Thomas - Head On

"Thomas - Head On" was the first large scale portrait in a potential future series entitled "Friends...and Lover". The intent is to paint portraits of friends of mine and a portrait of my partner. This painting is of a former boyfriend of my partner's second cousin. The painting is a 30" x 40" acrylic on canvas. I wanted to capture the softness in his eyes. Thomas is a very sensitive man and I was hoping to capture the sensitivity in the portrait. I learned a lot doing the painting. In the past, I thought of the people in my paintings as nothing more than objects as in my still lifes and landscapes. In this painting, the feelings I wanted to convey weren't coming across and the painting felt quite cold. I started the painting over several times. Then, one weekend, Thomas and Christina came over to visit and, while he was in the other room playing games with her, I could hear his voice, his humor, and his laughter. I connected with who Thomas was and the painting seemed to flow out of me. I completed the entire face from pure white to what you see now in a matter of about three hours. I have started thinking more of the model as a person in my newer portraits and that has made all the difference. This painting has been on display in several group exhibitions.