An Edwardian beauty finds a cause. This Edwardian beauty is more than just a lovely face. In her hurry to leave home this morning, Emma forgot that she was meeting her friends for dinner at the Amba Charing Cross Hotel. … Read More
Out of the shadows a face emerges When I paint, I often wonder who will appear from the shadows and move into the light. Sometimes, the portrait causes me no end of grief; I might work on it for hours, … Read More
Many Goodbyes from Paris, 1928. Still humming Let’s Misbehave, Mona watches as another celebrity friend waves goodbye from the last car of the Blue train leaving Gare du Nord on its Paris-Marseille run. Draped in her warm evening coat, … Read More
Miss Macpherson, Proprietor of Haberdashery and local Apothecary Eugenia MacPherson is quite proud to be the first female proprietor of a general store in the entire state of Illinois. (Miss Eugenia. Acrylics in Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal. … Read More
Expressive monochromatic sketches yield quick results. Sketches that are expressive and monochromatic…those were key words that attracted my attention in a recent email sent to me from Ivy Newport. Newport, an Oregon artist, posted a free tutorial on her website to advertise … Read More
Pining for love is passé…or is it? Pining means to be languishing for an unattainable or lost love. The word pining, describes young Violet. She is in a love fog, the kind that seeps into the brain and clouds any … Read More
Apprehensive Amalia at 33 years old. This week’s vintage sketch is based on a small, blurry passport photo (see below) taken in January 1934, a few weeks before she sailed from Genoa to North America. During the seven years … Read More
Great expectations are not satisfying for Martha. A member of the middle class in Victorian England, Martha is an accomplished young lady. She has been taught to sing, to embroider delicate flowers that she has painted in her sketchbook. She … Read More
Do you have the Monday morning blues? Just say to yourself…it could be worse! Monday mornings are always tough especially when there are still two more months of winter left. This young man is in a melancholy mood. He knows … Read More
A vintage portrait series begins… In a previous post, I offered a portrait from times past of a young girl I named Lottie. I had so much fun painting and then imagining a life for Lottie that I decided I … Read More
Vintage postcard offers a story from the past A vintage postcard found on Pinterest and some time spent painting this young girl made me think of a story she might have to tell. As I paint, I let my imagination … Read More
“A tinkling piano in the next apartment/ Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant/ A fairground’s painted swings/ These foolish things remind me of you.” lyrics from the 1946 song These Foolish Things (Remind Me of … Read More