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SkipsPortraits
portraits from photographs and attachments
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portrait art
titles highlighted in blue are linked to larger images
There is something about artwork that connects us to our earliest ancestors. In its most primitive form, it probably preceded the use of words as a means of communication. Maps and images scratched in the dirt may not qualify someone as an artist in the category of Rembrandt, or Michelangelo, but the use of lines and colors to illustrate something words can not describe is still the same. Being a successful artist today usually requires multiple forms of expression, such as photography, music, and writing, each with its own tradition, blended into multi-media art forms not possible before the age of electronics. My concentration over the years has been mostly on oil and pencil portraits as gifts for my family and friends. Pets and kids have been a favorite subject of mine since I started doing portraits in 1983, and although I am not a portrait artist in the professional sense, I have done portraits from photos sent to me as attachments from people who have found me online. My prices are reasonable, and I look forward to each new portrait as a challenge to get it “just right.”
My e-mail address is: skipvanlenten@optonline.net, or twitter: www.twitter.com/skipvanlenten
oil portraits
Original photo of Julie
Pencil sketch
This is a portrait of my daughter, Julie. It is the only original I have in my "private collection," and was painted in 1993. I keep it hanging at home, and occasionally, someone new will visit and think it is a photograph. It's a nice compliment. There is a lot of effort that goes into an oil portrait, and even though the finished product may not look exactly like the photo, if you can capture the essence of your subject, it adds another dimension not possible in photography.
pencil portraits
Portrait of a Setter
Portrait of a Cat
Pencil drawings are fun and easy to do, and no matter what the subject, I enjoy working with pencils as much as I do paints; they're portable, erasable, and fun to do, not to mention being the most basic form of art. I will be adding more samples at the link for Pencil Portraits.
photographs
A Day at the Beach
I began taking pictures as far back as I can remember. My father taught me how to use a 4x5 Speed Graphic camera (the same kind depicted as the logo of the New York Daily News), and built a darkroom in the basement where we developed our own black and whites. In the years since then, I have taken thousands of photos. My favorite subjects include the New York skyline, flowers, and outdoor scenes. My next art project will be a series of wildlife paintings using a few of the outdoor photos I took last summer.
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