Only a small group of artists can effectively get into the portrait business, which requires an adequate depiction of emotions, moods, and fleeting moments. Portraits abound on the living room walls of a Marion home owned by a brave, self taught portrait artist and his wife. He put together the faces of an American tap dancer, an actor a scientist, the composite between three famous comedians, the traditional cast members of a long running science fiction TV series, a former TV reporter, various rock stars, athletes and entertainers, and his friends for a single montage called “Faces”. The first step he takes is grabbing stills from videos, which gives him surprising results. The montage documents a year and a half of people who influenced him. If you like this paintings article check out hand painted portraits columbia sc for more top quality information.
The lead singer from Babes in Toyland, a Russian gymnast and singer songwriter, is the subject of the individual portraits covering the rest of the walls. He has had the most experience with pencil, graphite, and charcoal. He wanted to do more than black and white and tried conte crayon and colored pencils next. His first drawing with colored pencils is of himself and his wife, a native of Kobe, Japan, at their wedding. The work was an attempt to meld traditional American drawing with Japanese wood block print. Adding personal and Japanese symbols, he began the drawing with his wedding photograph, taken at City Hall in December 1996, as the foundation.
Their trio of cats, not present at the actual wedding, had to be included in the drawing. One mask from Japanese opera is said to ward off evil spirits, and he uses this as the face of the first cat. In order to attract good luck, he drew the second cat in the position of luck.
Kimonos are what the couple in the drawing is wearing. With her matriarchal symbol, a flower called the kikyo, he decorated his wife. In order to draw notice to the gingko tree, he drew it past the third cat, past the vertical blinds, outside the room. The gingko is a sign of longevity, and the artist thought of including it after seeing a tree at the University of Iowa. Visit american oil painting artists to learn more about paintings.
The first partner project the couple completed was the 1997 drawing. He left his wife in charge of developing and assessing new ideas. She said it means a lot to them. He says he would like to see his art evolve more into landscapes, but with people in them because that’s what he likes to draw the most.
He has never had his own exhibit, but his work has been published, four inside and one cover, in a book. The book editor came across the artwork upon referral by a member of the staff. The editor needed to express his admiration of the artist’s technique and emailed him. He has progressed far beyond his childhood when he used to draw action heroes and rock stars to entertain himself. Now, he can adequately express his perceptions on paper. He says its better than taking a picture, because you can add or change things.