I know I've said it a million times on this blog and social media, but I am so grateful for the amazing submissions that have been submitted to The Portrait Project! Seriously, the best! Although I'm still less than ten paintings into this project (50 is my goal with no due date!), I am just beyond thrilled with how it is coming together....
The truth is that ideas for projects aren't pulled out of thin air. For me, inspiration comes from the normal day to day of course, but I have to do a bit of inspiration gathering, too. Here I will share some things I have gathered lately. These seem to be heavily art influenced, but that isn't always the case when I go "gathering."...
Alright, friends! This portrait is about 98% done, but as we all know, the last 2% is always the hardest. So, in the meantime, while I spend the last few grueling hours with that last 2%, I wanted to share this portrait. I really shouldn't be sharing it yet, and it's been cloudy here in Chicago today so I haven't even been able...
You guys... This baby!!! Is he to die for or what?! He has been so fun to paint. Babies are so delicate! This little baby boy was especially wonderful to paint. When the submission came to my inbox and I first saw it, it was just one of those simple moments where I knew it would be a great painting and that he...
Last night I was thinking about this upcoming Thanksgiving. Alex and I are going to be in California with my family which is always wonderful. I have at least a hundred old, old paintings of mine down in my studio there at my parent's house, and I was in particular thinking about those painting last night. I'm excited to see them all again....
I may be way too ahead of the gift giving season, but I just love Christmas and giving gifts so much that I am already preparing! (And maybe there's even a birthday coming up before then!?) Regardless, I want to share a few gift guides I put together with the beginner oil painter in mind. When I was 8 years old I got...
After a week+ of being too sick to paint (the worst!), I'm back at it and The Portrait Project is going strong! Hurray!!! I have a beautiful lineup of portraits to paint this week and next, including this one from yesterday! To everyone who submitted--I'm BLOWN AWAY by your portraits! Every time I get a new submission I just scream "YESSS!!!!" Ahh! They're...
The Portrait Project has really taken off! I am so grateful for everyone who has supported it in any way. Thank you! Since day one, I’ve been getting many inquiries about how to be involved in this project, so I’ve created this guide to help us all out! Afterall, I can’t paint portraits if I don’t have people to paint! And I want...
I don't know what it is about setting a goal, a solid goal, to create something whole every day, but it seems to be so incredibly inspiring the moment I do. The Portrait Project is very time consuming, as you could imagine, but there's a drive behind my work right now that is unmatched to any other project of mine. I think the...
Six years ago, I painted 50 portraits in 50 days in conjunction with a gallery in downtown Sacramento, CA. I still see that as one of the BEST projects I ever undertook. It was a blast! And I was able to learn and grow so much as well as share my art with many friends and family who still own those portraits. (You've...
Every artist has their own routine when it comes to getting started. My personal routine has evolved over the years and includes cleaning up my space before I get started and finding a great playlist, audio book, or movie to listen to while I work. Whatever yours is, or whatever yours evolves into as you start your artistic journey with oil painting, do...
