Beauty on Velvet

This portait on black velvet of my friend Raymond's daughter Terina has been an intense learning experience for me. I had never attempted painting on velvet before this last Moloka'i trip. I think now that the time required to develope a painting is more than could be done in even 4 or 5 sittings. I suppose that's why most people work from photographs...They don't get tired and go home. Now that this one is proving to be a successful experiment, I'm ready to try something on the Royal Purple velvet that Suzanne sent back with me. I've worked more on it since I took this picture. She's beginning to smile more as I continue to paint. I wish I had some good marketing help (an Angel?) so I could start making a living doing this again. Hey! How about a fervent prayer? Great Spirit! O Cosmic Birther of All Radiance and Vibration, Hear my plea! ....Thy will be done. Amen. There that ought to do it. And now back to work.

My First Black Velvet Portrait

Aloha Ohana, I've been working on the black velvet portrait of my friend's daughter for most of the past two days. It's really changed quite a bit from the start I got on it during my time with her at the live sitting. I'll put that beginning image up first so we can see how much it has evolved from then. This first sitting was about three hours altogether. Working for 20 minutes at a time, with 10 minute breaks to cool off. It was about 80 degrees in the shade and we were in the sun. This took place on my friend Martin's back porch that has a great view of north-west Maui across the Pailolo channel. She looked out at that while I looked at her. It is a wonderful place with a great climate and beautiful people. I want to go back as soon as I can. It's too shady and cold here where I live now. My body feels better over there. I do love the sun. Mahalo Nui Loa! Aloha o Akua!

Fun and Faces ad infinitum

How do you decide when a portrait is done? I suppose the primary criteria would be that it looked like the person as much as the reference photo does. Perhaps a tad bit more so because I began this one from life as a demonstration at the Aurora Colors Gallery in Petaluma, California. I like where it's gone...It's a lot softer than it was. I think it's one of my best yet! This portrait thing is still fun, even though it's more work than a creative painting because such a finely tuned awareness of all the nuances of form and color of a person's face are required for success. I will be glad to move on to another project. Probably an oil portrait on black velvet that I began on the Island of Moloka'i of my friend's daughter. I took some photos of her the same day so I would have some reference for the finish that would have to happen back home in my studio. I started one of her father as well on a different couple of the days I spent painting there. He was much harder to corner to pose for me, I started going over and helping him with a project he was working on and I learned how to weave walls out of fronds cut from coconut palms. I got him to sit twice for me for an hour and a half about 2 weeks apart. I'll show you that one later. Mahalo & Aloha, Timo

Excellence not Perfection

Still not done with the portrait of Camille. I worked on it until midnight last night. It feels more like her now...Looks more familiar. I'm waiting for some feedback from her mother. I emailed her a photo this morning. I really do need to get back on my class description so I'll have a possibility of getting some students before it's time to start the classes. I think I have at least 6 different concept outlines in progress...I just need to sum it all up. I've even had help from one of my talented writer friends, but I'm still working on it. Maybe it will happen tonight! I have fear about the whole deal. Wondering whether I'm really capable of teaching people how to do better portraits. I suppose all I can really do is stimulate the idea that they can and will learn how to create the portraits they have in mind by adopting a slightly different way of seeing and connecting with their subjects. Spending more time preparing ourselves and our subjects to accomplish the objective of achieving a good likeness that is a part of a piece of finished art. Knowing when you're done is difficult sometimes, but there is no set standard. It's totally up to you. Unless your doing a commission for a perfectionist. I just strive for excellence.

Monroe's done

Pet portraits done from out of focus snapshots have to, of necessity, be labors of love even when they are a paid commission. I started this portrait in November of my friend Kathleen's cat Monroe that died last year. Not all pet portraits take that long to finish, but then I usually have much better reference photos to work from. Actually I think it was all the rest of the compositional elements that made it take as long as it did to finish. I hope she likes it. I'm glad it's done, that's for sure! I'm back on the Demonstration portrait today. It's almost done too. Of course that's what I thought yesterday at about this same time. I'll have to put that one up tomorrow. It's bedtime for this portrait painter. Aloha Ohana, Timo

Almost Done

With ten days left of January to try to replace an income all but gone in this low economic ebb we're experiencing presently, I've been turning more and more to prayer and meditation to stay serene enough to continue working with what I have and trust Great Spirit to fill in the blanks. This portrait I'm finishing up will be good for me in ways I don't even suspect yet. I'm sure everything is as it should be. I'm just unsure why I only have one tenth of the money I should have for my rent & bills by this time of the month. There's a surprize ahead of some kind. I just have to stay in the here and now and keep putting one foot in front of the other one to make progress. With lots of good company,food, music and rest along the path. Mahalo o Akua! Timo

Portrait in Progress

I started an oil portrait from life at the gallery I'm with over in Petaluma in December last year as a demonstration. I had 3 hours to get as much done as I could and hopefully have an example they could exhibit there to promote portrait commissions. I covered the 24" x 18" canvas with paint, but it wasn't really finished that afternoon. So I finally got caught up enough to get back to work on it using a photo taken at the time of the demo by my model's mother. I'll post the photo of the beginning image done that day. Tomorrow I'll put up the way it looks now. Lots of progress made yesterday and today. In these lean times we must keep busy doing whatever it is that we do best. I paint better than I write. That's for sure! Mahalo o Akua! Aloha ka kou, Timo

Into the Sun to Draw

Winter on the north side of a wooded hill is a very cool experience. Tiny glimpses of bright golden sparkles through the branches at random intervals intice one to come out to the open warmth beyond. It is out there beyond those leafy boughs and standing boles. The SUN! Sunlight is something in short winter supply in this neighborhood. They call it "Pneumonia Hill" locally. I'm going to move out into the sun again someday, but I have to accept things the way they are here and be thankful for what I have(use of) today. I did pencil portraits(1) in the sun yesterday in front of Coffee Bazaar and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent even though it wasn't that successful financially. To say the least. The weather here the last few days has been "to die for!" and my thought was it's like going to sleep in January and waking up in June. Shirtsleeves and less. I'm going back today to soak up some more and maybe do some portraits too! Here's a painting of a Tahitian Wahine I did from an old black & white photo a friend of mine's dad brought back from there in 1965. Someday... Aloha oe, Timo

Woodcutters are always Warm and other Sensations

Aloha Kakahiaka Aikane, I'm making great strides with this new idea that I can continue to learn things about all aspects of my existance with a conscious attitude adjustment every morning. Prayer & Meditation do actually make a difference. So I'm enjoying life more and stressing less about everything these days. Had to go on food stamps, but I don't feel embarassed or ashamed by that as I might have years ago. I'm going to cut firewood at my friend Gary's ranch after the meeting this morning and I have to admit I look forward to being out in the oaks and madrones on his hillside. I saw a golden eagle there the other day and the remains of a wild turkey that had been his(her?) breakfast. Found a couple of nice feathers at the site. Life is full and way good. Mahalo & Aloha, Timo

Momentous Progress on the Creative Road to Now

Ke aloha no! Aloha! I Decided to start doing pencil portraits again recently. So I went and bought a new sketchpad and within minutes was doing a drawing of a beautiful seven year old girl for her father who was there, but busy with a friend talking business. I asked her if she had ever sat for a portrait before and she said "Oh yes, twice before. Once at the Fair and once by a family friend." I asked her how she liked the outcome of those experiences and she replied,"I liked the one by our friend, but not the other one. I don't think it looks like me." I did what comes very easy and natural for me and was finished in about ten minutes. It was a good likeness. She liked it and her dad liked it. He gave me $20 and thanked me for such a good deal. I love what I do and it shows. Five more portraits today at the Coffee Bazaar to begin the 2009 season. I'm stoked! Mahalo Akua! Aloha kaua, Timo