4.12.2006

Decorative Portraits

These were made as housewarming gifts for my girlfriend (top), her dog, and her new roommate, a close friend. I don't know why, but I had the idea of painting in grayscale; portraits with some contrasted lighting, some bold shapes, in an expressive & loose manner with a bit of an oriental feel and a representational yet 'splashy' look. I think they turned out okay... I could work on some more and attempt better results. I think often what we create is the child of our mistakes and tendencies or habits. These were fun to do, and a real test of NOT exaggerating. Each one took less than an hour and is 5"x7".

6 comments:

Piotr said...

I'm sure you were tempted to exaggerate! I'd love to see exaggerated animals, have you done any of those before?

Steve Hearn said...

Joe, these are just GREAT!

Keelan Parham said...

These rock, Joe! But, um...I think Danielle's prettier than this....



Keelan

Keelan Parham said...

Nice, Joe! I really like these. I DO think Danielle's prettier than this, though....

Anonymous said...

wow i stumbled in here from Frank Calienda's site. you're talented man keep up the good work

Anonymous said...

words cant explane, your stuff is good man i like it.