Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Sylvie

 

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 9"

This is a portrait study of Sylvie Vartan, the French actress and singer popular in the 1960s and 1970s.  I did it in palette knife, with a few minor refinements in brush at the end.  I was surprised how willing she was to be painted.  I sometimes get a definite vibe when painting a portrait (without their permisison), and this one was all in for it.  So, yay!

Monday, February 23, 2026

Gary's Friend II

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This is another portrait study I had done in 2024 of someone known to me as "Gary's friend."  This time I just had fun with it, not so concerned with getting a likeness as I was with the interplay of colors.

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Blondie

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 9"

This was a quick and loose portrait in thick paint, something I've been wanting to do for ages.  I was in the right mood for it, and it worked!

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Transitory

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

This is a scene from New York City back when yellow cabs were ubiquitous and helped define the color character of the city.  That iconic yellow no longer predominates like it once did.  Everything in this world is transitory.

Thursday, February 5, 2026

Pretti Flowers

 
oil on panel, 10" x 10"

This is my rendering of a bouquet of flowers left in honor of Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse who was gunned down by ICE agents in Minneapolis on 1/24/2026.  They are partially covered in snow and ice, lest we forget the cruel irony of his martyrdom.

It's been a while since I've posted any paintings to my blog due to a ruptured aneurysm, followed by a fall that led me back to the hospital with a fractured lumbar.  It's been a slow healing process and I can only spend a couple hours a day, tops, standing at my easel.  Hopefully, that time will increase as my bones continue to mend.