. I love oils. The photo is monochrome black and white, but I added subtle flesh tones to some highlights on the cheeks, as well as some dark, warm brown tones to the hair. There's a suggestion of warm peach added to the background. I f

I'm always amazed when looking at the stars. I love viewing other photographers' Milky Way shots. I went on a night photography trip to shoot the Milky Way above Mount Fuji. While my photos were alright, they fell so short to the splendor of the night sky above me. I shared a few of my night sky photos on my Facebook page, and shortly after doing so I was approached to do a painting commission based on the photo posted. A large painting. Well, pretty large for me. 24 x 36 inc

I love watching work in progress videos, especially of artists developing their paintings. I find it magical to watch that portrait come to life. But, what's not so magical is all the hours of thought put in to prepping the painting. Before the painting even comes into existence, so many hours,days and even months have been ideas discussed and weighed out, developed and tossed away. Then comes the composition planning, color palettes and test sketches, all before pencil is pu

With a break in Arts and Craft fairs for at least a few months, and my most recent commissions completed, I’ve started the sketching for several paintings. I’m working on a watercolor painting to add to People Being Series. This one will be of South Korea. Two girls in yellow hanbok dresses with dark blue sashes. The wind that day means there is lots of movement and fluttering. The girls were part of the Jindo Sea Parting (Moses Miracle) festival in 2008. I put them into a ba

A question artists can find difficult to answer. Here’s the long version: I suppose I don’t call anywhere home. I may have spent half of my life living in in England, but it isn't home. I may be citizen to the US and the UK, but I am not exclusively either, nor neither. So, everywhere is a new place, be it passing through over a day or so, or residing in for a decade. Each new country brings newness and freshness. A list of all the things to do and see in the time allocated t

I started the series, People Being about a year and a half ago, in watercolor on paper. And, while, I’m still continuing with this series; I have branched out developing an oil painting series. The subjects are still people I have photographed along my travels, doing what people do: be in their space, their home. The variances, however, stop there. I am not repainting any person, or people I have already painted in watercolor. As well, I am turning the oil painting series int