Alan, 9 x 12, oils
My first portrait in oils after ten years of landscapes was a challenge. I started out wanting to be all loose but in the end it was whatever it took to get facial symmetry and a likeness. I was working from reference but wanted more than just a painting of a photo so I took some liberties. The scene was a cloudy day so I pushed all the highlights towards the cool side and made the shadows warm, changed the table setup for a more pleasing arrangement and simplified or edited what was not essential. I love how the sweatshirt bounces red ambient light into everything around it; wood metal, even skin.
