This post is in response to several requests to see more of my artwork. Thank you for your time!
Breaking a Wave (c) IMA 2012, Oil on canvas
Breaking a Wave was part of a maritime exhibit, as well as the following painting, Portofino (c) 2012, Oil on canvas.
(I played in Photoshop with these images. I like the dramatic color vs. blk/wht effect=)
Yes, I love Italy, e me piacce molto parlare Italiano. (I studied art history in Florence, Italy and picked up the Italian language by osmosis. It's easy to do when you are already fluent in Spanish.) Portofino is a beautiful port town in Italy. At the far left of the canvas is the town I painted from a photo and the water is there in real life. But, I made up the rest of the painting. ;)
Firenze (c) IMA 2003, Oil on canvas
This painting is the middle part of a triptych landscape I did in plein air, overlooking Florence.
Victor (c) IMA 2014, Graphite
Portraiture is and has always been my forte as a realist artist. I started doing portraits for family members as gifts. Then people started paying me and the rest is history. When I went to art school, I realized that not every artist who can draw well can draw people well. Portraiture is a distinct craft. It is a joy for me and has become a spiritual exercise in recent years. I pray for the grace to capture the person in an honorable way, while praying for the person I am capturing.
St. Mary's (c) IMA 2012, Water color pencil/acrylic
Now, while I majored in painting, colored pencil has always been my favorite pastime; for portraiture, for still life, you name it. I love to do church drawings like this one. They make very unique gifts for a marriage. (This one was commissioned for Imre and Kathleen, duke and dutchess of the Habsburg Lorraine of Austria.)
African Savannah (c) IMA 2001, Acrylic on Panel
As much as I love to draw people, I love, love, love to draw animals. The above painting is 5'x3'. It was sold to a pediatrician group and is hanging in the waiting room. (Can you see the rhino and the cheetah in the clouds?)
Suzie (c) IMA 2015, Colored pencil
Here's a sweet pooch, one of many I've done on commission. I am definitely a dog person.
The First Holy Mass of Father Augustus Tolton, (c) IMA 2015, Oil on wood panel, 36"x 60"
This painting is dear to my heart. I dedicated much time and effort to this composition as there exists little reference material. I depicted Fr. Tolton at the pinnacle of the Holy Mass when the priest presents the Blessed Sacrament to the congregation. Augustus Tolton was born a slave in 1854 in Brush Creek, Missouri. He died, after many years of dedication to the black community of Illinois, at the age of 43, the first African-American Catholic priest in the U.S.A. This painting is on consignment with Quincy University, where he studied before attending the seminary in Rome, Italy.
This is a sampling of some of my work. More to come! I hope you enjoy!
God bless you!
