Close up
 

A close up of the head.

My son
 

Or one of them. A flash photo reference but I liked the arrangement. This was done several months ago and was not quite finished due to a computer crash leading to the loss of the reference.

freehand drawing
 

Here is an example of a sketch where no type of measuring is used. I keep my hand on the drawing trying to force my eyes to see.

Another
 

This was a student I had in Paris many years ago. She was learning English at the age of nearly 80. Great face.

Peter!

Am a bit late in my welcome to you (like the typical classmate that lived the closest to the school but would always arrive the latest)...just realized that you are a neighbor. That makes a whopping total of 3 (I think?) from Spain.
Very nice work. Looking forward to your contribution, offensive or not.

Heard that the thermometer will be going up this weekend especially in Andalucia...don

Hi Carlos,

We are actually about 29 km west of Malaga city in Alhaurin el Grande and yes the forecast is for over 40c in Cordoba and Seville. I hope it will not get quite so hot here. Loved your cafe paintings by the way. Do you ever get down this way?

Welcome, Peter! I always like a lively discussion so please jump in.
I find your work to be refreshingly different, and I'm interested in the way you try to draw and paint without measuring, tracing, etc., even when using photo references, because this is similar to the way I approach a canvas or paper.

Plus, I couldn't agree with you more when you object to the client defending the "indefendable" by saying "'The client liked it'." There are other ways to include the client i the process without compromising or sacrificing the integrity of the process.

Of course the last point is easy for me to make since to date I have had no clients for portraits hence no ethical decisions regarding integrity to make:) . That said I too think it is possible to educate non artists to share a vision sufficiently to maintain artistic integrity. This can mean a few lost commissions but better that than having substandard work out there. I suppose the trick is not to be dependent on art too soon as far as making a living is concerned. Gallery artists are also faced with similar problems in the interests of imarketability (do me another one like the last one I sold - hell do me another ten!).

Thanks for the welcome Alex.

That is so true about galleries, Peter. But of course they are interested in selling work, and if we artists want to make a living at painting, we have to pay attention to these things. (Sometimes, though , it can become stifling when an artist becomes known for a certain kind of work, due to the efforts of the gallery to promote the artist as painting a certain kind of subject.) I feel that gallery owners are giving me valuable information: they are telling me what people like. The people who buy art range from art consultants buying for corporations to wealthy, knowledgeable collectors to not-so-wealthy but equally knowledgeable collectors to people who come in off the street knowing little about art but wanting to become more educated. All these people love art, and I firmly believe that the visual appeal of a painting is of utmost importance. I've struggled for years to understand what makes some paintings more appealing than others. The whole subject fascinates me.

Portrait clients on the other hand do not always know about art, and some may not even care about art. So in that way, it's a different situation. Sometimes, though, I get clients who appreciate good art, or are even artists themselves.

It is the becoming known for a certain type of work thing I was thinking of Alex. Sure the desire for success means we have to listen to all sorts of things but I remember conversations among students at Art School who were desperately looking for their 'truc', their little niche that galleries could market and consume. One of the reasons I admire Hockney is that he wasn't afraid to dump a style and do something completely different.

I am not one to stand up and thump a table in defence of Art for art's sake and connecting with society is a necessary thing in my view as long as integrity is maintained. Many people here are doing exactly that but I also see examples of work that seem to pander overly to kitsch sentiment or the 'I want it exactly like this photo' kind of thing. A fine line sometimes for artists who are trying to make a living I totally agree but a line nevertheless.

The push on this site to go beyond the 'bleeding obvious' and produce better art is very exciting and equally exciting are the journeys so many here have made/are making in the quest for excellence.