Here comes the Bride!

This 24 x 36 oil of a lovely bride-to-be was completed in record time for one of my oils! The bridal dress did not arrive until 2 months before the wedding and I hurried to the home to get the photography handled :-)
I completed the portrait using the expression from one photo and the body pose from another....the bouquet and what it actually would look like was a very last minute  decision but finally, she's completed, the clients are delighted and life is good for this almost new bride!

Intuitive Oil Paintings

The beauty of commissioned art is that it is personal. "Custom made" is a phrase used over and over but when applied to a commissioned art piece, the painting truly becomes a part of the history, likes and desires of the client!

This large 30 x 40 oil portrait is the second that I have created for this client. Her family is indeed her beautiful animals and on a very personal note, the Golden Retriever on her far left was her beloved Bailey who passed several years ago. Originally I was going to include Bailey in the distant background but as I progressed work on the oil, the painting seemed to call for a more definitive view of the old dog. Sometimes, as an artist, that is how I work...I go with an intuitive feeling! I did not consult the client. I have discovered over many years of portraiture that envisioning a change is difficult for most clients. Part of the artist mystique and its progress is to anticipate the unveiling of a painting-not see it all laid out beforehand in Photoshop! Was she pleased? Oh my yes! Intuitive painting is what it's all about!

M Theresa Brown

The Portraits: www.MTheresaBrown.com

Little girl in white oil painting

This 16 x 20 oil was quite a challenge! Photographers all deal with photoshop and a large number of artists do as well now. Sometimes I think that a little more sketching would bring the brain back as "photoshop" is something an artist always did....long before the computer! This little girl came from 2 photos. I created a pastel of her sister 6 years ago and they had an "oil photograph" made. So I had a photo of the little blond headed sister-full body and a head and shoulder photo of the other dark haired sister...basically combining them together and then deciding to add the arm to the right as the original photo showed (vaguely, in parts) her little arms pulled up to her body. But after painting that, it looked awkward, so I rubbed out the arm (with a crowd watching) and sketched it back onto the canvas and then painted it. Fun with a crowd around! Anyway the client was THRILLED with the results.
The very cool thing is that the dress in the oil was detailed (more so than the photograph) and it had been made by the grandmother. Both little girls wore it for their portraits (6 years apart!) Grandma's Dress is an heirloom as is now this portrait!

A breathing, living portrait

A fine art portrait is more than a likeness of the subject. A portrait should virtually breathe on it's own!
This 24 x 30 oil is a good example of that concept. By intertwining the likenesses of the subject with a visual example of their long term relationship and devotion to each other the portrait took on a life of it's own.

In other words, it went far beyond "looking like the subject" or what a photo is required to do. A fine art portrait creates a perpetual record of a subject on that day, in time and the interaction to the environment around them. A moment in time. A forever reminder that life is good!

Dressage Horse for the CDI show

I created this 18 x 24 oil of a dressage horse from photos that we took while down in Southern Pines, NC.
I used a 2 inch Gallery Wrap canvas and had fun pulling the painting around the sides! Take a look!

A journey of 3000 miles

Yes, it was indeed a journey of 3000 miles! With gas ranging from $3.79-4.05 gallon, our little Honda Fit was packed to the gills with artwork and the usual suitcases! Why? Well we tied in a business trip with a family reunion in Branson, Missouri! Yep. Our trip took us from NC through TN, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky and onward to Missouri, Oklahoma and the journey back. In Lexington, Kentucky we appeared at the book signing at Gallery B of Vicki Moon's new book "Equestrian Style" in which Steve and I have a bit part along with cool photographs of us at work and on the road. You can locate the book at www.Amazon.com.
We also toured the Horse Park-wow what a place! We were sucked into Breyer Fest-another amazing event and were given a private tour of Cobra Farms, the birthplace of Seattle Slew.
Yes, we painted, produced out portfolios and in general had a blast! Good to be home though!

I shipped the above 18 x 24 oil of Sam and Ernie to my client in Pennsylvania right before I left and who says it best but the client?
Theresa
The portrait of Sam and Ernie is AWESOME! I absolutely love it. It arrived yesterday, and it was put in the front hall immediately. I had 7 people for dinner last night, and everyone adored it. Thank you, so much. It is one of the best things I ever thought to do.
Wendy