Hello from Oklahoma

[Dale Shipman]

My name is Dale Shipman and I live in Bixby, Oklahoma (just south of Tulsa). I joined SOG in May, but just now taking the time to sign on.

I'm a 57 yr old piping and structural designer in the Oil and Gas industry. My interest in art came at a very early age and I started doing caricatures and commissioned pastel and oil portraits in my early twenties as a side income to my job, but deep down inside I have always wanted to do portraits full-time. I also do landscapes, western and Indian art as well as animal portraits. Being from Oklahoma and 1/8 Choctaw, I have a fondness for the Native American portraiture and art.

First I'd like to compliment Cynthia Daniel for creating SOG for portrait artists to show their talent and share their knowledge. It's obvious that there has been a lot of time and thought put into this site. It's a masterpiece in itself. This site has given me more incentive and encouragement than any other art related information source that I've ever run across. Because of this site I was influenced to try something new in my art style. I had always painted in the rubout technique that was taught to me as one of the old master's styles, but after reading about the underpainting technique, and Karen Wells' explanation and demonstration, I was so impressed that I had to attempt it. So I will be submitting my first underpainting portrait of my son and daughter-in-law in the oil critiques and I would appreciate any helpful suggestions that would benefit me on it and future projects.