Man with the Straw Hat
18x24, oil on canvas, © 1964
Collect of the Artist
I learned from the first portrait and painted this second with properly prepared canvas. Before I learned not to use black, I used it to tint the colors. You can see it in the flesh colors. I believe it was Whistler who said that a portrait is a picture of a person with something wrong with the eyes. Enough said.
Lady with the Straw, 1963
Oil on Canvas Panel, © 1963
Collection of the Artist
I learned as I painted the flesh color that black is not always the way to gray a color. It took some time for me to learn color theory of complementary graying, but I recognize the problems that black can cause if not used right. The hair was a challenge, and I used a pallet knife to apply the paint. It worked better than my brush painting of the hair.
Autumn Forest
18x24, oil on canvas (unsigned) © 1963
Private Collection
Painted as a developmental work from an illustration in a Walter Foster Book. “How to Draw and Paint Landscapes.” The painting is a demonstration of how to paint from photographs. The photo appeared in “Fine Prints to Copy or Frame.” Leon Franks interpreted the painting from the photo. This is my interpretation of the Leon Franks painting.
Man with Bowler
18x24, oil on canvas, © 1963
Collection of the Artist
One of my first paintings. A friend (Bruce Fisher) and I wanted to paint in oil. We bought some unprimed canvas. We did not know that you should put a barrier between the support and the oil paint. The oil has seeped into the fabric. It was very hard to paint as the paint kept soaking into the fabric.
It has lasted 43 years, but I don’t want to put any pressure on the canvas as it seems brittle.
A Log Cabin
9x12 graphite on paper © 1962
Private Collection
Sometimes we stumble as artists and sometimes we succeed. As a young person, we have a tendency to draw what is before us, not necessarily what would make the best drawing or painting. It takes time to acquire that sensitivity.
