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.

Breaking Up is Hard To Do...

Breaking Up is Hard To Do... is a recent acrylic on paper piece. The model, Walter, was moving to Arizona and had recently broken up with his partner. The title has as much to do with what Walter was going through as with the style of the painting. The painting was treated as a mosaic. I began by drawing and painting the "grout." I then painted the "tiles" one color at a time until the image was completed. I loved watching the image appear as more colors were added. The image came to life near the end as the darks were added. This painting is available for purchase at $3,000.00. If interested, contact me at dsimoneau@wi.rr.com with the subject Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. The painting is 22 x 30 matted and framed to 28 x 36 and glazed with plexiglas.