The Wood Carver

[John Reidy]

Attached is a portrait of my brother-in-law. He is retired from the State Department and has his own business as a Western Cowboy Carichature wood carver. He has quite a following and his carvings are based on much research with a little humor. He has a website, I believe it is outwestgallery.com.

This portrait is from a photograph he took of himself. You might be able to see the remote in his left hand between his forefinger and thumb. I was struck by a natural composition that the photograph suggested, so I changed a few things in their arrangement and through the painting adjusted the focus on hom and his hand, creating a natural field of interest. My other goal was to create some depth. I have shown it to my brother-in-law and he is very happy with it. I hope you all are as well.

It measures 38"H x 34"W and is oil on stretched linen.

I'm not very happy with the image posted. I will try to post some close-ups to help.

I've edited this to update a better image.