Why I love to paint faces - Linda Evans Davis

Here is an actual scan of Daxon's pastel portrait. I removed the dark bar next to his face. It was a fence post that was in the reference photo, but it was distracting in the painting. I will be posting a painting of his twin Cash in the next few days.

If you zoom in to see the detail in this portrait, it may surprise you that there are colors there that you don't think belong in skin. I used purples, greens, blues and oranges to add depth and character to the neutral tones that make up the color of skin and hair. Daxon was photographed outside, with cool bluish light hitting him from his top back right. Where light is blocked, the shadow that results will be toned by the opposite of the color of the light. Orange is the opposite of blue, so the shadow side of Daxon's face has lots of juicy warm shades.

I love painting faces and studying the colors of the light as they fold around the planes of the face. It can be a real juggling act, mentally thinking about the light and color while not losing the spirit and expression of the subject. If you focus too much getting the details from the photo right, the portrait will lose the quality that differentiates it from the photo. Below is the reference photo of Dax that I used. As you can see, I used much more saturated color, and I changed his jacket and shirt to blue to balance our the warm tones that I used in his face. The colors that I used are actually there in the photo, but I exploited them to bring zest to the painting.

I am having a solo show in September, and will be including a number of portraits. Stay tuned to see more. If you would like to commission a portrait, email me at linda.evans.davis@gmail.com.

Daxon says Shhhh! - by Linda Evans Davis

I spent the last two days painting my grandnephew in soft pastel. He is one of a pair of twins. Although people who don't know them may think they look alike, they are yin and yang to each other and best buddies. Daxon is the little engineer -- quiet and brilliantly observant. His wheels are constantly turning in his head as he figures out how things work. I will be painting his brother as well, who is a little firecracker. 

This has been a breakthrough piece for me. I have been struggling a little this month as I have been incorporating new, very soft pastels into my work. I had to learn not to be so heavy handed. For some reason with this piece I started to get the hang of it, and I'm starting to understand why the "buttery" brands are so coveted by my fellow pastelists.

I love painting kids in pastel, so don't hesitate to email me if you'd like to commission a portrait (Linda.evans.davis@gmail.com).

June Pet Portrait Special - by Linda Evans Davis

These petite portraits make wonderful, personal gifts. If you still need something for a dad or a grad, or if you want to get in before the holiday rush, the June Special at my Etsy store is the perfect opportunity.

Thanks!

New fuel for my creative fire - Linda Evans Davis

I have been looking at pastel landscapes, notably those by Liz Hayward-Sullivan, Kitty Wallis and Elaine Lierly Jones, and I'm dying to do some myself. On Monday I went to the winery and the nature preserve in Liberty and to the arboretum in Overland Park to take photos to use as reference for upcoming paintings. At the time I was thinking that I didn't get much because the sun was too high and there were no clouds in the sky, but I took a lot of photos anyway.

Boy, am I glad I did. I just uploaded the photos to my computer and I'm so excited! I can see the paintings in my head as the images pop into Adobe Lightroom. I'm mentally picking out the colors to use for the shadows and highlights. It's exhilarating! The funny thing is that the images that I thought were going to be great reference aren't the ones I'm most excited about. That'll teach me. My dad always told me that the key to taking good photos is to take a LOT of photos.

I must make reference photography a more regular practice. I need to get a case that will protect my camera outside of my camera bag so that I can carry it with me constantly and grab inspiration when it happens. While driving to Lawrence for an appointment yesterday at 5:00 p.m. I longed for my camera to capture the long shadows, deep greens of the fir trees and the brilliant pops of yellow green from the grass and other leaves. It's amazing how when you start painting that you start seeing inspiration everywhere around you.

What have you found inspiring lately?

Hazel the Jack Russell

My old loopy friend Susan T recently had a birthday, so I did a 5x7 of her dog very smart dog Hazel in soft pastels. (My dogs only read cheap paperbacks, ha!)

Exciting changes coming

It has been a fun month. I pulled out the pastels and have been exploring people portraits and other subjects. I attended an event about art as a business, and joined the Mid American Pastel Society (fabulous bunch of artists, including this year's grand prize winner of the national Pastel 100 contest). It is clear that my art business is evolving. "Pet Portraits by Linda Davis" no longer encompasses what I do.

So, today I took the leap and started the process of rebranding, which will include a transfer of my domain to a webhost for professional artists. I will still offer pet (and people) portraits by commission and for sale, but I look forward to spreading my wings as an artist and reaching new goals, like becoming a signature member of the pastel society and entering juried art competitions and exhibitions. Teaching workshops is another goal I have added to my list. I have been watching the careers of some artist that I admire, like Kimberly Santini and Carol Marine, and see them as role models of what I want to accomplish.

It will take a while to get my new website up and running. Until then I will maintain this blog, and ask that you send orders directly to me by email at linda.evans.davis@gmail.com. I will also maintain my facebook page even after my new site is up so that those who are particularly interested in my pet related work can follow me there.

Stay tuned for updates and exciting things to come. Thanks so much for your continued support. It means the world to me!

Plaza statue pastel painting in progress

I'm starting a new pastel painting. It's one of the characters from the Plaza fountain. I love all the different colors that are in the darks in the original photo. It will be a good project for showing form with color rather than value, as it was a sunny day when I took the photo, and the image has high contrast.