Henry Stinson and his fresh-off-the-easel portrait of me
I did my very first arts festival last weekend and had a blast! Langley is a charming village perched up high over Puget Sound on south Whidbey Island and the weekend was spectacular! A friend invited me to join a group of artists called Langley Artists Connect who were painting from life and I thought it would be a great experience to paint my FACEs here. I was not disappointed! On Saturday morning I set my easel up with purpose next to Henry Stinson who is Nationally known as a painter and instructor. I wanted to soak up what I could from a seasoned professional and I even sat for my own portrait by Henry first thing Sunday morning.
Painting portraits in this kind of setting is a crash course of intensity and how to paint under pressure. I spent about an hour on each portrait which is way less time that I typically spend, forcing me to look closely and paint what is important to that person right from the get go. I loved each and every person but I did have a couple of favorites! Connie was visiting from California and was my first customer and her sunny personality was a beam of joy for me. Two days later she was cracking crab on the deck of the friends she was visiting and I snapped the pose seen below.
"The Chronic Crab Cracker"
Near the end of the festival I met a young college grad named Katie who volunteered for a character I was inspired to create. I had been eyeing the "Honey Buckets" placed at the far end of the bank parking lot we were painting in and wanted to utilize the chance to photograph a FACE coming out of one of them. In my quest to chronicle everyday common situations it just doesn't get more common than that!
Katie told me her parent’s home was just a block away and within a closet hung a prom dress from 4 years back just itching to be donned for our purpose.
Seize the Moment I say!! So we did!
Katie posed ….I painted….we laughed….and I followed to her house where she transformed herself into Cinderella....or more appropriately..."The Portable Prom Date".
Her dad came along with us on our outlandish mission to the nearest Honey Bucket.
Seize the Moment I say!! So we did!
Katie posed ….I painted….we laughed….and I followed to her house where she transformed herself into Cinderella....or more appropriately..."The Portable Prom Date".
Her dad came along with us on our outlandish mission to the nearest Honey Bucket.
I hope he knows I am in full ownership of all my marbles….even if I have misplaced one or two temporarily!!
"The Portable Prom Date"
Katie and I at the end of the festival
